Photo update

It has been such a long time since I posted anything, but now that summer's over and it's back to college for year 3, hopefully I'll be updating a lot more about my new project.  All about the idea of the 'treasured' object (a full statement will follow soon once I actually get round to wording it properly!)

Until then, here are the photos I had taken of my smaller pieces from my last project:

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Photography by Gina Hughes

Own Image

Unfortunately, I don't have a proper image of the last one which is actually made up of two parts - the main brooch (above) linked by handmade chain to a smaller brooch.

What Next?

A bit of quiet time on the blog recently as things are starting to slow down a bit.  Still making a few more sea wreckage brooches like the ones I previously posted about, will be having them photographed properly next week!  I've also been able to make a dent in the large pile of books stacked up beside my bed that I've bought over the past few months, but haven't had time to read yet.  Should keep me pretty busy, I think...

These are all part of the new research,  I've started looking at people and their relationship with objects they collect, what they hope to tell people by displaying them and the decisions we make to hold onto one thing and throw away another - memories/stories/reminders.  Also still looking for new places to explore, reading 'Edgelands' is giving me ideas about places that are not nessecarily abandoned, just out of the way/overlooked in day to day life.  Still early days yet mind you, vague outlines will sort themselves out into some sort of order over the summer.

While that happens, take a look at this man Jorge Castanon
He rescues found objects from the hidden spaces he explores and uses them in his work, not as a response to what is there, but what is not...

Opening Night

Been a busy couple of weeks, but the making is done and the exhibition is up!  Here are some photos of the finished pieces up in their spaces and the private view, more to follow...


Private View



Katie Owen Jewellery

Sally Rogers Ceramics

Olwen Thomas Ceramics

Lindy Martin Ceramics



Hilary Coole ceramics





Carol Griffiths Ceramics

David Stirrup Ceramics



Neill Curran Ceramics

 
 

New bits!

Now that things have quietened down at the end of this year, I've been able to give more time to my new plastic powders. 

Mixing them altogether has given me a lot of different colours and so I'm now assembling and re-assembling componants together into some smaller pieces ready for the exhibition happening in July.  Here's some photos of how they're looking at the moment, tweaking a few things as I'm still undecided about whether they'll be neck pieces or brooches, but getting there...

Sketchbook work

Something that I come to love more and more each year is my sketchbook.  After loathing it upon first coming to college for foundation, I eventually learned a way of drawing and documenting ideas that worked for me.  Exploring mark making features a lot in my sketchbooks, as does collage, layering textures and photos of my assemblages that I can then work into again. 

Here are some of my sketchbook pages from my last project which show the development of my ideas into the final pieces that I've posted on here previously

 

Projections

What I often find when I make things is that I tend to work very small scale whether I'm aware I'm doing it or not!  This term, I set myself the challenge of breaking out of this comfort zone and in order to help me with this, I started doing projection work.  I took some photos of the things that inspired me, printed them onto acetate, combined them with 3D pieces I'd made on the overhead projecter and then projected them onto myself.

I think this way of visualising pieces of work really freed me up, it allowed me to think of the form and how I would need to make something and fit it all together before I started.  It's also a lot of fun to do and because the combinations and placement of images are so instant, you walk away with loads of ideas.  Jewellers, I recommend it! 

Collaboration

During this year, I've had the chance to collaborate with a student on the fashion course.  For his final year project based on Victorian mourning wear, I cast some very old keys in ceramics to make into a neckpiece.  We had a lot of fun with it and the photos below are all the keys and the variations of surface decoration put onto them and one of the final finished neckpiece,

Flotsam and Jetsam...

... Another two of my sea wreckage inspired neck pieces.  Getting them photographed properly tomorrow morning.  They're both made from steel and iron wire, porcelain and Egyptian paste.

They're the last of my larger neck pieces, moving on to creating smaller versions now ready for the exhibition in July

Pewter Neckpiece

This is another of my neck pieces I made during this term.  It's made of fine black wire mesh with pewter cups and was also a second entry for the Pewter competition

Photography by Gina Hughes

Ceramics and Jewellery Exhibition

During the first week of July from the 4th - 7th, there will be an exhibition of ceramic and jewellery work organised by a group of us in our second year.  The exhibition will in the foyer of Carmarthen Leisure Centre at the times stated in the poster above.  Hope to see you there

Competition win

After entering a competition back in April this year - Pewter Live 2012, I was invited to the awards ceremony in London last week and awarded the City and Guilds prize for one of my entries, a table centrepiece, Very happy!

Photography by Gina Hughes

Inspiration

I love exploring new places, particularly if these places are considered 'out of bounds' and are often overlooked by most people.  I find the surface textures and forms of buildings/objects that have been left to decay of their own accord really fascinating because they tell stories about their history which, over time, will slowly crumble down around them. 
The first two photos are of a derelict farmhouse in Llandeilo and the last is a shipwreck on Llansteffan beach

Playing with plastic

 

A new process I've learned this year that has featured quite heavily in my recent work is plastic coating.  It involves creating metal assemblages/structures, heating them and then dropping them in amongst very fine plastic powders.  The above photos are some of the early test pieces I did and I'm really pleased with the overall crusty effect, especially on the sieve mesh (right) which has still managed to retain the detail of the fine weave.  

 

After a lot of experimenting with different metals, assemblages and colour mixing, I started constructing them together and eventually ended with this piece pictured above.  This is one of my main neck pieces which wraps around the neck and rests down over the shoulders.  The plastic coating process lends itself very well to this design because it still allows for flexibility without bits falling off!

The blogging begins...

 I have been meaning to do this for a while and now that I've just come to the end of my second year, now is probably a good time to start.
I'm currently studying at Carmarthen School of Creative Arts, doing a degree in Ceramics and Jewellery.  Although I really enjoy the ceramic side of things and still incorporate it into my work, contemporary jewellery is my chosen pathway.
The photo above is the work I made for this term in a small exhibition held at the college.

This current project draws inspiration from sea wreckage along the West Wales coast particularly from the changing function of the vessel from working boat to rich habitat below the water line.  Using the body as the base structure, I am able to convey this ‘journey’ taken by the vessels by creating pieces that appear to grow and envelope the wearer.