I decided to make architectural forms from clay slabs, and have started to explore whether I should decorate the forms with colour or texture or both. I have neglected texture a little in the past, being more interested in form and colour. I decided to add some texture to see the effect.
After discussion with Rob, I decided to create texture by rolling slabs onto carved plaster. I measured and marked two simple lines and two patterns on the plaster.
I used a knife to outline the shapes and then various carving tools and a saw blade to remove areas of plaster. The carving itself was quite difficult, the plaster was very dry, and I don't think I had the right tools for the job. It took the whole afternoon to make just three carvings. I put some rough strips of reclaimed clay onto the plaster and used a rolling pin to press the clay down onto the lines. It worked surprisingly well.
I had rolled out some slabs for a pot, and decided to press them onto the plaster, to see the effect on a larger piece. This exercise was complicated by the fact that the slabs I had already prepared were made out of Potclays Professional Craft Crank. The straight lines on the plaster transferred easily onto the crank clay, producing a couple of raised lines that were straight and clear. However when I laid the slab over a piece of pipe to make the curves, some cracks developed along the thin edges of the lines, these needed to be repaired. The more complex pattern also had issues. The crank clay did not show the pattern as well as on the smoother test clay. I ended up having to go over the edges of the design with carving tools, but this looked ok..
I need to either use a smoother clay, or carve more deeply in the plaster. I also need to try some more complex designs on the plaster.
Carving into the clay
I decided to add a further couple of designs directly into the slab pot.The crank clay carved easily, even though the slabs were quite thin. It was also very forgiving, it was easy to correct mistakes, and easy to wet the clay again if needed. Although it was much more pleasant to carve into the clay than the plaster, It was not as easy to get clean lines. The use of crank was also an issue as the high grog level reduced the sharpness. The patterns were also reversed, being carved into the surface rather than standing out. However, I love crank clay, and it gave me the opportunity to carve into the clay, I liked making this a lot, so that was a bonus.
I cut out the pieces for another pot using Valentines V9 Stoneware clay, using a cardboard maquette as a guide. Using a contraption, (designed by Rob) comprising a knife, wooden strip, piece of metal with a hole in it, and a pencil, I marked out a curved version of my design. I carved this, in the garden, at the weekend.
On Monday I pressed the pieces onto the plaster, the clay was a little dry, so the texture was quite shallow, the lines were clearly visible so I carved the texture a little deeper, this was not ideal. I resorted to impressed texture using wooden offcuts. The rectangular wooden stamp worked well.
INSERT IMAGE OF WOODEN STAMP TEXTURE
The offcut that made the thin lines did not work well, the pattern was too overpowering on the slab. I don't want the texture to overpower the form, so I decided to make a new slab, and rolled this onto the plaster, the texture worked perfectly. I fitted all the original slabs together, and left the new slab to dry until the next day. The original slabs had dried further and had to be sprayed, the new slab had not dried enough. As it was still plastic, I ended up with a curve in the slab. I had tried to fix one problem, and had caused another. Micaela spotted it straight away.
Next time, I need to roll a spare slab, and store it with the original pieces in case I need a replacement. I also need to test new texture making methods on some recycled clay before trying them on actually pots. I think part of the problem was caused by an imprecise maquette, as the final piece needed adjustment, due to cumulative small differences. It is quite difficult to get perfect cardboard templates, that is another issue I need to address.
My next steps are firstly, to carve a variety of current and past textures to expand the motifs I have available and also make them smaller and more subtle. Secondly I want to try water etching, so that I can get a less crisp texture that might suggest wear and tear and changes over time.
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