Studio 6
Billy Adams
Ceramic Portal Series…………….
A series of craft work in focus from Welsh ceramic makers
Series curation: Wendy Lawrence
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“I prefer to stay within the realms of the vessel format, yet allow them to take on a distinctive sculptural identity. Rims, handles, form and balance are commonplace within traditional ceramics, yet I place them in a unique integrated structure which elevates them beyond their own identifiable function and so gives then another meaning. Their conclusive forms are recognised as jugs, bowls and vessels, yet they represent profound arguments concerning issues of an individual’s perception and memory of an ever-changing landscape.”
The majority of my pieces are hand built using a slabbing technique instead of coils, and each incorporate some type of thrown element. The thrown element is usually the base or the incorporated rings.
I include the thrown elements for two reasons: the first is that I actually enjoy throwing, but I cannot capture (on the wheel) the nature of my source and the surfaces I want to depict. The second reason is that the incorporation of a smooth gold ring into some of my work, highlights the surfaces of the form and works as a binary opposite to the whole piece.
Each piece of work is fired between four and five times. After the standard bisquit firing, I apply a 1280 glaze and follow it up with a 1100 glaze firing, then a 1040 glaze firing, eventually ending with a 795-lustre firing. After the glazes are sprayed on, they are directionally rubbed off, to highlight the subtleties of the surface texture. Following this, the same glazing process is repeated to build up a rich vocabulary of tones and colours. The result is a unique surface, which is characteristic in all my ceramic forms.
All works available to purchase