Porcelain Canvas by Charlie Cummings

This porcelain tile was screen printed by recent MFA graduate, Charlie Cummings. Charlie is getting ready to teach image making at Arrowmont and he is a screening wiz! I gave him a sample piece of Porcelain Canvas and he did a 4 color silkscreen with Amaco velvet underglazes. He has to thicken the underglazes up a bit by spreading out on glass to set up until it is like pudding. He fired electric at cone 1. He did not need to heat up the tile like you would have to if it were glaze he was screening. The "ink" is on there. I have an second image of the tile, back side towards the camera on my studio window - it gives a great soft and subtle translucent effect with light. More experimentation to come....

Finished work at ANU

Although most of the work I will finish with lusters and decals when I get to my studio at home, I finished up a handful of pieces for the ANU Collection. Quick shots I am afraid, and the mother of pearl luster a bit hard to see. The box with about 30 small pieces is packed and ready to go to DHL tomorrow, my last day in Canberra. I will miss my colleagues and the students here, all who have been wonderful to work with. I am on to Sydney for a couple days and fly home on Monday.

Kangaroos and work at ANU

On the drive back to Canberra after a lovely weekend at Janet Deboos’ home in the Blue Mountains, I finally had the thrill of seeing kangaroos! I can go back home now….

I unloaded the kilns and laid everything out. There are more pieces to glaze and others to luster and decal. This is my last week here. Finished work soon!

Work and fun at ANU

On Thursday, with the help of one of the techs, Bernie, we fired a glaze test in the new raku kiln he built – firing to cone 6 in just a few hours. Both the kiln and the tests worked well.

Then it was Pizza Day on Friday! I made the sauce, Greg Daley made his famous crust, Janet the cakes and the students provided the rest. The woodstove pizza oven is in the kiln courtyard, designed by Allan Watt, former head of program. It was sunny and warm (this is winter?) and we enjoyed the meal outdoors.