hello! I'm Alison
I make iridescent ceramic jewellery and homewares in my studio in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
I use a combination of hand making techniques and digital technology to make my ceramics.
I 3D print the models for my pieces and then make plaster moulds of them for slip casting, so I end up with an almost exact replica of the 3D print in clay.
The layered textures that are built up during the 3D printing process can be beautiful machine-made patterns so I try to emphasise these by only sanding smooth certain surfaces.
I finish and refine each cast by hand, and the wonderful nature of making by hand is that no piece will be exactly alike.
I glaze my pieces with iridescent, metallic lustre glazes which have beautiful colour changing qualities and each glaze is often totally unique.
how its made
I always begin with lots of quick drawings and go through many variations of an idea before deciding on a final design.
Then I make a digital drawing of my design on my computer, I'll also make a paper model of my design at this stage to get an idea of its scale.
I convert the digital drawing into a type of file that can be 3D printed. The 3D printer makes prints a 3D replica of my drawing in a material called PLA.
The printer builds up an image gradually and this process causes lines to appear on the object. At times I retain this texture created on some surfaces but for most of my prints I sand it so I have smooth sides and sharp edges.
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digital ceramics
I then make a plaster mould, using the 3D print as my master model, the 3D print is removed from the plaster leaving a negative space inside in the shape of my design.
Using a process called slip casting I pour liquid clay, called slip, into the plaster mould. The dry plaster absorbs the water in the slip causing the clay to harden and after a certain amount of time the slip is poured out leaving an exact replica in clay of the original 3D print.
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After letting it dry until it's leather hard (dry enough to keep its own shape but not so dry its too fragile) I finish the cast by fettling. With a tool I clean away the excess clay that has accumulated at the seams of the mould and make the cast smooth and neatly finished.
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The cast is then ready for the first (bisque) kiln firing.
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iridescent glazes
Before glazing I sand my casts to smooth and polish the surfaces and get rid of any imperfections.
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I use a range of glazes to achieve the iridescent finishes in my work. I use in-glaze lustres, commercial lustres, metallic glazes and bought brush on glazes.
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I specialised in in-glaze lustres during my degree at Gray's School of Art. These glazes use metal oxides and are twice glaze fired. First in an electric kiln and second in a gas kiln where they are reduction fired, a process where the oxygen is removed from the kiln creating a chemical reaction in the glaze which creates the metallic, iridescent finish. This process can be unpredictable and the results can be different each time, making each piece unique.
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I also like to use a clear glaze over a stained clay or underglaze then I paint commercial lustre (bought from most pottery suppliers), like mother of pearl, over the glaze to achieve an iridescent finish.
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