It's great to get back to the studio but I left it in a bit of a state after finishing the last Christmas commissions so the first job has been a big tidy up!
Before...
After...
I love the spontaneous artworks that appear around the studio.
I call those last ones clay sprites and I feel a bit sad wiping them away. 😅
The next job was sorting out some clay!
What a lot of people don't realise is all the work that goes into reclaiming and preparing clay before you can make something.
When clay dries out in the bag you need to soften it up again. I use the method of sealing it in airtight bags with a cup of water and then submerging the bags in a tub of water. The water outside doesn't get in but pushes the cup of water you put inside all around the clay. So you should get an evenly soft block of clay after a week or few depending on how hard the clay was to start with.
Any trimmed clay or slops from throwing get thrown into a slops bucket with some water. These are then spread onto plaster slabs, we call it making mud pies. The plaster absorbs excess water.
Then when the clay is the right consistency to get out any air trapped in the clay and make it a smooth consistency throughout it needs to be wedged. Wedging is like kneading but with the opposite aim, to remove air.
It's quite a workout if there's lots to do!
Sometimes curious faces appear in the wedged clay.
After all that hard labour out the way, next time I'm in the studio I'll actually be able to start creating again!
Before...
After...
I love the spontaneous artworks that appear around the studio.
I call those last ones clay sprites and I feel a bit sad wiping them away. 😅
The next job was sorting out some clay!
What a lot of people don't realise is all the work that goes into reclaiming and preparing clay before you can make something.
When clay dries out in the bag you need to soften it up again. I use the method of sealing it in airtight bags with a cup of water and then submerging the bags in a tub of water. The water outside doesn't get in but pushes the cup of water you put inside all around the clay. So you should get an evenly soft block of clay after a week or few depending on how hard the clay was to start with.
Any trimmed clay or slops from throwing get thrown into a slops bucket with some water. These are then spread onto plaster slabs, we call it making mud pies. The plaster absorbs excess water.
Then when the clay is the right consistency to get out any air trapped in the clay and make it a smooth consistency throughout it needs to be wedged. Wedging is like kneading but with the opposite aim, to remove air.
It's quite a workout if there's lots to do!
Sometimes curious faces appear in the wedged clay.
After all that hard labour out the way, next time I'm in the studio I'll actually be able to start creating again!
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