MODELLING A CERAMIC DESIGN

from start to finish.

Roger Michell Lustre Pottery studio designs are made from start to finish by one man. All the processes - from the thinking and the drawing stage through to the modelling, mould-making, casting, firing, decorating and glazing. These skills have been built over up over many years and through many experiences such as working and apprenticing with masters in their fields, such as David Eales and Sir Anthony Caro on the studio side to designing for large potteries as an independent designer outside of the normal factory process and guiding modellers, casters and paintresses so that the ensuing product would reflect not all, but most, of the ethics of its original designers, Roger Michell and Danka Napiorkowska. Mould making methods in the factory were second to none and all the little tricks could be learned here. Roger began to model much more seriously when Lustre Pottery was established in 1973. He liked animals and there is much evidence of hares, turtles, geese, ducks, chickens and horses in his work.

The following describes, from start to finish, how an object is cast. Roger makes one-off pieces also by throwing and turning but casting enables Lustre Pottery to produce small, limited editions for teapot and Walking Ware collectors. As you scroll down the page the complete process will be revealed to you. It takes approximately 6 weeks from start to finish to complete a batch of work.
image1. Inspiration image2. Drawing image3. Modelling image4.Child model in clay
Pottery as a craft has a vast historical reference dating back many thousands of years. This lineage enables the potter to draw and build on the skill and experience of the past. Image1 is a photograph of a pair of 18th century candlesticks made to depict the fable The Lion and the Fox. When Lustre Pottery was established in 1973 it was the methods of the small English craft potteries making creamware that inspired it. It was the spirit of these naive objects of grace and charm that Roger wanted to emulate. Being a child of a modernist architect in the 1950's, he could not help but bring an over-riding sense of irony to everything that he touched. The lion in a tree below was what came out of thinking about the lion and the fox candlesticks, so you see, it is not a replica, but a complete re-working of an idea, a story touched by a most extraoridinary imagination.
After the initial drawings the object is modelled in clay. The lion teapot has the tree for a sturdy base and its weight is evenly balanced.
image5. Mixing the plaster image6. Making the mould image7. Cast pieces ready for image8. assembly
When the initial model is ready it is cut up into manageable pieces and a mould is made for each. All the parts need to come out of the mould intact which is why a more complicated model must be moulded separately although inserts can be made that slot in before the mould is put together and come out before the cast piece is taken away. In this way intricate pieces can be accommodated without damage. Image6 shows part of the horse teapot in a box secured with string. The wet plaster is poured into the box. When the plaster is dry the sides of the box can be removed leaving the plaster mould. Eventually there will be about 6 separate moulds to cast the horse teapot; the body, the legs, the tail, the head and the rider and the base. Image7 and 8 shows the individual elements of the teapot after coming our of the plaster mould.
image9. Roger at work image10. assembling the parts image11. of the horse tea pot image12. putting it all together.
When all the pieces are cast the teapot is assembled and each element stuck together with casting slip painted onto both surfaces and held until they are firm. The girl on a horse teapot stands directly on its two hind feet, this is a very small base indeed, several supports are needed to hold the horse up especially while it is in the kiln. Earth core temperatures soften the clay so that it will slump and fall over without support.
image13. Modelling the cat image14. using various tools image15. Each piece assembled image16. separately. The child.
The cat on the horse was modelled and assembled on a flat piece of clay with various supports to hold the pieces in shape. Tiny pieces like the hands and ears are modelled in the hand and stuck on to the main body. The child in image13 is modelled in one piece.
image17. rider is made in one image18. piece and so is the image19. horse head lid. image20. Ready for first firing.
Once assembled the model is left to firm up for a day or so depending on the temperature and atmosphere.
image21. Biscuit image22. Sponge decoration image23. Brush work on the image24. tumbling clowns.
It is then fired to biscuit above. At this stage the pot, although hard, is incredibly brittle. It is now ready to decorate with underglaze color. Everything looks bright and fresh at this point. Colors will alter in the kiln.
image25. Child and cat teapots image26. Dodo teapot image27. The dodo family image28. Decorated riders
Various decorative techniques are used. Image25 pictures 2 horse teapots on the left with sponge decoration in black and marine green while the cat teapot on the right has had underglaze color sprayed onto it with an airgun. Image26 and 27 show teapots that have been decorated with a brush as the girl riders have been in image28.
image29. Lined up and ready for image30. a second firing image31. Walking Ware teapot image32. prototypes. Kiln room
When there are enough items to fill a kiln they are all carried over and carefully placed alongside one another on the kiln shelves. The color is not fixed at this point so great care has to be taken not to touch it.
image33. Glazed and fired image34. No faces image35. Waiting for final image36. enamel decoration.
I did not photograph the glazing stage. The item is completely white, all decoration obscured. The liquid glass is sprayed onto the pot with an airgun. Great care has to be taken to get an even surface which is difficult as the liquid dries into a fine, white powder that is difficult to gauge. In the kiln the glass melts and adheres to the clay body of the pot. Some pots are not sprayed, but they are dipped into the glaze, the walking ware is dipped. Again, great care needs to be taken. If the glaze is too thick it will run down the body in gloopy globules that bubble underneath the surface and turn a bluish color. Of course this is beautiful but not acceptable in a market that demands a high standard manufactured surface. In image33 the glaze firing has caused the underglaze color to run slightly at the edges, this is called shadowing and is a very desirable pottery effect. In all the above images you can see that the faces are missing. Intricate details are painted on in enamel with a brush. The pot them receives its final, enamel firing.
image37. Walking Ware on the image38. shelves of the gas kiln. image39. Taken out one by one image40. The gas bottles.
The gas kiln is fired by 3 large gas bottle. A second bottle is bought into practice just before the previous one runs out. It is important to keep the kiln powered evenly throughout the whole of the firing process. A sudden drop in temperature would mean that the whole firing would need to be started again. The temperature rises slowly or quickly depending on the type of firing required to temperatures of 1060 to 1120 degrees. When the top temperature is reached the kiln is switched off and cooling allowed to take place. A firing takes up to 12 hours to complete.

 

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