Ghostly Image Come to Life – The Glaze

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My clay figure “The Silence” has been finally fired and glazed! After a nice conversation about the benefits of glazing here on WordPress with my dear friend Patty (thank you, Patty, without you I wouldn´t have had the idea to do this!), I decided to give my figurine a kind of semi-glaze.

This means that after firing I did put the glaze on as usual, but then washed most of it off with a sponge, so that the glaze would only settle in the furrows and grooves.

Would love to hear what you all think of it!

a
“The Silence” fired and semi-glazed
b
“The Silence” fired but unglazed

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And for those of you who´ve always wondered what this “secret artist” might look like, here a pic with me beside the kiln 😉

 

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This is me!

 

 

Published by Sarah

Artist & Illustrator

47 thoughts on “Ghostly Image Come to Life – The Glaze”

  1. I’m so glad I spotted this sculpture in the background of one of your recent photos and that you gave me the link to this feature.

    What a gorgeously executed and provocative sculpture this is. I can read all kinds of messages into her pose, as so many have already done. You’ve truly captured the human form under layers of drapes but also smothered by burdens and resignation. Hiding behind the mass of her hair, the glory that is often identified as female, I wonder what sorrows have bent her to submission. The washed off glaze contributes perfectly, lending it an ancient and timeless quality.

    You are a true talent, Sarah. If I ever get to visit Germany, I hope to see you in your studio.

    Please take a look at the work of Karen La Monte. You’ll note a similar approach to the female figure. The way she grasps emotional essence will seem familiar.

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    1. Thank you very much for your wonderful comment, Shari – it really means a lot to me! 🙂
      As you´ve seen this little sculpture stands on my desk and even though it’s somewhat sad in posture, it never fails to inspire me just with its presence. Before I made this sculpture I made a little painting which in its turn had been inspired by Henry Fuseli. Here’s the link if you’re interested:
      https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/ghostly-image-the-silence/

      And thank you for pointing out Karen La Monte to me. I haven’t heard of her and her work before and just had a look at it online – such beauty! Totally love her sculptures!! 😀

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  3. Oh Sarah, I REALLY LOVE THIS! It gave me a chill down my spine and a tear or two… What a story she has to tell ( Such are always tells me stories) 🙂 Have you noticed how some pieces just grab you by the jugular and won’t let go until you create something? 🙂 Thank you for posting this you are amazing! Léa 🙂 xoxo

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    1. Thank you so, so much, Léa!!! 😀 You don´t know how happy you´ve made me with sayong this 🙂 Wow! Reading your wonderful comment just makes me teary as well! 🙂 And I know exactly what you mean – I´ve had this feeling so many times! Actually I do have it most days, it´s just that you have to write your ideas down ´cause you don´t have enough time to do them right now. And if you´re lucky, you really do it sometime later 🙂 You wouldn´t believe how many projects are jotted down in my notebooks 😉 Thank you so much for commenting, Léa – you really made my day! xoxo

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      1. Thank you Sarah. I only say what I feel. When something moves me, I must say it, write it… 🙂 I do understand about jotting things down with the hopes of getting to them all too well. It is already May and where has this year flown? So much to write, paint, sculpt… so little time. 🙂 xoxo

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      2. I couldn´t agree more! I was just thinking yesterday that Christmas is actually not very far away again! 😉 Time really does fly – sometimes that´s good and sometimes it isn´t it. But it´s always nice to have projects in mind – this way I can never be bored 😀 xoxo

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      3. Alas, I get bored so easily but I can easily find something I want to do so it balances out. 😉 Time flies too fast. Fortunately, my favourite season is getting much closer and the beach is only minutes away! 🙂 xoxo

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      4. Oh – I envy you! Going to the beach is – apart from making art and eating lots of good food 😉 – my favourite activity, but being in Berlin, that´s rather difficult 😉 xoxo

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    1. Haha! Thank you, Alan! That´s too kind, really 🙂
      I´m glad you like the semi-glaze, it´s been a first for me and I think I´m going to repeat it! Have a great sunday!

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  6. Oh dear! How amazing is that piece Sarah! Loved it from the beginning.
    My my! My muse is out of her hiding. You are as beautiful on the outside as you are from within.
    With lots of love and best wishes.
    A proud friend of yours,
    Syeda!

