Melanie Hopwood Ceramics

New Wave Vessels

Melanie Hopwood — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:29:55 +0000

Felt compelled to revisit my earlier ‘Wave Vessel’ forms and develop them further so have been working on a few tests. Mono-printed porcelain paperclay with cobalt and copper slips and added some painterly underglaze and oxide brush strokes. After bisque firing I glazed some with satin white glaze as I had done before but did some experiments layering up further glazes on top as trying to get more depth and colour range. Pictured pieces have swift brush strokes of pink and purple glaze on top of the satin glaze which seems to be working well. Pouring the pink and purple glazes onto the white glaze had some quite horrible garish results! Pieces are currently displayed at my studio during our open studios event this weekend then some will probably be heading off to one of my galleries, think they’ll go particularly well in coastal locations.

Off to The Customs House

Melanie Hopwood — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:53:10 +0000

New selection of jewellery heading off to The Customs House, South Shields to replenish stocks.

Aaah Spring….

Melanie Hopwood — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:49:02 +0000

At last! It feels like spring is in the air, thank goodness. Brain has started to come back to life and some ideas are bubbling away in there. Got some thoughts about revisiting some previous sculptural pieces and reworking them as a starting point to creating some new pieces. Images in my head of tumbledown factories, rusting machinery, things that moved and are now still or redundant but are being taken over and reworked by crystalline structures and mossy, licheny growths. Must remember to refind some photos of Steetley Magnasite, one of my top inspirational places of the North East – maybe I’ll even get my sketchbook out and do some real old-fashioned drawing! It’s been a while.

More splattering…

Melanie Hopwood — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:12:38 +0000

Getting some lovely effects combining, layering and splattering glazes in different combinations. This porcelain donut pendant glazed with turquoise and purple glazes and bronze pigment (manganese and copper) has worked out particularly well I think. Soon to be available on my Rockfin jewellery site, at the moment available direct from my studio and The Hearth Cafe.

New bracelet designs

Melanie Hopwood — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:04:39 +0000

Been trying out some new bracelet designs combining my handmade porcelain beads with glass and some of my chunkier tube beads with satin cord. These ones are available direct from my studio & in The Hearth cafe at the mo.

Back to the studio

Melanie Hopwood — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:53:29 +0000

Been finding it hard to motivate brain and body after switching off over the festive period but it’s actually been great to get back into the studio this week, see my fellow artist friends and have a catch-up.

Studio now cleaned up after Christmas craziness and have been knuckling down glazing 200+ tiles that the lovely children at St. Charles School in Gosforth made and painted. That kiln is going to be hot, hot, hot over the next few weeks…

SPLAT!

Melanie Hopwood — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:24:12 +0000

Having fun experimenting with some new glaze combinations.

Gorgeous Glazes

Melanie Hopwood — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:52:22 +0000

Been trying out some lovely new glaze combinations. Having a bit of a blue and turquoise phase. Think I must be dreaming of a seaside holiday as we bluster our way into Autumn…

Rockpool Boulders

Melanie Hopwood — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:50:36 +0000

These are the latest enclosed forms to incorporate Sue Spencer’s beautiful haikus:

layer upon layer
time may stop here
then move us onward

sea smoothed stone
caressed by time

Turquoise Cubes

Melanie Hopwood — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:13:08 +0000

Turquoise Cube Bracelet and Earrings, porcelain and sterling silver.