Dorset Pottery Group
Member
Dorset Pottery Logo

Deborah Clarke
  Contact Details :-

moondreamingdlc@yahoo.co.uk

 

  
  Deborah Clarek Portland Boat Portland Boat
  Deborah Clark Portland Boat Portland Boat
 
Deborah Clarke Ceramic Puffins
 I have always been interested in clay and the varied possibilities it offers as a medium Although I have experimented with both functional and sculptural work I am always drawn back to animals. Animals are very much like humans; they have their own individual characters & relate to each other in a group. I try to give each animal its own personality, highlighting their characteristics. My puffins like to sit in groups & often look like they are having a bit of a gossip.

My work is hand built in white St Thomas clay. I start by making a pinch pot for the body and one for the head. These are then manipulated from the inside by pushing the clay out to create detail like cheeks and the shape of the head. I apply coloured stains and slips then bisque fire to 1120 degrees. I apply a transparent glaze containing a small percentage of china clay to give a satin effect and a 50/50 mixture of the glaze and a black slip recipe I make to give the brown body of the puffin, it highlights the texture of the feathers and gives variations in colour. The work is then glaze fired to 1080 degrees.