About
I'm Ned, a potter based in Perth, Western Australia. I work out of a tiny home studio where I create everything by hand and fire in my home made electric kiln.
My work is focused on functional forms — the kind of things you reach for every morning. Mugs, bowls, and cups that fit comfortably in the hand.
All pieces are one of a kind due to the natural variation in the clay used, the glaze applied, and even the position in the kiln means no two are exactly alike, which is exactly the point.
The process
To create pieces with interesting shapes and textures i use the slip cast process where liquid clay is poured into plaster molds. The plaster absorbs water from the clay, leaving a layer of solid clay on the inside of the mold. After a short while, the remaining liquid clay is poured out and the piece is left to dry before being removed from the mold.
So the prcoess starts months before you see anything in actual clay. First the piece is modelled digitally and 3d printed to get the feel of the piece in the hand. From there, the slip cast moulds are modelled around the piece and the plastic moulds that will be 3D printed are modelled around the slip cast moulds. Finally the plastic moulds are 3D printed and used to make the plaster slip cast moulds.
These moulds are left to dry for a week or two before they are ready to be used in the studio and we can begin pouring some clay slip. After pouring, the pieces are removed from the moulds and small imperfections are tidied up by hand and the piece is left to dry for a week before bisque firing. The pieces are then glazed and fired again and its only now that we can see if the resulting piece looks as expected.