experiments with sprigs

I’ve been working hard over the last few months, refining current work, and making more, having managed to fix my kiln through my own efforts (electricity isn’t that frightening…) Spring is when galleries stock up for wedding season.

So I’ve got a bit cramped, stiff, from focussing on detail. To have a change, I’ve been looking at catalogues – they are full of work no-one’s seen for a long time, usually – not in public collections, so not in the picture libraries.  This is early Meissen, with applied relief – called sprigs in England – which are usually cherry blossom in China and japan, but here it’s a rose bud and leaves.

I tried making a rose hip sprig (the hip is a bit wrinkled, it was March..) On the left is a sprig as it comes out of the mould. On the right, it is tidied up ready to be applied. Not a successful experiment, sadly – too big in the hip, too small in the sepal.

I also love these flattened jade vases – my favourite is on the right, with a very Game of Thrones dragon twirled around the neck. there are Qianlong –  1711-1799 – so the same period as the Meissen.

In response I’ve been making flattened pots  – that’s oval as you look from the top. These are in the green – unfired – at the moment, and I’ve used some oak sprigs on this one – the mould made from oak tips from West Norwood Cemetery.

This bottle has beech sprigs – the buds are six times the size of oak buds, so a bit easier to handle.

I’ve also been trying out writing with slip – here, using a piping bag and writing like you would icing. Lots of options here, thcker slip, maybe an italic piping tip (I think used for making leaves in RL).

So maybe none of these will make it into my repertoire, but it’s been a lot of fun making them!

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