Getting My Hands Dirty
A selection of ’snappy‘ ceramics
A while back I did a short course in ceramics at the College of Adult Education in Melbourne. I had not stuck my fingers into any clay since I was in junior high school, but I had very strong memories of the pleasures of working with clay. I loved the squishy feel of it; its sculptural possibilities.
When I signed up for the course, I already had very firm ideas on what I wanted to make. I had a vision of ceramic Krispy Kreme donuts!
A punctured tealight cover inspired by a bank of clouds – it looks pretty when the candlelight shines through.
In the first class we learned how to make pinch pots, and the coil method of construction. I was the only student who decided to keep the coils visible on the exterior, rather than smoothing them down. I designed a little pot, inspired by the shape of a beehive, and chose to glaze it white, leaving the terracotta to show through here and there. I was so pleased with the result: the bulbous little pot is so tactile; silky yet bumpy.
Other experimental surface decorations include an embossed lace texture applied to various dishes, and punctures using an awl in my tealight cover. That scalloped shape was inspired by clouds.
Silky yet bumpy: my little coiled beehive pot
I also made a number of embossed lace pendants in bisque clay as well as porcelain, although the latter are not glazed so I do not like them so much. The bisque pendants were glazed in blue and green, although I wish I had made some white.
A selection of fragile bisque pendants awaiting stringing
As for the Krispy Kreme mission, it was indeed a success. Lacking time in class, I took some clay home and made two halves using the pinch pot method, realising fairly quickly that my first attempt was far too tall. Never mind: it could admirably transform into a stack of two donuts! The second was much more well-proportioned.
I decorated them, carefully coaxing the glaze to drip like real icing, trying to imitate the translucence of the glaze on an ‘original’ Krispy Kreme donut. I applied it heavy-handedly in patches, in the hopes that it would crackle in the kiln – which it did. Usually that is an error, and one risks flaking, but in this case it was a happy ending. They look plump enough to sink my teeth in – but I usually manage to resist the urge!
A stack of two original Krispy Kremes await a cup of coffee