The Making Process

I design and create an exquisite range of contemporary ceramic gum photo tiles and hand-built pieces, decorated with photographic images, using my own unique Gum Bi-Chromate process.

makingprocesspageimageEach piece starts with the photograph and I pride myself on the quality of the photographic images in my work that are taken from my own archive of images and carefully selected archive images. I’m constantly adding photographs of nature and landscapes and unusual quirky situations , like boats out of water

I have developed my unique modified Gum Bi-chromate photography process for use on bisque ceramic surfaces, which enables me to use any clay and fire across all firing temperatures. I however make most of my work using a white clay body which is decorated with coloured slips and engobes.

Each ceramic piece is coated with a three part mixture of Gum, the light sensitive Potassium di-chromate ( bi-chromate ) and ceramic colouring oxides. I coat the surface and let it dry.

The piece always chooses the image that will end up on it and I often try several images to see which works best.

I then put the negative over this surface and clip it in place and expose to UV light. Some areas will receive light and are hardened , while some are unaffected in varying degrees according to the negative. This process allows a continuous tone to be achieved, unlike printing.

After exposure , the surface is carefully washed in water where, little by little, the un-hardened areas are brushed away and removed- this reveals the photographic image. The piece is then ready to be fired and the image is then made permanent.

I can further colour the piece with underglaze colours or a glaze and refire.

For a more information on my process please contact me directly.
You can also read a more detailed account in Paul Scott’s Ceramics & Print (3rd ed 2012) pub Bloomsbury, London, or Jill Enfield’s Alternative Photography processes ( 2012) pub. Focal press, NY.