Images from Cockenzie Harbour installation

Michael Wolchover, www.michael-wolchover.com took some excellent images for me during the installation and during a high tide.Piece is now safely down, thanks to help from Yvonne Murphy and friends from 3 Harbours Festival.
It will next be seen at Pittenweem Art Festival from 5th to 14th August, as part of  Flashcraft Exhibition.  http://www.pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk/index.html

AA2A work in progress at Sunderland

I have been working as part of Artist Access to Art Colleges programme at Sunderland University dept of Glass and Ceramics, at the National Centre for Glass. My recent trip down involved making some long bone form with layers of paperclay, porcelain and seaweed mixed together. These will dry slowly and then be fired and sandblasted to make erroded surfaces, before a final high temp firing.

PAPERCLAY- IN AN EXHIBITION AND AT EVENING CLASSES

There is an exhibition opening tomorrow at Craft House Concept, at 31E Minto St, Edinburgh, EH9 2BT, called 'Paper'.see www.livingwithcraft.com
I will be showing some porcelain paperclay vessels, amongst many other more obviously paper related objects from a wide selection of artists and makers.
I use paper pulp in the porcelain pieces I make so that the porcelain has a greater strength whist I am formimg the shapes. Porcelain is a beautifully smooth clay which is very soft but has little strength when dry and cracks very easlily when making. It is a messing and enjoyable process of combining liquid porcelain and torn up paper and water ( paper-mache style) and blending to a smooth paste befor drying out on plaster slabs. The result is a much easier to work material. The paper burns away in the first firing, leaving only the porcelain, and no trace of paper. Paperclay has been used over the last 20 years or so in ceramics and resolves a number of issues to do with fragility when making but not affecting the look of the final piece.
I run Organic Ceramic evening classes from my studio at Coburg House in Leith. Here students have the opprortunity to experience the whole process of making and using porcelain paperclay, as well as the regular clay. For more info please see http://www.coburghouseartstudios.co.uk/, new courses will start in the autumn, please e-mail me if you wish to be informed of next terms dates, info@jennypope.com below are examples of students work , done at previous classes.

Installation at Cockenzie Harbour

Last night I finally installed my large concrete piece, at Cockenzie Harbour, East Lothian, after several months of making. It was a team effort, with several people from the 3 Harbours Festival helping with 2 big ladders and ropes and chains! It was a bit nerve wracking for me to see my piece hoisted up the side of the pillar by a rope but it all went well and done within the one hour window before the tide came in. Michael Wolchover was there to photograph and document the process,
I am interested to see how the limecrete and recycled materials fare in the windy sea environment, and look forward to some weathering and erroding.
The 3 Harbours Festival opens on Friday 27th May and info is at www.3harbours.co.uk. I also have a smaller sculpture and jewellery in the Power Station exhibition.
My piece will be in the Harbour for several weeks before it comes down and then I will look for  new home for it.

concrete and conversations

I have had an enjoyable conversation with Hannah Longmuir as part of a blog that Cameo Curio are doing about creativity, 'Month of marks' for May see http://cameocurio.wordpress.com/ , a really interesting collection of interviews, thoughts and comments on all aspects of creativity .
I am also in the middle of making a large concrete piece for 3 Harbours Festival, http://www.3harbours.co.uk/ , subtitled , 'art in unusual places' , i am making work for both within the Cockenzie Power station and also on a 'plinth' in the harbour at Cockenzie.

This work has been started as part of my time at Sunderland University Glass and Ceramics Dept during my AA2A( Artists Access to Art Colleges) residency. It is exciting and slightly daunting to make such a big piece and challenging me to work in another medium to clay. I am using  a concrete which I am trying to make as low impact on environment as possible, using limecrete and recycled aggretages, with a base of recycled polystyrene. lots more to do on it, updates to follow.

NEW TERM Ceramic Evening Classes at Coburg House ,Leith, Edinburgh

here is the latest set of classes, come along for a relaxing evening, do pass on to friends who may be interested

 

Organic Ceramic Evening Classes  - 7 week Block

Monday evenings 6.30pm to 9pm  

Mon 9th May  to Mon 20th June  

Hand building ceramics classes, simple projects , variety of different techniques, or your own designs, materials included, relaxed small group, all welcome  Cost £140

 

Organic Ceramic Evening Classes - 4 week Blocks

Tuesday Evenings Tue 3rd May to Tue 24th May   

or Tue 31st May  to Tue 21st june 

Hand building ceramics classes, simple projects tiles, printing, small pots, or your own designs, materials included, relaxed small group, all welcome  cost £75 each block

Classes held at Coburg House Art Studios in Leith, Edinburgh.

Conatct me on jennypope2002@yahoo.co.uk to book