Wheel thrown ceramic vessel, I will demonstrate how I set up and prepare a vessel for carving. I will demonstrate how to double rib a form to compress the clay walls, remove any throw rings, extra slip, or moisture, to leave a smooth surface on the inside as well as the out. By doing this it allows the clay walls to dry more evenly, giving you the ability to manipulate the clay walls without cracking. By removing the throw rings from the inside, it allows you to push the image out from the inside without distorting the image. I will then demonstrate how to draw, transfer, and push an image (elephant) out of the vessel so it looks 3D as if the image is coming out of the vessel without adding any clay or weight to the form. I will also talk about or demonstrate working with and carving porcelain and how it is different than stoneware. I will then demonstrate how to manipulate the image by pushing in and out, relief carving and cleaning up the carved image. The main focus of this workshop is for students to understand clay moisture, image transfer, clay manipulation, relief carving an image to make it looks as though clay has been added without adding clay to the form.
Skills:
A beginning understanding of clay either wheel thrown, or hand built and clay moisture. This demonstration is for anyone who has ever wanted to try to carve an image or get porcelain translucent.
This class is for anyone from beginner to advanced and anyone in between or outside of those areas of comfort. There is no real size or strength requirement to complete this technique, anyone can apply these steps to their own work and style.