Method
How a study is put together
M1
Shears, ruler and paper patterns
White display
Metal
M2
Small glass jug of pale golden liquid
White tabletop
Glass
M3
Two carved wooden vessels
Wooden surface
Wood
M4
Pale green teapot
Red tabletop
Ceramic
Each study looks at one thing for a long time and writes down what the photograph shows. The four plates above are from the catalogue: a pair of shears, a glass jug, two carved vessels and a teapot.
One subject
A study is about one object, or a set that belongs together, such as a pot and its cups. It is built around a single photograph of that subject.
One plain ground
The subject stands on one surface: a tabletop, a shelf, a display board. The label names that ground, because a red tabletop and a white one change how the same glaze reads.
Outline, then surface
Look at the whole object before any part of it: outline and proportion first, then glaze, grain or metal, then marks, chips and wear.
What can be seen
The text describes shape, surface, colour and wear as they appear. Maker, age and size are recorded only when they are known.
A closer look
One or two places repay a second look, such as a hinge, a gold band or the pivot of a pair of shears. Those are the details the study returns to.
This is sample content. The studies were written for the demonstration, and the photographs are CC0 images by the contributors listed on the credits page. No ownership of the objects is implied.