Project Overview
ART 224: Ceramics I: Vessel Revamp | Madison, WI, Sophomore Student September 2024 – December 2024
Artists often look at art from the past to inform their work and push concepts further. With this project, you will bring your own creative vision into conversation with the long history of ceramics.
You will create a vessel based on a historic ceramic vessel form of your choosing. Choose a vessel that is not an ordinary, everyday use piece of pottery (like cups, mugs, bowls), but look to historical jars, urns, vases, etc.
Your vessel will be 9-12” tall and will replicate the historical form. But your form will be decorated with texture, imagery, or patterns that reflect a contemporary topic or a personally meaningful concept.
Project Sketches
Personal Notes
For this project I wanted to tackle the form of a long ceramic bowl shape with a pedestal at the bottom and with an inner bowl within. The shape being of a Skeleton wearing a Mexican sombrero, which is heavily inspired by Dia de los Muertos. Similary to the marking made on the side of the vase being symbols of the holiday.
Project Pre-Glaze
Personal Notes
Since the whole vessel was designed to be based on Dia the los Muertos, I wanted to lean into that inspiration by carving symbols that are representative of the holiday's tradition. I also inspired by the illustration of Jorge R. Guiterrez who makes very elaborated 2D Illustrations that contain various symbols, colors, and shapes to create eye-catching pieces.
Project Final Glaze
Personal Notes
For the final glaze, I wanted to make the symbols stand out the most out of everything, so I decided to make most of the vessel complletely white while the symbols were filled with various colors and shades. Although I did glaze the inside with a gold / copper look because I wanted to make the inside feel a little more distinct from the outside. I also really enjoyed the propect of using the piece as a nacho bowl, so I wanted to make the inside resemble the color of a nacho chip.
