Archive for June 2nd, 2006

About a week and 1/2 ago, I posted a photograph of a vase and mentioned that I would let you know how I created the raised wisteria design on the clay. My mom was really impressed with this vase because she thought that I had hand carved the whole thing and it must have taken me hours.

The reality is that is is a simple process. While it doesn’t take hours and hours to execute, the process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the complexity of the design.

In the case of my wisteria pot, I had a photograph of wisteria that I used as a reference. For today’s vase, I selected an linear abstract design that took about 30 minutes from start to finish.

This works for wheel thrown work as well as sculpture and handbuilt pieces such as tiles. I might try this on some clay pendants in the near future. On smaller pieces, one could get the same effect by using stamps, but I prefer to use my own designs in my work.

To begin, you need clay that has not been bisqued, but is in the leather hard stage. It should still be cool to the touch, but is not yet bone dry. Purchase some shellac from the hardware store and some denatured alcohol for clean up. Use inexpensive brushes to apply the shellac to the clay. Now, simply paint on your design and allow to dry. After the shellac has dried, take a small sponge and have water nearby. Use the sponge to wipe your clay piece. The more that you wipe away, the deeper the “etch” will be. The clay will remain raised where the shellac is painted on the clay. Once the clay is bone dry, fire in a kiln. The shellac burns off in the kiln.

This current piece is at the Denver Art Student’s League and has hopefully been bisqued in my absence. Once I get back, I’ll show you what the pot looks like after it has been bisque fired.

Keep in mind that shellac has strong fumes, so use ventilation and gloves if your are sensitive to chemicals. De-natured alcohol will clean brushes. Also, please protect the area you are working on with newspaper or another material.

Thank you Marlene for helping me photograph this process!