Today I made a wall hanging using textured strips of clay. I'm using B-Mix porcelain clay and this piece is about 9 inches wide by 8 inches tall.
After I finished I wondered how I would hang it. (Sometimes I just don't plan ahead). Since the piece is still moist, I have time to insert some holes. I could put a hole on either end and then I would be able to use nails, making it more industrial looking. Or I could leave it as it is and mount it on board with epoxy. Another way would be to epoxy a couple of strips of wood hidden on the reverse and insert screws and use picture hanging wire. That's an idea I got from Meredith, of WhyNot Pottery blog, and I really like that method since all the hanging mechanisms are hidden from view and the focus is on the art.
What do you think? Do you have any ideas for me? If this makes it through the drying and firing, I plan on making some more wall hangings, so any ideas of how to hang wall pieces would be appreciated. I'll take my camera with me to class tonight, perhaps my instructor will have some advice. Toodles.
Linda! What a gorgeous piece! I would try to hide the hanger if I could...
ReplyDeletehi Linda- you remind me I need to fix some tiles for hanging and do a post on the process!
ReplyDeleteI love the piece and would like to see the back when it is done. It might work to frame a box shape on the back to add strength for hanging. Or mount on a piece of plywood.
Hi Eleanor, thank you so much. I'm going to see how the drying goes. Since this is porcelain, I sometimes find just picking up a thin piece and it will crack. I going to make several others a little thicker and then also make another one out of stoneware too and see how they all fair.
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, I saved your photo on the process. I envisioned the strips hanging free from the top, but now I am not sure I can accomplish that with this piece. After I completed the piece I saw how thin the strips were. We shall see.
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteGreat textures.
I have a real issue of getting caught up in making the front of the piece and thinking about mechanics later. I like Meredith's idea of a box frame - in porcelain or wood? Could it be mounted on a tile? What would we do without epoxy? If you get any new ideas, I would like to hear about them.
Hi Barbara, thanks, those texures were just made with some simple things I had on hand, a chop stick, a dowel and some sand paper. It seems I do this a lot of the time - make something and then think in the middle uh oh, what am I going to do with this or that. Oh well, it usually turns out ok in the end. I am hoping I can have this piece look like it is suspended from the wall with nothing supporting it, we shall see.
ReplyDeleteI like Meredith's idea! I would try that - or carve grooves into the back of the piece for hanging.
ReplyDeleteI like this piece a lot too - I have a real fondness for ceramic work that hangs like a painting!
Love this piece LInda!... I'm catching up on blog reading and just checked out your recent piece on the pinch pots, class studio, and metal flakes. That's too bad that they use the same space for metal and clay. But, who knows, maybe you'll even venture into metal work!
ReplyDelete