Bisque Firing
About two weeks ago, I fired the kiln for the first time since Noah was born. My parents were in town and I was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work that I needed to get done in the little time that I have. My mom then encouraged me to just go over to the studio and get the kiln loaded and fired while she stayed home with Noah. So, off I went along with my dad and my husband. They helped me carry my work to the kiln while I loaded. Into the bisque went six owl banks, the rest of the tree trunk pieces, leaves, and a dozen plates. Everything fired quite nicely, so I was able to start prepping for a glaze firing.
Ok, so why am I so overwhelmed? Well, I am officially going to be apart of ArtPrize this year. It is an international art competition that takes place in Grand Rapids, MI this September and October. I need to complete my Jeremiah Tree in time for the installation date: September 15th. (I will fill you in more on this exciting endeavor later.) I am also hoping to have my second fall show in Maryland this year and I may potentially be coaching field hockey again this fall. Normally I would not feel so stressed about all that is going on but, I am going to be gone for two weeks in July and then I will be out of town again for the whole month of August! So, that is a lot of valuable time in the studio that will be lost. On top of all of that, I now have a new first priority: taking care of Noah. It is a lot to juggle. I just need to take it one day at a time and make the most of any studio time that I am able to get!
Saturday, I was able to fire the kiln for a glaze. What was in that firing? 60 more leaves for the Jeremiah Tree project, and all of the pieces for the tree trunk and roots. The kiln is finally cool enough to open up today. I may not, however, get to that today. I am anxious to see how it all turned out – especially the tree trunk. I stained the trunk and roots in red iron oxide to really bring out all the detail in the bark and give it a more dramatic look. It should look more brown after it has been fired. Can’t wait to check it out. Here are some shots of the process.
Jeremiah Tree – Forming the Trunk
The Jeremiah Tree is well underway. So far, I have made 50 leaves, 3 plates for the river, and 2 pieces for the tree trunk. When I started creating the trunk, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to go about it. I knew I would at least start by throwing a large cylinder on the wheel and then cut it in half. After that, I just decided to go for it. Trial and error.
Yes, this is off center, but since I was cutting it and warping it, I didn’t feel the need to make it perfect. Once I cut my cylinder in half using a wire cutter, I then began to warp and mold the halves into a tree-like structure. I really like the shape I formed and I hope it will continue to take on a more natural look as I continue to build this piece. The next step after the initial shaping of the trunk, was to score the surface and add more clay to create a bark texture. I did this by working small lumps of clay until they were thin “sheets” of clay and then fold and wrinkle them onto the surface. I also cut out a piece at the base of this trunk for the sake of changing the shape when I start creating and adding the roots.
Once the whole surface was covered with the “bark” I then rubbed on slop clay to cover the seams where the clay scraps were attached. I applied this somewhat liberally and allowed the texture of it to remain so it would add to the appearance of bark. It was a lot of fun to work on this piece and I didn’t have to be too careful when adding on the clay bark. I think that helps it to look more naturalistic. Yesterday I made the second piece to the trunk. I am hoping to start on the roots soon and throw the next cylinder for the tree trunk today. I have about 200 more leaves to make, so I am staying busy!
Hand-Crafted Pottery by Arryn 