The latest addition to Nicholas Lees’ Floating Bowl series, ‘Red/Blue Bowls’ are made from Parian. The introduction of colour is
inspired by works on paper with ink, in which the interaction between
wet and dry is used as a parallel for movement and the uncertainty of
perception. The use of soluble metal salts in colouring ceramic is an
unusual technique. In this case, a solution of soluble cobalt and soluble gold is applied
to the interior of the biscuit fired pieces. The pieces are then
saturated and, as they dry, the colour moves through the form and
concentrates onto the edges of the fins through the suction caused by
faster evaporation from those edges. The pieces are then fired to their
top temperature to vitrify them. There is some cold work with diamond
abrasive to finish the surface and make a stable base.