MJ Russell

The first of an independent study on ceramics and underglazing techniques, Getting Stuck In Your Inner World is one of my favorite creations. I utilized multiple processes: hand-building, building solid then hollowing, applying underglaze, and sgraffito (carving into the clay).

This piece, as well as its sister piece Trying to Fill That Hole in Your Chest, discusses aspects of my personal identity. I often find it difficult to put these things into words. By using non-human, fantastical forms, I disconnect myself from the fear of being vulnerable, and I feel more comfortable expressing the complex parts of myself. This one worked on the themes of: having a rich “inner world” and imagination, self-reflection (good or bad), being stuck in a train of thought and being unable to get out, protecting/defending myself (which can lead to isolation), and staying in my comfort zone. These are all things I struggle with. The messy, chaotic lines on the body represent the intense inner world I have, and the coiled shape reflects how hard it can be for me to venture out beyond myself. I also encourage people to find their own meaning in my work.

The project began with a large chunk of clay to which I added large coils to
The top coil is removable so that I could reach in to do detail work. The stump on the right is for the head to be attached to later
The body is now smoothed out and additional “weight” is added to make the body more realistic. The tail is added, too
Now the head and hand is added, too. The top coil is attached to complete the form
Unlike glaze, underglaze is put onto unfired clay. I mixed my own color of underglaze for the body. Usually, the color (once dried) stays the same after firing and glazing, but mine didn’t…
Sgraffito is the process of carving into the unfired clay to create texture. Here, you can see the lines I made on the face
I then filled the carved lines with white or purple underglaze. To do this, I used a small brush and a slip casting applicator
The patterns and lines I made up while I worked. I had no plan other than I wanted it to look busy and eclectic
All of the sgraffito is filled in with white or purple underglaze. Certain floral patterns and some accents are purple, and black underglaze is added for more detail
A picture from above. I wanted to add some more whimsy, so the central loop has a dragon carved on top. Dragons have been a special interest of mine since I was a kid, so it felt right to include one
After being bisque-fired, clear glaze was added to the entire body
The glaze fire changed the colors dramatically, but I’m very happy with the results. The blue color was too bright for me, so I love that it toned down to a nice blue-purple-gray
The purple turned red for some reason, but it still looks quite nice
As a final touch, I put on an iridescent acrylic topcoat. This caused the piece to be shiny and to reflect in blue and purple light. I also added wire whiskers
Another image to show the lovely iridescence. I’m extremely pleased with the final look. It looks just as fantastical and strange as I wanted