Artist DEMonstration I 18th june 2024

A selection of illuminations from Polly’s Gilding Demo. These were made either by Polly or with help from our wonderful guests.

Polly set the scene throwing light on various historical and contemporary gilding sizes (gold leaf glue) used when gilding on paper. This included both relief and flat-surface sizes such as garlic juice, gesso, ammoniac, miniatum and wax pastels, and Polly demonstrated how using an agate burnisher would polish the raised gold leaf to an even shinier state.

Guests saw the beginning to end process from transferring the image with Armenian bole onto the substrate, to applying the size, to laying the gold leaf with both transfer and loose leaf.

Polly even revealed how to make your very own feather pen which, using her handmade paints, created extremely fine lines. These were the paintbrushes used by monks to illuminate medieval manuscripts.

Chris set the scene by telling us all about the techniques used in acrylic pouring and went on to explain how she defines herself as a fluid painter creating with intention.

Balloons, freezer-scrapers, rulers, silicone oil and a chef’s torch are among the tools and materials used by Chris. These devices, along with methods such as paint cups, balloon kisses and Dutch pours, alter her acrylic, water and PVA fluid paint mixes to create either abstract pieces or her signature style scapes. 

Coming from a graphic design background, it was fascinating to see how she implemented very regimented methods of painting structure and organisation to create very organic-looking and physical, textural creations. Her very contemporary-style even harks back to the Old Masters in looking at the traditional characteristics of landscapes, along with colour theory.

Chris’ number 1 piece of advice to you if you want to try acrylic pouring; PREPARATION. She exclaimed her studio looks like a murder scene! Tarpaulin everywhere! Pre-mix your acrylic paint mixes, and make sure you have a completely flat, horizontal surface to place your canvas on. Of course, you could always join Chris on one of her courses or at a taster session with Chris and Samantha at @crisam_acrylic_pouring.

A morning of coffee and cake to bring together and celebrate all our wonderful potters!

We sat down with Hella to hear all about her journey into the world of ceramics. 

Scientist, turned mum, turned potter, she has continually and instinctively picked up inspirations and original techniques to play with. Showing us various examples of her work, it’s clear Hella has not forgotten her experimental and alchemical routes, as her use of glazes, stains and inks, as well as surface decoration can be seen throughout her pieces, and her dedication to push different clays highlights her love for each of their qualities. When asked about her use of texture, Hella explained “Life is textured”, and you can certainly see life within her creations. 

We heard about various glazes, including examples that created effervescent bubbles reminiscent of the lava Hella saw in Sicily, and we also learned how flux alters your glaze to separate out each pigment, like chromatography, and become a lot more gloopy in consistency. It was wonderful to see the array of clays Hella uses - paper porcelain, grogged clay, black clay, red clay, etc. - and to learn just how many clay are out there!

Finally we delved into the intricacies of Hella’s joyful ceramic animals, from robins to puffins to hedgehogs. It was interesting to discover that although Hella’s practice is very intuitive, she has a more formulaic approach to her animals where she looks closely at their anatomy’s to replicate their biological characteristics. Having said this, they each have their own fabulous personalities!