Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Slump and Slab

I fired last week. It's always fun to crank up the old kiln,
and I do mean old. But I absolutely adore this piece of equipment.  


And probably the element of surprise in a firing. At least for me!
No expert here.

It's always a learning experience as well.

So, last week I worked in terra-cotta.  (and a little in porcelain, but we won't go there!)
One of the beautiful things about terra-cotta is that if you don't glaze the back, 
it still looks beautiful. The white earthenware looks a little unfinished to me if left unglazed.

So I was slumping the clay over various forms in the studio.  I found an
irregular ball slightly larger than a baseball.  When the slumped clay is removed,
it makes a wonderful, intimate small bowl with great organic energy.  When Lee,
my friend and co-artist in Studio 8, put cheesecloth over the ball, then draped the clay,
the texture created by the cheesecloth inside the bowl added a nice element.
I played with that, smoothing some of the interiors and leaving the texture in others.


Glazed and waiting. Sometimes I like the before better than the after.  
Soft colors.  Matte finish.


First peek!


Always room for improvement. But I like these, happy with most
of the results.  Appreciate the knowledge gained from the less happy results.

Loving the colors!

I also liked the light weight, thin walled daintiness they possessed.  I'm beginning to
finally develop my own aesthetic for the clay.  
Right now it's organic bowls and plates!



OK, tomorrow I work on some totems.


Clay work by Ginny Piech Street is on display at Flametree Clay Art Gallery in Vero Beach.