Creative Ideas for Clay Artists - Ceramic Arts Daily

Creative Ideas for Clay Artists
A Collection of Articles from Ceramics Monthly
Edited by Anderson Turner
A Ceramics Monthly Handbook

Creative Ideas for Clay Artists
i

Creative Ideas for Clay Artists
A Collection of Articles from Ceramics Monthly
Edited by Anderson Turner
ii
Published by
The American Ceramic Society
600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210
Westerville, Ohio 43082 USA

The American Ceramic Society
600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210
Westerville, OH 43082
© 2001, 2011 by The American Ceramic Society, All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1-57498-122-6 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-57498-557-3 (PDF)
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Publisher: Charles Spahr, Executive Director, The American Ceramic Society
Art Book Program Manager: Bill Jones
Editor: Anderson Turner
Ebook Manager: Steve Hecker
Graphic Design: Melissa Bury, Bury Design, Westerville, Ohio
Cover Image: “Bottle with eared handlesl” by Dick Lehman
iii

IntroduCtIon
When I sat down to put this book together, I was pretty sure I had a vision
of how the finished product was going to look. I thought, somewhat
naively, that I would select my favorite articles from Ceramics Monthly magazine
and the process, though possibly long, would come to me rather easily.
I couldn’t have been more mistaken. I realized as I sat down to read the past
ten years or so of Ceramics Monthly, how much I love the medium of clay
and how much I enjoy the magazine. It became a somewhat awesome task for
me to think about compiling a “how-to” book of published articles from it.
Of course, it’s true—I have more than a love of clay and for Ceramics
Monthly. I have a personal, emotional attachment to the people who edit and
put out the magazine, having been an assistant editor there for a short time.
I desperately felt the desire to create a book that offered keen insights and
ideas for the world of clay.
I have spent a great deal of time talking with fellow artists and contemporaries
about ceramics publications, in general, and their feelings about them.
I felt the strong desire to contemplate the importance of writing about the
medium and the level to which people felt the writing reached. What books
or magazines inspired them? Did they actually read the articles or just look
at the pictures? How important is it that the quality of writing is equal to the
artwork produced? Or, is it more important to make sure the work is seen?
Through this investigation, it became abundantly clear that most of us who
love clay and read CM, enjoy the magazine. At the same time, we react to the
writing and presentation of various articles in an almost instinctual way. That
reaction is often difficult to express but can be startlingly powerful.
It is my own gut instinct that guided my choice of articles included here. I
felt that the text should have articles by and about people who are not necessarily
the most famous clay people, but are artists who have strong ideas or
intriguing work. Some well-known artists have been included in the text, but
those articles complement the rest of the book, not dominate it.
I still consider myself a young clay artist and, as such, I tried to search out
some of the articles that spoke directly to me as I build my life in clay. It is
my hope that you will browse the pages of this book and find something that
inspires or challenges you. It is through personal investigation and the pursuit
of life-long learning that we can achieve our vision of ourselves, and our art.
iv
—Anderson Turner

1
2
3
Contents
IntroductIon ................................................................................v
Pottery
In Pursuit of Form by Kristin Doner ......................................2
Expanding the limits of pinch potting.
ordering chaos by Dannon Rhudy ..........................................6
Innovative handbuilding with textured slabs.
Jane Graber by Phyllis Blair Clark ........................................12
Miniature reproductions of Early American ware.
outside In Bowls by Sara Friedlander ....................................19
Creating intense imagery with a unique casting method.
Shuji Ikeda by James Irwin ....................................................22
Intricately woven hand-built baskets.
Sandcasting ceramics by Kari Brovold Hagen .....................27
Create one-of-a-kind forms with this single-use mold.
SculPture
Spraying Paper-reinforced clay by W. Lowell Baker .........32
How to produce large lightweight forms.
Janis Mars Wunderlich by Anderson Turner ........................36
Intensely made figurative/narrative sculpture.
ex Post Factory by vince Pitelka ...........................................39
Detailed sculpture and colored prints.
lifesprings Michael Garnes’ Kinetic ceramic coils .........44
Still-life Vignettes by Anna Callouri Holcombe....................47
Making clay reliefs with slab techniques.
Bead Making by Barnard Jones ..............................................50
Flexible Molds for ceramics by Nan Smith ..........................54
Using large latex molds.
Imaret by David Proeber .........................................................59
Building and firing a structure out of clay.
FInISHInG tecHnIqueS
never Be Afraid of Play by Elaine Alt ...................................66
Serious about whimsy.
Airbrushing on clay by Hanna Lore Hombordy ...................71
Fast Fossils, carbon-Film transfer on Saggar-Fired
Porcelain by Dick Lehman ......................................................75
Fire and light, combining ceramic and Photographic
Processes by Linda McRae......................................................79
Brian Vannostrand by Phyllis Blair Clark ............................82
Thirty years of research, diligence, and determination.
lasting Impressions by Collin D. Rosebrook ........................91
Large-scale forms with impressed decoration.
the Spirit to learn, the Spirit to teach by Norbert Turek ..94
Southwest pottery traditions and innovations.
v

