Two Day Porcelain Masterclass at V&A 31st May & 1st June- book now

Ceramics Course with Louisa Taylor, V&A Museum

Contact: V&A Bookings Office bookings.office@vam.ac.uk
    

Description

Skills Studio: Ceramics Practice at the V&A
Special Price £20.00 as part of the Residency Programme
Two day throwing and form manipulation course with current V&A Ceramics Resident Louisa Taylor
Concentrate on throwing and form manipulation skills with porcelain. Enhance your skills in throwing on the wheel and explore new methods that combine throwing, hand building and construction techniques.
Participants will have the opportunity to work with Louisa Taylor who has been researching new techniques in this area during her six month residency at the V&A.
Thursday 31 May – Friday 1 June, 10.10–16.15
For more information visit:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/1782/skills-studio-ceramic-professional-practice-workshop-2950/
Supported by John & Catherine Armitage and William & Valerie Brake
Suitable for practitioners, degree level students and people doing professional apprenticeships. Attendees must be at a confident, intermediate level or above in throwing using a pottery wheel. Experience of throwing in porcelain would be beneficial but not essential.

Refining the making process

This week I have been refining a couple of the forms that have developed during the course of the residency. I have been playing around with textures in the bases and combining this with thrown and assembled sections. The textures in the bases of these pieces include spaghetti and assorted wall paper patterns. I'm very interested in the roles of women as homemakers and I am exploring the relationship between the choice of textures and creating a reference to domesticity.

From a visual/form perspective I have been experimenting with the shape of the rims, I am liking the chunky ridged edge compared to the fine rim - has a sturdy robust feel to it compared to the latter. I'll be interested to hear any thoughts or comments.

Moving to a new studio

Packing up and moving out

My husband dismantles my kiln ready to load it into the van

Empty space so sad - all the hustle and creativity it has harvested during the last 5 years

During Easter I waved farewell to my Cockpit studio and said hello to my new studio in Forest Hill. The new studio is a 15 min walk from my house which will make things a lot easier. It's also my own room (I shared a space at Cockpit). I will definitely miss the community at Cockpit but I will be back as alumni for the summer open studios 22nd-24th June 2012.

Here are some photos of the move - sorry no image of my new space - it's too much of a mess to show you just yet!

In the meantime here is my new address:

Unit G3
Whirled Art Studios
118 Standstead Road
Forest Hill
London
SE23 1BX

Ceramics Studio Cabinets - Installing today

18th Century Pickle pots mixed in with my interpretations

My work on display in the middle cabinet

Today I have been working with Assistant Ceramics Curator, Catrin Jones. We have spent the morning opening the cabinets in the galleries and choosing objects to display in the glass cases that face my studio. This has been an opportunity to exhibit some of my maquettes alongside the original pieces - the intention for this display is to grow and develop as I create more objects and slot them in over the coming weeks. It is very much a work in progress display because many of the objects that I have created are quick sketches/mock ups. I am enjoying watching visitors look in to the cabinets and then do a double take as they realise all is not as it seems!

The middle cabinet is a display of my current work, it's good to show visitors a story of how my work is progressing during the residency.

The cabinet on the left hand side contains objects I have chosen from the collection that I feel address function in interesting ways. My favourite object is the 18th Century Queen Charlotte Supper Set piece. You may have seen how this piece has influenced my work in previous years......

Original Queen Charlotte Supper Set 18th Century

Oriole Supper Set 2009

work in progress

Here are some pieces that are inspiring me at the moment

18th century pickle pots

Louisa on BBC Radio Somerset

I was interviewed about the residency for BBC Somerset radio this morning. Here is the link if you would like to hear it.

Scroll through to 1:55 on the bar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00p20dd

I'm at the V&A!

Hello V&A! I'm here in room 143 Ceramic Studio, Ceramics Galleries- Floor 6! Come and see me on these days:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/1615/open-studio-louisa-taylor-ceramics-resident-2757/

The ceramic studio

Some of the exhibits

Hello - it's been a while since my last post and there is a lot to tell you! As many of you are aware, I started my residency at the V&A at the beginning of January and so far I enjoying every minute of it. It's taken me a bit longer than I thought to get settled into my new routine of going to the museum and working there day to day. I am so used to my own studio and making pots to sell that I actually felt guilty for spending days not making anything but instead wandering around the museum all day long just looking at objects. Of course I know that this is important to spend time researching but its been so long since I've had free time to myself - for myself - that is was quite a strange feeling.

When I started, by coincidence there was a course about the history of food which I have been attending for the last 8 weeks. It couldn't have come at a better time because as a tableware maker I now feel that I have a better understanding of the context surrounding dining rituals - why particular objects developed to suit functions/fashions. This is already feeding into my practice and sparking some exciting lines of enquiry. Its refreshing to see the subject from a non-ceramic point of view because sometimes I feel so bogged down with techniques and glaze recipes. It's great to think about the future of food and something that I feel strongly about is; how eating meals together can create stronger bonds within the family unit and/or other human relationships. My aim for the coming weeks is to create objects that reflect this notion to encourage sharing and evoke discussion at the table.

I will keep you up to date with news and photos of the developing pieces. At the moment I am working a range of pickle pots..............