Babette's table ware saga

And I say saga because it's been ages since I first thought about making something of the sort.. and by ages I mean a year and a half on average. I have used clay many times before (courtesy of dad, his skill, his studio.. erm.. and his patience of course), namely for themed pendants to incorporate into my re-cycled/re-purposed/totally-handmade jewellery and other small items I would have dreamt about as gifts. I literally grew up in the 'safety' of knowing I had easy and unlimited access to the haven that is a pottery studio, should I ever wish it. My only regret is that I realized only too late that I had been wishing it all along.. so a couple of schedule checks later I found myself back at my parents' home discussing the perfect water to plaster powder ratio and diluting engobes in preparation. I learnt how to make the right moulds for every shape, I learnt how to paint on tapering/dusty/textured/curved/indented/concave/convex surfaces, I also learnt (the hard way) that no caffeine/alcohol ought to be consumed during the hours and hours of painting. If you're dying for a coffee/corona then do yourself a favour and wrap up for the day! 

So basically, I wanted to bring to the table (yes, literally) something with a story to it, much like I seek to do with everything else marginally related to Babettopolis, so the pressure to choose shapes and designs wisely was up. I wanted to make useful objects that present a case for themselves; each one-off item, I hope, has the power to stand alone since it is simply and sharply designed and yet, every item had to have enough personality so as to be taken up by and included in several existing 'china' collections we already own. I wanted each item to act as a little canvas for a random thought. 

Following are 3 photo collages from the studio. Please excuse the picture quality, but to be quite honest, after (and during) 10 hour painting sessions, doubled up on a low stool with glasses sliding down the nose in the sweltering heat, there remains little energy and enthusiasm in one to devote to photo taking. the first shows the bone-dried lot of items waiting in a wooden box, an unfired side-plate on which I tried to age the colours by texturing the surfaces further (very good stress relief) and the 'geisha bowl' which was the very last thing I finished! (*yay for random cataloguing). 

These are 3 photos of some freshly decorated items which I must have been very happy about since I actually stopped to take a photo of them during my 'glass of water' break.

The second photo is of me, taken by my dad, at around 10:30pm, during the last sitting. I carry my laptop with me everywhere so I can catch up on some of the less demanding comedy shows (*yay for multitasking). 

And the following are a few of the many photos taken this very morning by Mr. Nigel who really likes bolognese pasta sauce and who was kind enough to help me understand that I have purchased a very good camera an that all that remains is for me to learn how to use it (*touche!). We opted for a clean yet warm setup  for the detailed shots and I just love how they turned out! (click here for the whole album)

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

what did I tell you about my obsession with Islamic art? 

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

~ photo by Nigel Baldacchino ~

I do not see me halting this process any time soon. In fact, I just received some new colours so I'm itching to start afresh! .. but the next logical step is 'good protective packaging'.. or perhaps 'a nap' and then 'good protective packaging' ...


... oh just forget the nap!