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Hands of Clay
Jun. 13th, 2008 09:47 amSometimes it is better to just not try throwing at all, when one's clay is all dried out. Last week, the only clay I had was dry and unworkable, so I made a few tiny pieces and then gave up and left ceramics tired and frustrated. Before I left, I talked to B, our ceramics instructor, about a multimedia project I've been trying to get together for a long time. She was unconvinced by the method I was planning to use, but as I rode my bicycle home I came up with a new, clever solution. (I'm being a bit vague on some details because the item may be a surprise for one of my readers some day, but I don't want to make premature promises).
This week, things just seemed to fall in place. I was running a bit late, but stopped by Wet Paint for some new porcelain clay. While I was there, another ceramics classmate stopped in and offered to haul my clay to the studio, saving me an awkward, lopsided bike ride with a 25-pound bag of clay in one pannier. When I arrived, I rediscovered how much easier it is to throw with clay that's soft enough, and especially with porcelain, which is super-smooth and malleable (hooray! I can throw after all!). Even better, the shape I proposed to work with looks like it will do the trick, although I wasn't able to make it large enough. The two small prototypes won't go to waste, though--they will be nifty pieces in their own right.
This week, things just seemed to fall in place. I was running a bit late, but stopped by Wet Paint for some new porcelain clay. While I was there, another ceramics classmate stopped in and offered to haul my clay to the studio, saving me an awkward, lopsided bike ride with a 25-pound bag of clay in one pannier. When I arrived, I rediscovered how much easier it is to throw with clay that's soft enough, and especially with porcelain, which is super-smooth and malleable (hooray! I can throw after all!). Even better, the shape I proposed to work with looks like it will do the trick, although I wasn't able to make it large enough. The two small prototypes won't go to waste, though--they will be nifty pieces in their own right.
