Gabriel Struelens
Theme: Love for My Girl, and for all Nature
Intro: I have made only a few projects second semester advance ceramics. Many people used techniques such as wheel altering, or add on's that give their projects a 3D effect, and others like me focused mostly on their glazes rather than the creation of the project itself. My theme I've decided to express is simply light with dark, all of nature's bright and dull colors together in a variety of ways, also while expressing my feelings for my beloved Kayla.
The What: Bowl, 2 Vases, Plate, Mini Vase (choice), Cat dish(choice), Planter.
The What: Bowl, 2 Vases, Plate, Mini Vase (choice), Cat dish(choice), Planter.
Kayla's Bowl
This bowl connects with my theme because it is dedicated to Kayla. The bowl is the largest I have made. Its base (as shown in the top picture) Is straight up and down then curves out to form its bowl shape. The outside is indented with five rings. Three blue and two red. The stripes are symbolic to our relationship. Blue is for the good times, red is for the bad times. Notice there more blue than red, which is me stating there should always be more good in a relationship to balance out the bad. The colors almost looked balanced together. In picture two, it shows the top and inside of the bowl. Inside there are rings but are sticking outward rather than inward like in the first photo. In the middle rest an outline of a flower, and around the bowls rim is a statement I've made to Kayla.
Plate
This plate isn't the best I have made but it goes with my theme. Its a large plate coated in a green glaze, while on the outer rim its blue. I made this a theme project and created it because its almost like the earth when I look at it. The blue surrounding the green, as water surrounding the continents. The project even accidently turned out to fit my theme. When the middle was bone drying it slowly moved up and slightly pushed out the rings (shown only by the light in the seconded photo) made by my fingers when it was on the wheel.
Mini vase (choice)
This is my mini vase. This project came quick and I had no intent to present it, but when I looked at all my projects made in the seconded semester, I noticed most of them where made by earthy colors. I myself love nature, and the fact it hasn't been touched by "man". The vase is small and glazed only in green.
Cat Dish (choice)
This is another choice project. Again I did not make this for any reason, I just made it. It possess a earthy feel with the blue and clear glazes. you cant see in the picture but the clear glaze on the inside is cracked like a desert floor. A great part in my opinion is the rim that's indented around the top. So when I look at this I feel that its water surrounding a desert but its not in the desert.
Vase Simple
This is one of my vases. I went simple with it and glazed it blue and green. Green on the outside and blue on the inside. I made this vase more wide in the middle so that a lot of flowers could fit inside of it with a decent amount of water. The vases glazes would go well with flowers because flowers are apart of nature and what's natural.
Planter
This is my planter for my theme. Its ironic that the planter connects with nature because that's what it was made to hold. this is a small planter though and was dipped in a green glaze. This is the only other project that has a indented outer ring around it similar to the Cat Dish.
Kayla's Vase
This vase is the other dedicated project I've made for Kayla. And without wanting to connect it to my theme it already fits with the draw in tree and the clear and green glazes. This vase took effort creating and decorating. The meaning of it to Kayla was to ask her too prom as shown in the seconded picture below (she said yes!). The shape of the vase surprised me because of how well it turned out.
The How
How I made all my project was very similar. I spent time and work on both creating the project itself and adding further detail to them when they where wet, and when they came out of the kiln. when it came to using the glazes I always picked earthy colors, never anything very bright and easy to see but subtle colors with that create a calm feeling. The dedicated vase turned out with a great shape to it because I got rid of excess clay on it which began to shape it to the way it is now.
The Why
Why do all my projects connect with my theme? Well my theme is to express natures bright and dull colors, while in two dedicated projects express myself and my feelings to Kayla. I love nature and the world it provides and Kayla Shumacher, and without even picking a theme when I had too, I already created it through my last series of projects. Majority of my projects are either Green, Clear, or Blue. Even though these projects may be simple they express my feel for everything natural in this world, through their rough shapes and earth feelings they project.
Ceramics itself is all natural. The clay came from the earth and we continue to recycle and use the clay to create what our emotions express through our art work. Many had different emotions to express. mine was my love for two things. My current girlfriend (Kayla Shumacher), and the beautiful world and all the nature within it.
Ceramics itself is all natural. The clay came from the earth and we continue to recycle and use the clay to create what our emotions express through our art work. Many had different emotions to express. mine was my love for two things. My current girlfriend (Kayla Shumacher), and the beautiful world and all the nature within it.