 This is a one part slip cast mold made from a wooden specimen base. A press molded circuitry specimen would be places in the bottom of the mold and casting slip was then poured over the top. I experimented with different clay bodies to find a clay body that the casting slip would bond to and not crack. This research was a success.
 Press molds are a super important part of my practice. To make a clay press mold, press an object into a wet slab of clay and then remove it. Bisque this slab of clay and then press wet clay into the bisqueware mold. You will then be able to pop out a molded piece of wet clay to build or embellish with.
I working with majolica glazes this semester and have made several sample specimens. The pieces above are at a variety of stages- bisqued red earthenware, glazed, and fired.
This week's science project- I would like to grow crystals on my specimens so I've been researching different ways to grow crystals on ceramics. Here are two of my results.  Hammered, 14x11x2”, Pit and Saggar Fired Stoneware, 2015
 I used Gerstley Borate and Alumina on my line blends and fired them to 08 and 04 since that is the range I’ve been firing my work two. If I were to do a color blend I would use the tester number three from the right 80 Gerstley and 20 Alumina. The glaze on tester number three was mature but not runny. Testers four through nine from the right did not mature and are still powdery.
 Coiling Sedimentation- An Interactive Wet Clay Installation, Participants are invited to place press molded clay artifacts that may be found in the future in the installation and then cover them with coiled sediment, 144x24x12 inches, Wet Clay installed on Fort Hays State University Campus, 2015
 This collection of small specimens is composed of powdered and wet clay on a gridded wooden board. The piece changes over time as the clay dries.
 This piece is built on a wooden base with a steel wire armature on top that glue covered paper is wrapped around. This is a great way to make large and light weight sculptures.
 Scanning a piece in order to make a CAD drawing that I can print out and print a 3-d miniature.
 A collection of hammer heads ready for the pit fire.
 Experimented with conductive clay and LED lights. Exciting potentials!
 This is a grouping of ceramic and steel chess piece artifacts in sediment that incorporated one or more of the following mixed media techniques- Terra Sigillata, Paint, Underglaze, Pastels, Stains, Acrylic Washes, Mishima, Encaustic, Slip Trailing, Casein, Spray paint, Dry brush Acrylics, Slip Dip, Glaze and Flocking, Glaze, Tool Dip, and Decoupage.
On the right slip dipped combustible objects and on the right a finished wall piece mounted in a metal specimen dish.
 Precious VS Discarded, 7x8x7 inches, Porcelain, Reduction Fired, 2015 Making a press mold is a wonderful solution when looking to replicate many small items fast. This piece incorporates a pillow shaped press mold. Throughout history an object was placed on a pillow to emphasize its importance. Objects that were washed ashore after a rain were photographed on top of this pillow. A juxtaposition of precious object versus broken and discarded is created.
 Tea Set, 9x13x9 inches, Ceramic, 2015 My goal for this project was to make a teaset that matched my themes of exploration from the semester and looked like a made it, so had a stylistic voice. I was very happy with this piece especially, the glaze choices.
 This piece was built from thrown sections that were slipped and scored together. The cloud on top is hand sculpted. The base of this piece was coiled, crackle slip was applied to the middle section, and press molded brachiopods were attached to the exterior of the base section.
 Strata from Monolith Series by Eleanor Heimbaugh Photo Credit- Eleanor Heimbaugh There are many special qualities that clay offers as a construction material. One of these qualities is memory. Clay remembers how it was touched and how it was formed. Clay is a process driven material and the process lends itself to memory making. In the mist of teaching learning and creating the clay takes on a form and a purpose. Once finished the ceramic object carries with it not only a memory of its creation but a rich history of its usage as a building material. Clay can also be connected to memory through concept. In my work I use clay to create large sedimentary rock forms that house fossils of the past and proposed fossils of the future, mimicking earth’s strata, which is the earth’s memory in a literal sense.
The End of Bliss in Ignorance, 10x25x6 inches, Ceramic, Wood, Paper, Acrylic Paint, Reduction Fired, 3/3/15 Solid forming techniques from Beth Cavener’s workshop were used to construct The End of Bliss in Ignorance. A piece that depicts a curious creature finally learning what was hidden inside a box, it will forever be a part of him, and in this moment a change occurs, a transformation from his former self. Something was lost and something was gained, yet he will still be sustained.   Open faced mold of a wire artifact ready for resin bonding sand. Once sand is pressed in the mold and dried aluminum will be poured into the sand mold.
Coil Vessel This project starts with a paper template cut out in the shape of the desired finished coil pot. Coils are then rolled out, slip and scored, and attached to a base slab. After fully formed the piece is covered in terra sigillata and burnished. This piece was pit fired with oxides. |
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