Students' Works

These works are representative of the fine work of my advanced students. Their assignment calls for development of a clay façade. Beginning with a preliminary drawing of the façade of a building on 10” x 10” paper (or larger), the student is encouraged to provide a richly varied, detailed composition of the edifice and its surrounding milieu. It can be based on a photograph or a magazine or book illustration or preferably drawn from life.

When the sketch is done and approved, I instruct them on the techniques for creating clay slabs. Their initial slab is made of stoneware clay #45, which is easy to work with and forgiving. A paperclay admixture is used for slip. The slab is placed upon a wooden board covered with newspaper. It matches the original sketch in size and is somewhat thicker than other clay slabs they will deal with subsequently. Then begins the long process of making layers of slabs using pattern pieces designed from the elements contained in the initial drawings. The student must address the various depths of the image components, working from the background, such as the sky, to the foreground in space. Slabs are created from traced templates and layered onto the work board. Each slab is scored and slipped on top of the previous slab.

The work is sprayed and wrapped daily to prevent the clay from drying. In this way, pieces can be saved and worked on for months if necessary. After all the slabs are constructed, parts are cut away and texturing is undertaken. When done, the piece is allowed to dry slowly and then fired to cone 06. Cold finish with hand painting with acrylic paints completes the project.

Each piece is clearly individualized. The exercise stimulates the student‘s full expression of imagination and innate talent. It instructs in visualization of spatial relationships and fosters learning about color mixing and application techniques.

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