Comment

Comment by Kathy Ransom on March 30, 2011 at 9:03am

Thanks for the info Pauline.  I'm a little intimidated by the whole process of spreading the emulsion on the screens as it seems to need to be done PERFECTLY!  I think I'll try to find some of the pre made sheets you mentioned.  The image for the piece you made for the conductor is so much like my ideas for pieces with old (generations old) photos of family that I want to make for my family members.  I use photoshop a lot and have worked with photos of birds and flowers to simplify them so I can paint or draw them on with a ceramic ink I make. If I wasn't in Alberta, Canada I would love to take a workshop of yours.

Comment by pauline purdum on March 29, 2011 at 9:04am

Thanks Kathy, yes, in the class I teach here in Wilmington, NC, we order kits for each of the students which include 8.5"x11" sheets, already covered in emulsion, so we don't have to deal with the mess of creating those.  Then we use opaque printing/or pens on transparencies to create the designs/images, then expose those emulsion sheets to the sun.There is a photo on my blog of us doing that: http://paulinesstuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/using-suns-uv-rays-to-bur... After putting the screens in water, scrubbing out the places where your design/image is, then letting the screen harden, you can then cut around each image, etc and use that to screenprint onto clay. I did a commissioned piece including a photograph of a composer, together with text for the dedication, and also a bit of music he taught his students. All this was done with silkscreens I made specifically for this project.
You can see the result here:
http://paulinesstuff.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-is-commissioned-piec...
I also teach several methods of using the screens including newsprint transfers. You can see us transferring a complete pattern on a thrown cylinder here:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/paulinepdm/SilkscreeningOnClay...
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/paulinepdm/SilkscreeningOnClay...
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/paulinepdm/SilkscreeningOnClay...
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/paulinepdm/SilkscreeningOnClay...

Comment by Kathy Ransom on March 29, 2011 at 8:42am

I love the very clear image on this piece Pauline. I took a workshop and learned different methods of putting images on clay and although the instructor talked about silkscreening, she demonstrated from screens she had already prepared.  I have the materials and haven't tried to make any as I have a major space issue.  I thought I had to used frames but maybe 1% of my work has a flat surface and although she did show us a couple of methods to use for rounded objects I like the sharp image on your piece and think it would work for the old photos I'd like to use.  Do you just use the regular silk screen fabric without the frames?

Comment by Sharon Ivy on March 27, 2011 at 8:57pm

Love the colors and the imagery on this!

Comment by pauline purdum on March 26, 2011 at 5:29pm

Thank George, I do lots of work similar to this. I find images I like, alter them and make silkscreens (I teach a silkscreen technique at the studio where I do my work), I make silkscreens and use them with underglazes usually on greenware, although I teach several other techniques, such as newsprint transfers.;My silkscreens are not in a wooden frame as the traditional technique, so I can use them on all shapes, not necessarily only flat work.; I find photos or bits of graphic images I like and translate them using photoshop then I make silkscreens. These can be used over and over again indefinitely. Another similar box was exhibited at the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove and was sold before the show. With silkscreens I can get details one couldn't possibly handpaint, to include text, writing, etc. In this box, the silkscreen was used all around the box, on all four sides. In this case I used speckled brown clay, with black underglaze, then clear glazed for the finished firing. I also did a commission for a conductor of a band and was able to put his photo on the box along with dedication from the group he worked with and included the music he taught them as well. Hope this answers your questions.

Comment by George Lewter on March 26, 2011 at 4:41pm

Strong graphic imagery with interesting symmetry.  Could you tell us your technique for laying out the trees?