MY TWO METHODS

MY TWO METHODS

I work in two different sculpting methods. For many years, I worked with traditional sculpting clay. In the past few years I have been using paper clay, and a slab method of building a sculpture. The first pages of this site, the Flowing Figures, are done with paper clay. The Heads, Masks, Sculpture 1, 2, and 3 are the more traditional method. for those of you interested, I will explain a little about each of these quite different techniques.

HAND BUILDING

The original method I learned back in 1978, was one using a sculpting clay containing a gritty, sand-like material called grog. The technique involved pressing, or "wedging" pieces of clay together, slowly building a solid form. The piece would be carved, and added to, until the desired form was achieved. When the correct firmness was reached, the sculpture was then cut apart, and hollowed out. One had to be careful when doing this to keep the walls an even thickness. The hollowing out was to avoid air pockets, which could cause the piece to blow up during firing. Next, the work had to be put back together. The cut edges were scored, and liquid clay (slip) added. The piece would be pressed, and smoothed carefully back together. Drying had to be slow, as cracking could occur if one part dried faster than another. The firing also had to be timed very slowly, the temperature in the kiln had to be boosted very gradually. It was usually 18 hours from loading the kiln until it went off at a little over 1800 degrees. Then it took overnight to cool down, and had to be opened very slowly, and inch at a time, the next day. All of this, to avoid cracking or blowing up. The entire process was very labor intensive and time consuming. The sculptures on the pages titled "Heads", "Masks", "Sculpture 1,2,and 3" were all built with this technique. The heads, and masks, were painted with acrylic paint and protected with several coats of paste wax. The pieces on the pages "Sculpture 1,2,3" were finished with a faux bronze patina. This was achieved with acrylic and oil paints, and waxes, both paste and metallic.

SLAB BUILDING

The slab method is common in ceramics, often used for bowls, platters, decorative boxes and such. The clay is rolled out much like a pie crust. This is how I begin my flowing figures. From the slab, I cut out a flat figure. Then I bend, press, and shape the clay into the pose I envision. I usually have to prop up certain parts until the proper firmness is reached. The piece can then be sculpted, shaped, smoothed and finished. The paper fibers in this clay give it great strength. It allows me execute poses impossible with regular clay. There is no cutting apart, nor hollowing out, and the paper clay can be dried much quicker. Being thin, these sculpture can also be fired much faster. The finish is achieved with acrylic paint, and metallic wax. All in all, this method has allowed me much more freedom of expression. Because it is less labor intensive, I can produce more work, and keep the prices at an affordable level.