Jewelry

I was at home today trying to escape the heat-wave and finish up a new set of jewelry for IKSV Design.

Front Page

Yasha Butler Ceramics was on the front page of Etsy! Yay!

New Work

I have been playing around with the idea of making a table setting. These are images of some test pieces.

A New Take on The Off-Circle Vessel

I am working on a new project!

I have been wanting to widen the lips of my Off Circle vessels. After a few unsuccessful trials of trying to construct these wide lipped bowls with the same method I had previously used, I decided to rethink my concept and technique. I realized that I wanted to create pieces that gave the sense of weight and heft, but in actuality were very light. Producing my Off Circle vessel as a double-walled form was the conclusion that I came to. Creating a vessel with double walls will give me the heavy look and light feel that I am going for. It will also solve my problem with constructing a wide lip. Hopefully...

Above are some images of the interior and exterior walls that I carved. I will create molds from these clay volumes, into which I will press thin slabs of clay.

Finishing The Bowl

...I continued carving the plaster. Once I achieved the shape that I had envisioned, I began to prep it for mold making. First, I applied three layers of a mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol. Secondly, I found the center line where the mold would come apart. Then finally, I built a clay wall up to this center line. After these steps I poured the plaster in two stages and created my beautiful mold!

After waiting a few days for the plaster mold to dry, I cast a bowl from it. Unfortunately, I was unhappy with the shape and volume of the resulting bowl. It lacked the flowing curves and delicate edges I was hoping to achieve.

It is now time to go back to the drawing board!

Beginning of a New Bowl

I have just begun working on a new line of slipcast forms. I thought it would be fun to document my design process from beginning to end. Above are images of where I have gotten so far.

First, I begin by sketching out my ideas. I make drawings on paper, as well as construct small clay models. When I have a general idea of the shape that I want, I pour a block of plaster. I make sure that this block has equivalent volume to the vessel that I have in mind . Once the plaster has set, I begin to carve it down. This part of the process always takes a long time. It is very labor intensive, but it is also the most exciting. Although I have a general idea of the bowl that I want to create, I allow myself the freedom to work from instinct. The outcome is always a bit of a surprise.

Stay tuned to see the final vessel...

American Craft Council Show in Baltimore

Thanks to everyone who came by my booth at the ACC show in Baltimore. It was a great show!