How long does it take to make a piece of work?

 

 

When people see my nerikomi work, the most frequently asked question is: 

 

“how long does it take to make a piece of work?”

My answer:

I have a yearly cycle of work, start with creating 4-5 new nerikomi patterns, on paper, in September, when I have finished using all the pattern blocks made last year.

After finished firing all the pots, I build these new patterns in coloured porcelain in October. Normally takes a couple of weeks to wedge colours into porcelain, and to build the pattern blocks.

The pattern blocks are wrapped well, place in plastic box to relax and to let moisture level to even out, as best as possible, until next March.

I design new forms over winter months, as working with cold wet porcelain is very bad for my fingers, which are showing signs of arthritis.

In March/April, I will resume handbuilding pots. Each one wrapped up in a few layers of cling film to dry slowly in a big box, to avoid cracking.

Usually takes a month to reach firm but not totally dry stage. I will trim the work to make the nerikomi pattern clear of smudges.

When bone dry, bisque fire to 1000 degrees Celsius.

They are wet polished with 400 grid then 800 grid sand paper, so that the surface is silky smooth.

When dry, the inside is covered with transparent glaze to water proof.

When the glaze is dry, it will be fired to 1220 degrees Celsius in 12 hours.

The process of making nerikomi pattern involves a lot of cutting and assembling, and on top, porcelain is a fine and delicate material, the consequence is that more than half of my works cannot survive the whole process, develop cracks or warped badly.

So how to answer the question, how long it takes to make my work?