Ceri Shaw - Start at the beginning

I am 6 months into my Apprenticeship with Sasha Wardell and have been getting to grips with the many idiosyncrasies of Fine Bone China. Sasha taught me at Bath Spa Uni and has always been  generous of her time and knowledge.  My Apprenticeship is part time as I juggle family life and a 2 year old alongside my precious time with Sasha.

Here are a few pictures of the things I have been up to. I'm so happy to be useful and muck in with some of the basics of running a studio.

Clearing the Sinks

Recycling waste slip into soft clay for mould making

From this....

                                                                              ... to this...


And finally... soft clay for mould making.

 
 




Interspersed with this I have also been making additional plaster moulds where old ones are wearing out and preparing models (from existing moulds) for teaching.  I've found that slip casting is not as easy as it looks and can be frustrating, but I think I've cracked it now and regularly produce cast pieces for Sasha to decorate.

But there's lots more that Sasha includes me on; discussions about courses, galleries, exhibitions as well as exciting developmental projects in the pipeline.  I came with her to Ceramic Art London earlier this year (just after I'd got the apprenticeship) and it was lovely to be able to meet Lisa Hammond and some of the other trustees who came to the stand and introduced themselves. Sasha was also part of the Walpole Crafted Mentoring Programme last year and its been interesting to see some of the changes to the business as a result of her mentor's input.

Next time: A bit of Me: Turning on the lathe, Carving, Mould Making, Casting.  In the next couple of weeks I should be doing some decorating on cast pieces.  I'm definitely excited to see how that turns out.  Water Erosion... scary!!!