Perhaps you remember my previous post about faux bois, false wood. I've been working on some more sculptures with a woodland theme. I am also continuing my experimentation with mason stains. This time I'm using them full strength rather than mixing them with slip. I am, however, diluting the stains with water so I can paint, rub, and incorporate them into the clay.
I've made three Furled Bark Sculptures which were inspired by eucalyptus bark litter I observed walking through a grove at the ocean around the holidays. I've mixed the mason stain with water and I am hoping to fire these without any glaze and let the stain be the only colorant. I think I diluted the stain a little too much on the last one. I am finding I need a scrap piece of clay nearby to test the intensity of the mason stain, before I put it directly on the sculpture.
I like the color on the first one best, especially the dark outer bark which contrasts nicely with the inside. I think I will add more color to the outside of the other two tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to add it without ruining them. I really find I can 'see' the work much better if I photograph it and look at it later. I just noticed these three sculptures look very similar, I want to work on making future ones more random, which was my original intent.
Tomorrow I plan on making a few tiles to do some more experimenting with various methods of staining the clay to compile results for future use. My previous sculptures are quite dry now and I am hoping to bisque them within the week to see the results. Then in a week or so I will bisque these bark sculptures along with the test tiles I'll be making. I know I'm probably doing this backwards, but sometimes I just can't wait to try something. So I am considering these Furled Bark Sculptures rather large test tiles.
