Sunday, September 4, 2011

Breaking Free


I feel like breaking free from the same way I've been using slip. For the ocean I'd like to really slather on the blue slip as if I was using a palette knife with oils. I've never even used oil paints, but I've seen paintings with that style and there have been many I've liked. So I want to make some deep indentations in a thick slip for the waves. I have no idea if I put slip on real thick if it will stay put or if it will craquelure during the firing, which isn't what I would want, but then again, something cool might happen.

I guess I could have added some thick pieces of clay, sculpted them and then put the slip over them, that sounds more feasible. Writing things down here on my blog gives me ideas of what to do. My blog is like a journal for me. Rather than making one piece right after another, writing what I think encourages me to pause and think. I'll go back and look at the piece and see if I'll change it or perhaps make another one with a different technique. Hope you are having a good weekend and mother nature is kind to you. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

7 comments:

  1. Your pottery is beautiful. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about your process :)

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  2. Reflection time is always good for progressing forward in one's work. I find it is often what I did last showa me just what I need to do next. Keep up the good work.

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  3. Nice thick sticky clay is fun stuff! So good to think of really enjoying its tactile qualities. I guess that getting it to stay put is all about controlling shrinkage. Thick, sticky clay applied to soft clay will most likely work, especially if bagged up for a day or two under plastic to equalize the moisture content. I like to keep some powdered china clay handy that I have previously put through an ordinary bisque firing, it can substitute for some of the clay in a slip or a glaze that I don't want to shrink too much.

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  4. I don't recall ever reading the word, 'craquelure' before. Thank you for introducing me to a new word. What fun!

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  5. Hi Heather, thanks so much, I guess I'm thinking out loud here, thanks for stopping by.

    Hi Regi, thanks, that's a good point, I've been thinking recently I need to gather a bunch of photos together and look at them.

    Hi Peter, thanks, you know you brought up that sticky clay before and I never made anything with it like I said I would, well I did make those two easter island sculptures, but that was all. I need to explore that tactile property some more, thanks for reminding me.

    Hi Teresa, thanks, I never actually read the word either I've only heard it and I went to look it up and saw the spelling which I am glad I did because I would have really butchered the spelling. It sounds a rather exotic word to my tongue and I like it.

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  6. A very nice painterly quality to this piece if you look at it BIG you can se all the brush strokes, looks great Linda.

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  7. Hi Kitty, thanks so much for input, I just looked at it big and need to touch up around the mouth a bit, I should start looking at my own photos big. Ha!

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment