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About Me
- Paul Jelley
- London, United Kingdom
- This site is dedicated to work done by my students over the past few years. For details of myself, including the kind of work I do, please see my blog at http://jelf0.blogspot.com.
Camels are for Christmas...
...at least, that's when this one was spawned...by Mary Winchester.
Anyone for Pimms?
A free-form organic pot from Barry Denman, with the form characteristically enhanced with surface decoration.
A cut above (and inside)
This pendent was pierced from rolled copper sheet by Jacqueline Watson
Tribal mask pot
Another ceramic construction from the fertile mind of Barry Denman.
Terracotta life pose
Life sculpture
This head was made in the sculpture from life class by Sam Knight over several Thursday evening sessions using a life model. The piece seems to have a a sense of meditative spirituality.
Two abstract landscapes
Terracotta life sculpture
This 15" high terracotta sculpture was done by Patrick McFadden over several Thursday evening sessions using a life model. A professional carpenter, he has an expert eye for proportions, and all the patience and attention to detail that figurative sculpture demands.
Autumn colour
The illustrated leaves were fairly chunky items carved from nearly leather-hard clay by Catriona Wright. The veins on one were carved in intaglio whereas on the other they were moulded in relief, using D-section extruded clay.
After glazing they were rather more impressive than in my photos, and suggested several avenues for exploration of the theme; for example, embedding a series of them (perhaps on a smaller scale) as a mosaic in a sheet of clay.
End-of-term work (spring '08) from PSAD
Donald's sculpture
Renaissance woman
Central YMCA Art room
This is a jewellery design course under way in our art room, and if nothing else, serves to show that I have no good photos of the place in which I have spent so many years!
The second picture is of the small furnace in use, with the larger dome replaced with a smaller fibre 'hat' for casting smaller items.
They'll be sorry when they take the intelligence out of craftsmanship...
The quote above refers to the relentless 'dumbing down' of the crafts and trades taking place in the UK, due to a variety of reasons.
The maker here, Damien Mazzone, was trained as a mechanical engineer and worked for Ford's of Dagenham as a designer. When I next ran into him a year or two later,
he had become a graphics designer instead, leading me to feel that it was another example perhaps of the migration away from craft and trade environments to office jobs. Both of the pictured items were made in wax first, then cast into sterling silver. The anvil measures about 2.5" long, and the chain perhaps 3".
The maker here, Damien Mazzone, was trained as a mechanical engineer and worked for Ford's of Dagenham as a designer. When I next ran into him a year or two later,
he had become a graphics designer instead, leading me to feel that it was another example perhaps of the migration away from craft and trade environments to office jobs. Both of the pictured items were made in wax first, then cast into sterling silver. The anvil measures about 2.5" long, and the chain perhaps 3".
Pewter and crystals
The two dark metallic-looking bowls were made by Melissa, a Thai woman who worked for the John Lewis Partnership, a couple of years ago. Both have been glazed with a pewter glaze, but additions of clear glaze and oxides have helped to transform them. 
Owl & cycladic figures
John Wood made a series of items in carving wax and soft sticky black wax, based loosely on items he had seen in the British Museum. He worked nearby at the time as I recall. The items were then cast in pewter using the ceramic shell lost wax process.
I also have John to thank for a series of photos of the ceramic shell process, taken on one of my courses.
Stoneware pots
The first pot was made in light buff stoneware clay, but had a layer of terracotta slip added before firing. The second has a matte glaze reminiscent of a mussel shell. The third is an ambitious construction, complemented by a lustrous pewter glaze. The last bowl has a deeply-fissured surface texture, brought out by differential glazing. Finally there is a small hedgehog, spines beautifully made in slender cones of clay. All work by Sejal Patel.
Elephant progress from black to white
This elephant was made in black, sticky wax for a student's nephew - unfortunately I have mislaid her name, perhaps she will contact me!
After she was satisfied with the general design of the elephant, she attached it to a wax crucible (the pink upside-down bowl shape), then covered it with ceramic shell (a fire-proof coating).
Finally the wax was burnt out, and molten pewter poured in. After being allowed to set and cool down, the shell was broken apart to remove a nice shiny silver creature! Who's name is pink! Strangely, the maker claimed to have 'no making skills whatsoever'.
After she was satisfied with the general design of the elephant, she attached it to a wax crucible (the pink upside-down bowl shape), then covered it with ceramic shell (a fire-proof coating).
Finally the wax was burnt out, and molten pewter poured in. After being allowed to set and cool down, the shell was broken apart to remove a nice shiny silver creature! Who's name is pink! Strangely, the maker claimed to have 'no making skills whatsoever'.
...and two more
Elephants are great for sculpture and jewellery - not having fur is a great asset when you are carving wax or moulding clay! These were made in sterling silver by Alan Reynolds.
Open-work iridescent bowl
This intriguing object was made by Alan Reynolds, by trailing clay slip inside a plaster mould.
The critically delicate framework left behind was fired, then coated with pewter glaze and fired again.
The critically delicate framework left behind was fired, then coated with pewter glaze and fired again.
Interesting pendant...
...just crying out to be set with small rubies?
Partnership rings
The two silver rings shown were made by Ben Wainwright, originally in hard carving wax. The two wax rings were carefully formed to fit together perfectly, then cast in sterling silver and given a 'brushed' look after polishing. 
Ben's profession as a psychoanalyst would not necessarily have led you to expect the precision skills he displayed when making various items in the silversmithing class he attended; but he told me his surname pointed to a family tree of people accustomed to using their hands and tools.
Ben's profession as a psychoanalyst would not necessarily have led you to expect the precision skills he displayed when making various items in the silversmithing class he attended; but he told me his surname pointed to a family tree of people accustomed to using their hands and tools.
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