Not an art student!

As mentioned in previous blog posts, I'm not an art student. I just fell in love with the process of making. I didn't know what clay is made of, but I liked what I could do with it, and I liked having a physical, functional vessel to use after. All the technical stuff, I left that to the experts. And the experts I'm referring to are the studio owners who fire all my pieces and make all the glazes.

Yep, that's right, you make something, you clean it up, place it on the greenware shelf, about a week later, it "magically" appears on the bisqueware shelf. Take that little piece over to the glazing station. Paint or dip in many choices of colours. Place it back on the glazed shelf, another week goes by... it's a cup!

As my interest in ceramics grew, I just had more questions. I was also spending more and more time in the studio and let's just say, the puppy dog at home was not too happy about it. So I got my own wheel. What are some key takeaways with using clay at home. 

-NEVER wash any clay down the sink, its heavy and usually just ends up in the s-bend of the drain, clogs its and that's just no fun. Use buckets. One to wash, the other to rinse. The buckets will start to smell a little funky after a while. Clay is a natural material and over time, it will make the buckets stinky. Let the clay settle in the bucket, sponge out as much water as possible without disturbing the clay. Leave it out to dry out in the sunlight and then dispose of it. 

-SILICOSIS : a progressive, untreatable lung disease. All clay bodies use silica. Powdered silica is a known carcinogen, but it's safe once it is fired. Ensure you keep your work environment clean and minimal dust, with good ventilation.  Take steps to reduce your exposure. A general guideline, if possible, never sweep the studio with a broom, mopping is the best method to clean floors. Silica particles can remain suspended in the air for up to 48 hours. 

-RECLAIM. Learn how to do it. Some studios will do this for you, but you have to buy it back. You end up donating almost 1/3 of your clay after trimming. Reuse it, you've already paid for it. Dry them out completely in buckets. Cover it with water. Mix it well so its a nice consistency. Make some plaster batts. Slap that clay on the batt and put that out in the sun to dry. Keep an eye on it. Once it's back to a desired texture. Wedge it up and use it again. If you made something you didn't like and its still wet-ish, but it in a plastic bag. spray some water on it, seal the bag, leave it overnight. Come back, wedge and reuse. Let's try to minimise waste.  

Whats the next step for me? I want to get my own kiln. Just a small one to minimise transport between my wheel and the studios kiln, as well as reduce the cost to purchase my ceramics. Thats a great idea but what does that really mean? figuring out what kiln would work well at home. Cost of a kiln? How much does it cost to run? What does a kiln need? Single phase or three phase power? Do I still need an electrician to re-wire the house? What other ways can I make this sustainable, can I get solar panels installed? Glazes.... I definitely need to learn to make my own glazes! 

Well, first things first, start reading and asking more questions. 

I was recommended the book

"The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes" by John Britt. I've only flipped open the first few pages and this made me laugh.

"It seemed off to me that all art disciplines had control over their materials - except the art of ceramics. For example, the painters could pull out all the paints from their toolbox and mix the exact shade envisioned. The printmakers, graphic designers, jewellers, photographers, sculptors, woodworkers - all had a vision of what they wanted and could control the materials of their medium to achieve the result. The potters on the other hand, had to glaze their work and put it into the 'magic fire box' as I liked to call it, and then wait and see what came out... The problem was that the pieces rarely looked like what the potters had intended. We learned to be open to the unexpected actions of the kiln and not have rigid expectations about the outcome."

Will keep you updated post kiln purchase. Wish me luck. 

Moo x