This one-day, hands-on workshop, run by Jennifer Turnbull, will cover how to transfer images onto clay using a lithography transfer printing technique. Known as the “poor man’s” lithography process, this technique can be used in place of screen printing or other transfer techniques.
Participants will be guided by Jennifer through transferring a photocopied image onto a clay surface, which can then be fired, with or without glaze.
Lithography transfer can be used on coloured slip, leather-hard clay, either tiles or vertical surfaces, or on soft clay which can be manipulated and shaped after printing.
Attendees are required to bring a selection of photocopied images of varying sizes (with a white edge around the image to hold). Images on paper must be the result of a photocopy with toner, not bubble jet (home) printer. The properties of the photocopy ink are essential to the success of this process.
Line drawings, strong black and white contrast photos will work the best. If possible, please make several copies of each image, as back-ups. The nature of the process will mean that a reverse copy of the chosen images will be transferred onto clay. So, if the images include words, or have a preferred layout direction, they will need to be reversed using image editing software, before they are printed and photocopied. A printer will be available at the venue for those unable to print their images before the workshop. Image files should be saved on a USB stick for ease of transfer. If possible, participants should also bring a rubber rib.
Always drawn towards the arts, Jennifer studied dressmaking and fashion design, worked in theatre, made costumes at the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Mercury Theatre and made-to-measure garments in the fashion industry.
In 1988, she moved to Dunedin to study at Otago School of Fine Arts towards a Diploma of Fine Arts majoring in ceramics with Michael Trumic, Neil Grant and Lawrence Ewing as tutors, and many visiting overseas and NZ potters. Since 2006 Jennifer has been online tutoring and supervising the Diploma of Ceramic Arts from Otago School of Fine Arts.
Her inspiration comes from her past experiences as a seamstress, patternmaker, printmaking, painter, cook and mother, which she incorporates into her work. She also takes great inspiration from her surroundings: garden, beach, river, native bush and natural beauty of the Kapiti Coast and Central Otago.
As her work is mainly vessel based, she is always aware of the importance of the way a piece functions, not only visually but how it feels in your hands, its weight and the texture of the surface and glaze. Food being central to our lives, she wants a vessel to be complimentary to and part of day-to-day life.
Jennifer works in a variety of clays and fires with electric and gas kilns; she combines techniques of throwing, altering, slab and handbuilding.
Read more about Jennifer on her website.