Fun with Texture
 

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry and fired the piece like that.

So, if you have any fun ideas please share :-)

LMac

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry

Not-too-well mixed slip applied is nice. Cheesecloth dipped in slip.
Extrusions from the little tiny hand-held extruders. Textured and torn pieces
applied.

Linda D

"Lcdumas" wrote in message
...

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry

Not-too-well mixed slip applied is nice. Cheesecloth dipped in slip.
Extrusions from the little tiny hand-held extruders. Textured and torn
pieces
applied.

Linda D

Lace too, I have not done it but apparently cotton lace works best. I have
some lace that I bought to do this with, but just haven't yet. :o)

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:01:10 -0500, Lindsay MacArthur
wrote:

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry and fired the piece like that.

So, if you have any fun ideas please share :-)

LMac


The latest Ceramics Monthly (Feb 2004) has some
gorgeous texture pieces by Daphne Hatcher. She
takes slabs of clay into the woods near her studio
and presses them onto tree bark, then hand-builds
with them.

I've actually been thinking about something like this
for quite a while. I want to get impressions from
trees that are not nearby, and would require hiking
to get to them, but I haven't decided on the best way
to do this. I'm thinking of something like thin plastic
freezer containers that would fit into a backpack,
each one holding a slab of clay, or maybe a couple
separated by something soft.

Then when I get home, the clay patterns could be
copied in plaster for transfer to other pieces.
Or maybe wrap the clay around a drum to make
a big roulette. Or bisque it and use for sprig
molding the texture as a thin sheet that could
be applied to something else. Lots of
possibilities, once the texture itself is handy.





Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

That sounds like it would make for some beautiful textures. There was
an article in the Nov/Dec. issue of Clay Times about Bonnie Belt who
does something similar with split wood to create an accurate texture
for her combination handbuilt/thrown cypress creations---they are
beautiful.


On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 13:29:04 GMT, (Bob Masta)
wrote:

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:01:10 -0500, Lindsay MacArthur
wrote:

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry and fired the piece like that.

So, if you have any fun ideas please share :-)

LMac


The latest Ceramics Monthly (Feb 2004) has some
gorgeous texture pieces by Daphne Hatcher. She
takes slabs of clay into the woods near her studio
and presses them onto tree bark, then hand-builds
with them.

I've actually been thinking about something like this
for quite a while. I want to get impressions from
trees that are not nearby, and would require hiking
to get to them, but I haven't decided on the best way
to do this. I'm thinking of something like thin plastic
freezer containers that would fit into a backpack,
each one holding a slab of clay, or maybe a couple
separated by something soft.

Then when I get home, the clay patterns could be
copied in plaster for transfer to other pieces.
Or maybe wrap the clay around a drum to make
a big roulette. Or bisque it and use for sprig
molding the texture as a thin sheet that could
be applied to something else. Lots of
possibilities, once the texture itself is handy.





Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

What about embedding---both things that burn off as well as things
that stay in the piece? What items have people experimented with?

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:01:10 -0500, Lindsay MacArthur
wrote:

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry and fired the piece like that.

So, if you have any fun ideas please share :-)

LMac

Something that makes a nice surface is to embed hamster litter into the clay
and then let it burn out in the kiln.

Linda D

Is hamster litter similar to wood shavings?

On 30 Jan 2004 02:50:40 GMT, (Lcdumas) wrote:

Something that makes a nice surface is to embed hamster litter into the clay
and then let it burn out in the kiln.

Linda D

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 11:02:14 -0500, Lindsay MacArthur
wrote:

What about embedding---both things that burn off as well as things
that stay in the piece? What items have people experimented with?


For press-molding, I've had good luck with flowers and leaves.
I suspect that the same pattern could be added to an already-made
piece (thrown or hand-built) by some scheme of applying slip to
the surface and then pressing the articles in with plastic wrap or
something. Or maybe dipping them in slip, applying to a leather-hard
surface, and wiping back after it sets up a little.

I've also used millet and couscous to embed tiny spheres into the
surface. One issue is that when they burn out in bisque, the
surface can be pretty jagged... not good for something that will
be handled a lot. But it certainly has texture!



Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com

Another article in CM talked about using steel in conjunction with clay,
both for texture and in combination with a piece. The illustrated pieces
were very beautiful and I expect to move to that in a while. The potter
used various cutting torches to "fray" the edge of the metal before
embedding or pressing.

One question in this area--how could the steel be used within a piece
without the metal burning away? I think I remember the author talking about
using the two materials together?
Kathy

"Lindsay MacArthur" wrote in message
...
What about embedding---both things that burn off as well as things
that stay in the piece? What items have people experimented with?

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 15:01:10 -0500, Lindsay MacArthur
wrote:

I mainly make functional stoneware pieces fired to ^6 in an electric
kiln. I want to experiment with some fun textering and embedding and
was looking for ideas. For example, I know a potter who occasionally
fires some pieces wrapped in gauze and has even done a couple of
pieces where she wrapped slip dipped gauze around a balloon, popped
the balloon when slip was dry and fired the piece like that.

So, if you have any fun ideas please share :-)

LMac