Lewis’ Columns

26.5 x 8.5 inch 

Raku clay with m3 glaze sprayed on, fired in oxidation kiln to 1260°

These two sculptures were informed by the plaster casts of ‘Trajun’s Column’, currently exhibited at the V&A. They were originally meant to be plinths to showcase my ‘Conglomerate of Little Men’, however part way through the sculpting of them I decided they should become standalone pieces. Because of this I made them more intricate and unique when getting to the top of the piece. Inspired by the intricacies of ‘Trajun’s Column’, at the border of the top, I replicated some of my intuitive sketches that I do, shown in my last submission. I think this was a great way of personalising the pieces, keeping them familiar with my work.
I used raku clay as it is known for being far stronger and better for larger scale sculptures than the alternatives, such as stoneware buff, white stoneware or terracotta. I made some smaller tests in both raku and terracotta which helped me determine which would work better for the types of forms I wanted to create. These are the first large scale sculptures I have made since college so I’m very pleased with how well built and sturdy they turned out.
Rather than hand painting or dipping the glaze, I used the spray gun in the ceramics studio to glaze them due to their scale, using thin layers of m3 glaze. I used thin layers as I wanted the glaze to be slightly translucent, rather than fully opaque, to better show the texture of the clay underneath, which was fairly successful, turning out even and clean.