Exhibition by Paula Thittichai porcelain, leather and silver jewellery

Exhibitions of porcelain jewellery by Paula Thittichai

Beautiful photos by Paddy Boyle www.paddyboyle.co.uk

Contemporary porcelain jewellery by Paula Thittichai for Hastings Museum Exhibition 20011/12

Porcelain jewellery by Paula Thittichai for Hastings Museum 2011

Porcelain jewellery Raku fired by Paula Thittichai for Hastings Museum 2011

Porcelain jewellery above in its raw state beautifully showing the translucence achieved and to the right with home made Raku fired glazes. The jewellery above is presently on exhibition at Hastings Museum until 12th February 2012 along with 7 other members of the Jewellery Line Up. "Ceramics have always held a fascination for me especially mixing my own glazes and the opportunity to explore it all again was an exciting prospect. I have a great respect for all ceramic artists as it is a long complicated process full of difficulties and complications, the rewards can be great but hours of work can be ruined at any stage. I had started this project by making moulds of a particular design in four sizes but it did not feel right, I needed to find a way of working with the porcelain that could be developed to suit the way I work and hold my interest with a variety of possible outcomes. Spontaneity is very important in my working life and I hope I have achieved a visual lightness to the unglazed porcelain which portrays this. Once the porcelain has been biscuit fired it is then a blank canvas, to glaze or not to glaze, translucence is lost once the porcelain is glazed and for that reason some have been left plain. It would have been far too easy for me just to open a pot of glaze and paint it on so I experimented with six different home mixed Raku glazes and although three did not work at all, one did not achieve much lustre, two gave the desired reward for all the effort and research. The Raku process is an unpredictable and exciting way of glazing, the fired porcelain sliver with its home mixed glaze is placed into the enamelling kiln cold and the heat turned up to full. It is taken out and placed in a reduction chamber with a combustable material to catch fire, a tight fitting lid is added for a minute or so until all the oxygen is depleted before taking it out and plunging it into cold water. The porcelain slivers are extremely thin and with the extremes of temperature many break even up to the last scrub to remove any blackened areas but the lustrous metallic finish achieved is worth every minute of this extremely tricky process."

Porcelain jewellery above in its raw state beautifully showing the translucence achieved and to the right with home made Raku fired glazes.

The jewellery above is presently on exhibition at Hastings Museum until 12th February 2012 along with 7 other members of the Jewellery Line Up.

"Ceramics have always held a fascination for me especially mixing my own glazes and the opportunity to explore it all again was an exciting prospect. I have a great respect for all ceramic artists as it is a long complicated process full of difficulties and complications, the rewards can be great but hours of work can be ruined at any stage.

I had started this project by making moulds of a particular design in four sizes but it did not feel right, I needed to find a way of working with the porcelain that could be developed to suit the way I work and hold my interest with a variety of possible outcomes. Spontaneity is very important in my working life and I hope I have achieved a visual lightness to the unglazed porcelain which portrays this.

Once the porcelain has been biscuit fired it is then a blank canvas, to glaze or not to glaze, translucence is lost once the porcelain is glazed and for that reason some have been left plain. It would have been far too easy for me just to open a pot of glaze and paint it on so I experimented with six different home mixed Raku glazes and although three did not work at all, one did not achieve much lustre, two gave the desired reward for all the effort and research.

The Raku process is an unpredictable and exciting way of glazing, the fired porcelain sliver with its home mixed glaze is placed into the enamelling kiln cold and the heat turned up to full. It is taken out and placed in a reduction chamber with a combustable material to catch fire, a tight fitting lid is added for a minute or so until all the oxygen is depleted before taking it out and plunging it into cold water. The porcelain slivers are extremely thin and with the extremes of temperature many break even up to the last scrub to remove any blackened areas but the lustrous metallic finish achieved is worth every minute of this extremely tricky process."