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.
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