29-2019 – Luca Tripaldi – Rainbows

We will start using the slip cast technique to make a series of bowls on which we will experiment with a myriad of surface effects: colour, transparency and texture. Slip casting will allow also those students who do not have confidence in throwing or building with porcelain, to produce perfect, thin bowls.
Pouring the liquid porcelain into plaster moulds, all students can quickly produce a series of perfect and thin bowls in porcelain. We then will explore the potential of plaster moulds in different ways; for example, carving the plaster surface to create texture or applying coloured slip for geometric or abstract color patterns. The leatherhard bowls, when removed from the moulds, may be altered, modified and further enriched with relief effects.
Particular attention will be devoted to the preparation of coloured porcelain slips, in order to understand the potential and the correct dosing of the pigments. We will choose from three different porcelain slips, depending on the type of technique used. Our theme is “the bowl” and the variations obtainable with the techniques demonstrated. For the workshop, La Meridiana will supply simple mono-shape moulds. On the last day, students will make a mould of their choice to take home.
All work will be glazed with a transparent glaze on the inside and left unglazed on the exterior.

Luca Tripaldi was born in Turin, Italy, where he currently lives and has his studio. After training in graphic design, he worked for ten years in Mario Audello Studios as a sculptor, making masks and special effects for many opera houses like “Scala di Milano” and “Arena di Verona”. In 1998 he opened his own ceramics studio in Turin. He uses porcelain, preferring unglazed surfaces or only glazed in some parts with crystalline glazes and dry glazes, in order to get strong contrasts. The most part of his jewels are in black or white porcelain, decorated with ceramic transfers. He conducts an intensive teaching activitie, holding workshops throughout Europe and the United States. He writes a technical ceramic column for the Italian ceramic magazin ”La Ceramica in Italia e nel Mondo”.
www.lucatripaldi.com