Thrown and altered porcelain with under-glaze
17h” x 6.5″w
2012 sold
When the Phoenix Art Museum approached me for a donation, I thought it would be fun to take a more traditional form and make it contemporary. For the past year, I have been in a research and developmental phase looking into a combination of Dazzle Camouflage, Cubist and Vorticism painting. The above photo is my first attempt, it was very well received at the event and I enjoyed creating it.
After meeting with my client and collector of early American pottery, I was able to draw upon his ideas and interest in my work to design a custom piece for his collection.
To start the building process, I begin with a thrown form. I then applied additional clay to form handles, a bottled neck and squared off sides. Once the piece was hard enough, I made a plaster mold of the original form. I then emptied and cleaned the mold of the original and poured a porcelain slip for the casting. When the new molding form is almost dry, I clean and sand the form for a perfect finish. The piece is the fired in a kiln once to harden and burn out impurities and then fired again to apply a clear glaze.
After this grueling process, the piece is ready to paint. I gather my resources, pick up a brush and begin laying the design around the form. I use China Paints for the surface and though multiple layers of paints and firings the piece is complete.
Finial look in a series of colors 2012
The work posted above feature a series of feet or Function, which are basic tools of humanity; the surface or Fashion, is an extension of ourselves in a contemporary skin.
These pieces were originally constructed by hand out of clay. It took many attempts to get it just right and at times looked quite frightening. Wanting several for a series, I produced a mold out of plaster. From that mold, I used slip to “pull” a cast. Each piece was cleaned, sanded and fired in a kiln.
For the surface, I wanted to try a different approach. I have been china painting for years and while researching a project about cars on the side, I decided to try automotive paint. Fortunately, I had a contact who works for the Porche collision repair shop in town. I learned the exact process applied onto automobiles and it was a learning process. Each sculpture has multiple levels of primers, colors, pearls, clears and many layers of wax. I am extremely please with the final appearance of the series and there’s more to come.
Hand-building the original sculpture out of clay
Application of paints
The focus of my work is figurative ceramics. I utilize the surface of my sculptural creations as a kind of porcelain canvas for autobiographical surrealistic painting. My introduction to and interest in the PRISM lab originated from a series of attempts to create an accurate mirror image of one of my sculptures.
After a crash course in CAD programs, I used the PRISM lab’s computer scanning and prototyping processes to create a work of abstract figurative art. Conceptually, my goal was to crate a porcelain sculpture of two conjoined figures embodying a symbiotic relationship.
This project was a collaboration between myself and Arizona State University’s PRISM lab, with special thanks to Professor Dan Collins.
Check out the American Art Collector Magazine featuring an article about my work. Enjoy!
Bridget Chérie Harper’s Visual Diaries by Paul Lewing
Thanks to artist, writer and publisher, Paul Lewing for this informative article about China Painting and featuring my work!
The tumblers I create are handcraft from beginning to end. The clay is mixed, thrown on a potter’s wheel and fired in a kiln. I polish them and have discovered a method to transfer the paintings I create on my sculptures into decals that fire onto the tumblers. The results are beautifully translucent porcelain vessels that takes on an alabaster appearance with original imagery from my paintings.