Pottery
I chose to begin this book with
pottery because of the traditionalist
in me. Pots are still an integral part
of our lives. Most people instinctively
think of pots when they think
of ceramics. Hopefully, the wide
variety of approaches to making pottery
demonstrated in this section will
inspire and inform you.
1 Pottery

M y journey
with clay has
been a process
of discovery and
rediscovery. At
times, the process
has been forced,
leading me to
produce works
that I consider
over engineered,
forms that stand
apart from those
that emerge from
a more intuitive
process. When
I disengaged
my conscious
thought and allowed
my work to
develop through
a more intuitive process, the result was
a more satisfying expression, one that
speaks from a deeper part of myself.
I am often surprised how intuitive
responses interact with conscious
inspirations to produce unexpected
outcomes. For example, ancient history
has been an inspiration for me.
I feel connected with the past when
examining an ancient artifact, realizing
that the item in my hand was likely an
integral part of someone’s life centuries
ago. I am also fascinated by the impact
of time and environment on the
surface of these artifacts. Frequently,
organic textures and earthy colors
appear in random fashion, having developed
from centuries of exposure to
In Pursuit of Form
by Kristin Doner
“Red and Black Amphora,” from the “Imperial Pinchpot Series,” 11 inches in height, with
terra sigillata and reduction stencil effects, raku fired.
the elements. There’s little doubt that
these artifacts have had an influence on
my work, as witnessed by my choice
of glaze treatments and my classical
use of form.
The “less is more” aesthetic has
also had an effect on my work. I try
to reduce an expression to the pure
essentials, to focus clearly on the main
point of my work—form. My goal
is pure simplicity of form achieved
through gently sloping lines and as few
distractions as possible.
To develop my sensitivity for form,
I used to sit with pencil and paper
sketching half silhouettes. These half
forms trick the eye in a wonderful way.
By building upon the visual informa-
Creative ideas for Clay artists 2
Photos: jAmes PAtrICk dAwson, mAxImAge
tion of one half
of the form, the
mind completes
the other half.
The result is an
instant critique
of the essential
elements.
Zeroing in
on an intriguing
form, I used to
sketch out every
aspect of the
completed piece
in full detail,
then apply the
appropriate techniques
to bring
the expression to
life. These conscious
exercises
were interesting to a point, but they
lacked the spirit and vitality that I
hungered for in my work. Eventually,
I put down the pencil and started
working intuitively. Letting go in this
way allowed me to develop beyond the
limitations of overengineered ideas.
As I found myself turning repeatedly
to the pinching technique, I
decided to start producing these
pinchpots, but on a larger-than-usual
scale. I was determined to retain the
simplicity of form while emphasizing
its essential elements. As I allowed
my intuition to take charge of developing
form, I was able to focus
on technique in a more active way.
When I began working with 2- or

A cylindrical ball of clay is opened with the thumb.
The upper walls are thinned by pushing with
the thumb from the inside, while supporting
the outside with the outer hand.
The wall thickness is evened (bottom to
rim) by rhythmical paddling while slowly
rotating the form with the inside hand.
3-pound balls for each pinchpot,
the increase in mass demanded entirely
new forming strategies. Use
of a paddle, the size of the paddle,
and the balance between drying and
working times, all had an impact on
the outcome.
Now, using up to an 8-pound ball
of clay for a pinchpot has become
second nature to me. Starting with
a cylindrical ball of clay, I open with
the normal pinching methods. Then
I begin thinning the wall by stroking
and stretching the inside, while
rhythmically paddling the outside.
After the clay has been allowed to dry
somewhat, the same method is used to
thin the walls and develop the form, alternating
between drying and forming.
The next challenge I encountered
was how best to present these forms.
Since the rounded bottoms are an
The bottom is thinned by pushing with the fingers or
knuckles of the inner hand toward the outer (support)
hand.
After the clay has hardened somewhat, the
lower wall is stretched more, reserving a
small amount of clay at the bottom.
Once the clay has firmed up again,
the reserve at the bottom is stretched by
stroking in the opposite direction.
3 Pottery

integral part of the overall statement,
it is essential to incorporate a foot that
doesn’t detract from the form. I found
that elevating the form on an understated
tripod emphasized the sensual
form. This also brought into play the
idea of negative space subtly framing
the simple roundness of the bottom.
With the main form and presentation
issues worked out, I went on to
tackle the addition of handle lugs and
lids. Originally, my forms were much
rounder, more elliptical in shape, using
handle lugs to secure an arching
handle over a low-lying lid. When the
vessels took on the more elongated
shape, the arching handle conflicted
with the more dominant form. Also,
the introduction of a peaked lid mirrored
the curves of the body. These
new elements inspired me to lower the
When the bottom is firm, the form is supported
in a padded bowl, and paddling of the upper wall
is begun.
Creative ideas for Clay artists 4
Then, the form is inverted and paddled to compress
the clay and refine the contour of the bottom.
Subsequent passes refine the curve of the shoulder;
eventually, the paddle is used simply
to control the amount of stretching.
The raku firing pit with two firing positions (here the left side is prepared for
the next load, while the right is firing).