Month: July 2021

staining bodies II

tile grout mixed with iron oxides

it’s near impossible to clean away the excess without staining. I do my best. some of the the tile gaps I’ve filled with newman clay and barnard clay instead of tile grout. they all crack as they dry

I try to repair the cracks by pouring a layer of clay slip over the entire surface. something you are taught never to do in ceramics:

if a large crack appears, you should always wedge the entire form back into plastic clay and start again from scratch

if you smooth it over, it will likely reappear again once water escapes from the body

Clay Process Staining Studio Projects

staining bodies

these clay bodies, taken from the earth, contain large amounts of minerals that can give them potent staining strength.

one of the most common naturally occurring mineral in clays – iron oxide – can give bodies a rich red, black or yellow colour

in ceramic handbooks, this quality is often written about like an inconvenience: “newman clay is useful for imparting a bright orange red tone but can be difficult to work with as it stains whatever surface it comes into contact with”

I find that I am drawn to this. I like that these bodies resist the desire to keep things clean and contained. wherever they touch, they leave an echo of the earth. as long as they contain moisture

wedged with my knees and hands, as I soon tired

somewhere between wedging, coiling and joining, I practice movements that can never become a vessel

Clay Cracks Process Studio Projects

circle trays

红花 soaked for five days, kaolin

newman clay

kaolin

Clay Cracks Process Studio Projects

cracking trays II

application of 洛神花 & 熟地 medicine pigment onto dried clay slip (on one tray slip dries on wood, on the other slip dries on stretched cotton), one stroke from left to right even when the brush becomes dry

in chinese painting, 留白 (leaving empty / leaving space) is an essential philosophy and visual element

the pigment fades as it dries. moisture evaporates and is absorbed by the dried clay slip

I poured another layer of slip over the dried medicine pigments

both trays dried in less than two hours in the afternoon sun

I tried to pour the slip as even as I could, but clay’s viscosity can change quickly. the slip thickened as I poured

I want to study these cracks, I’m so mesmerized by them, so I trace them over with pigment made from 熟地

I started practicing calligraphy again, so I do my best to remember 起笔, 行笔, 顿笔, 收笔 as I study the lines