Works-in-Clay

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Pip jug

Just realized I never posted a finished photo of this:

This is a terrible cell phone picture of something I'm working on. The pot has been built, but I'm still working on the decorative aspects of it. The above image is part of what I've done so far. Here's what the piece looks like:

Front view, and back view from an angle. In these pics the top isn't finished. Coils were just added but not smoothed.

And if it looks like a butt to you, well, I can't really say it isn't a butt. The base shape is based on an old pot I did my first year called "The Butt Pot." Coil building just really lends itself to organic forms!

I have more to say about a change I've made in my work recently, but it's 1 a.m. and I don't think now is the time to get into it. I'm going on vacation for a week, but when I get back, I'll finish this and another coil pot I've got going on, and write a bit about what I'm trying to do now.

LOL!

(click to enlarge!)

Tile has been sent and recieved. Apelad posted some pics on his flickr.

The tile was finished with red iron oxide stain. The specks you see are particles in the clay body. Probably iron or something.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Owls

I had some clay that was a bit dried out--not very plastic. Not good enough for most things, but good enough to make a couple little owls:

Four inches tall I think.

Five inches? I am bad at guessing these things. Tall and skinny.

Boston Avenue Holy Wow Creative Arts Class

Because I am "artistic" I was asked to teach a one-hour art class on Wednesday nights for mid- and high schoolers at my church (Boston Avenue United Methodist). Last week, we did clay tiles. I prepared wet 6" by 6" tiles for the kids to carve into or make imprints or whatever they liked.

I picked up a bunch of leaves because I thought it would be fun to make leaf imprints. Here was my example:

I'm going to finish these with red iron oxide stain, so the stain will really highlight the leaf texture.

The kids':

Aren't these cute?

Lamoni, IA rest stop tiles

On the way back to OK from Ottumwa, I stopped at the rest stop/Iowa welcome center near Lamoni and found these cool handmade terra cotta tiles on the building and around the grounds. I wonder who made them.