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    1. Thank you so much, Syeda!! 😀 I´m so glad you like it 🙂
      Hahaha! Yes, I´m finally out of my hiding 😉 And thank you very much for your wonderful compliment – I´m really blushing right now! 🙂 Red as a tomato!!
      Wish you a great weekend, my dear friend! Lots of love and huge hugs!!! XOXO 😀

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  7. I love what you did with “The Silence”, Sarah. The semi-glaze added depth and texture. She is lovely, a piece I would be proud to display, if I were lucky enough to have her. 🙂
    And it’s nice to have a face to associate with you. You and a kiln, a perfect pair. I hide my picture on my about page. 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much, Cathy!! 😀 I was hoping for that effect and luckily it worked out just fine 🙂 She´s standing on my desktop right now, inspiring me with her presence (to be honest: looking at her, I kind of can´t believe that it was me who created this!).
      Yes, I thought it was time to be a little bit more open here and show myself. I already had a bad conscience conversing with so many wonderful people and stay hidden;) The kiln is lovely, isn´t it? And since we´re going to part in a couple of months, I thought I needed a reminder;) Your picture is very lovely! 🙂 Your gaze makes one wonder what you´re thinking about 😉 Maybe I should hide mine also on my about page? Wish you a wonderful weekend! xoxo

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      1. She is magnificent, and I hope you are very proud of your creation; you have every right to be. My late mother-in-law had a kiln, but she used molds for her ceramics. I like yours much better–one of a kind and not produced by more or less a cookie cutter.
        You are a beautiful lady; I don’t know why you would want to stay hidden. 😊 And in my picture, I was probably thinking that I hoped it turned out half decent because I’m not photogenic. You have a great weekend too, Sarah,

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      2. Thank you so much again, Cathy!! I really can´t help glowing with pride when I see her, I think it´s the best piece I made so far 🙂
        I agree with you on not being so keen of molds for ceramics. We have got some, but I never use them. It´s good for tablewear and the like, and you can always paint them differently and uniquely. But I like to form the clay with my hands, pressing, pushing, squeezing it, sometimes even bash it, if it´s hard as a rock;)
        And thank you so much for your very kind compliment 🙂 I think it´s because I actually do not often benefit from my looks, unbelievable as it may sound. Also I wanted people to focus on my art, not on me;)
        And in 95% of the pictures made of me I look rather funny – I´m not at all photogenic! Direct a lense at me, and my face twists like crazy! You on the other hand have a very serene and thoughtful look that I like, that´s what I would call photogenic! 🙂
        Have a lovely day, my friend!! xoxo

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      3. I loved the photo of you with the kiln, Sarah. But I understand where you’re coming from–I don’t think any of us see ourselves the way others do; we’re way too critical. For a while, I didn’t have a pic of me anywhere on my blog, but I finally broke down and put one on my about page. And it took me forever to pick out one I thought wasn’t too terrible ugly. 🙂

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      4. I couldn´t agree more with you and totally understand what you mean, Cathy. This inner critic really is one hell of judge! I don´t want to meet him or her ever in real life – it´s enough that he or she lives in my head babbling about 😉
        Wish you a wonderful saturday with lots of sunshine!! Lots of love, Sarah xoxo

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  8. Wow, what a great end result!!! If you ever think of selling it (which I can understand fully if you never will)….;-)
    Thanks for sharing and I also love that picture of you 🙂

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    1. Aww- thank you so much, Patty!! 😀
      That´s exactly the point: I don´t know if I could ever sell my art, every single bit seems to be part of me, which makes this kind of impossible:( But then it surely would be nice to earn some money with it. Maybe this would be different if it were on commission… But (luckily?) nobody ever made an offer like that – yet;)
      As for the pic of me, I thought it was time to get out of my snail shell;)
      Have a great day!! xoxo

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      4. Maybe you should give it a try? Just grab a pencil and some paper and see what happens! 🙂 Maybe I will do so, too – although I´m not quite sure where to start…
        Yes, he was pretty awesome and extremely talented in so many ways! Wish he were still around 😦
        Wish you a lovely day, Chris! Cheers!

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      6. It´s always worth a try, Chris. And who knows, maybe that´s another talent of yours that you haven´t discovered yet?! The most important thing is, to have fun doing it – what comes out is really secondary. I love the zen-kind feeling I get when drawing or painting, I´m totally focused, push out every other thought in my head and just am 🙂 Quite meditative even. Give it go! 😀

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