27 Elmos

I never thought I'd be making ceramic Elmos for my kid's birthday party as favors for her friends. But here I am doing it. My daughter absolutely adores Elmo. Her short television viewing each day gives me a few moments to myself, to read or unload the dishes or check my email. These short breaks from mothering are truly priceless...at least at her wee age of two. One day I'll look back and miss these times where she is so needy. But for now, I'm loving her love for Elmo.

So as time has it, her second birthday is coming up sooner than I imagined possible. And faced with the idea of buying more junk for kids' party favors, I have decided to make some ceramic magnets for the children. I decided to use paper clay again for this project. I really don't like this clay but am using it for 2 reasons: I have a bag to use up before it starts molding, and it is rather strong and lightweight so will likely work well for this project.

I started rolling out a slab of paper clay. Then I cut out circles with a small jar and made them slightly oblong for the head. I rolled out some balls of clay for the eyes and nose, which were pasted on with slip (liquid clay) and pressed in with a tool to create the eyes. I smoothed it all out (hopefully) to hide the creases and imperfections in the clay, then drew on his happy smile and signed the back. Wallah! Here are the Elmos! Once they are dry I will paint and fire them. I made way more than needed, but figured some of them will be messed up in the process. It's always good to be prepared. I was a girlscout for 6 years. I'm pretty sure I learned something from it.

More Pizza Stones

The last pizza stone I made recently broke in half. Oh NO! I thought mine were better than those production stones found at Bed Bath and Beyond... those broke in half too.

I made 2 more pizza stones this week. And decided to use paper clay this time. Paper clay is special because it is easier to sculpt with. The paper helps hold the shape of the clay and it also burns out during firing, which results in a lighter weight for the final product. Ryan, my husband, requested 2 stones this time, so he can make more pizzas at a time.

So I started the same way as last time, weighing out about 13 pounds of clay. I wedge it into a circle, and start throwing it into a slab. There is a bit of technique to learn in throwing slabs. I don't own a slab roller so this is my only option. Luckily, I learned the technique from an old college professor so it's no big deal to do.

I throw the slab as large as I can and then use the rolling pin to finish up. I made the slab as large as my kiln interior, about 17". Then made a compass with a couple of pencils and a string, and cut out the shape. It's not perfect. At first this bothered me, but I have to remind myself that I am human, and handmade things are never perfect. They shouldn't be. It can be a little uneven, or not perfectly round. It's just a pizza stone. It's not being sold at Bed Bath and Beyond. Just being used in my kitchen for Friday night pizzas. It's fine. It's important to move the stone as little as possible during dry time. So I carefully place it onto a wall board and place another weighted board on top. And leave it alone! No feet this time. Just a plain slab. The feet from the last stone weren't attached well and busted off. Ryan says there is no need for the feet if the stone is just sitting on the oven rack. So we'll see how this one goes. Hopefully better than the last.

Who Eats Beets?

I have never yet in my life had a beet... not that I can recall anyway. Who eats these things? But for some reason I found myself sketching one out a few weeks ago. I must have had a vision. So after my sketch I made my way to the market and bought a real one and then sculpted one out of clay. A large one of course. Why is it so hard for me to work small? Anyhow, I can't wait to paint it, with purple swirls coming from the root. The great thing about this sculpture, it could easily be a radish. I am excited to see these vegetables come to life! They look rather dull in the gray clay when sculpted. But once I get to the point where I can glaze them... the color will bring them alive! Ha. I sound like Dr. Frankenstein.

Pepper Progress

I am happy to say that I have successfully cast three peppers to fire. We will see how things progress as the project goes on... if there are issues with where the lids were cut, or with glazing. I am also on my way to sculpting some new peppers so that I can make some new molds. I trashed the #2 mold this week. After a second attempt at casting it, and it falling apart, I came to the conclusion that it is a faulty design. Why beat a dead horse? It's just not working. So I'm moving on. I would like to cast a few more samples of the two existing molds, but again I am out of slip. So before I drive out to Smalltown America to get more, I'll use up the 50 pounds of plaster for my new designs. I really hate driving out to my supplier! I'll just have to spend more money next time so I don't have to make so many trips.

Making More Messes

If anyone can make a mess, it's me. Just ask my husband. He'll tell you how he picks up after me all the time, though it seems like I'm the one doing most of the cleaning. Hmmm.
I guess I've always loved ceramics because it's messy. It gets everywhere! The clay, the dust, the slip, and I don't care. I love it! One reason I had such a hard time as a graphic designer was because I had to be clean and neat. How can I be creative if I'm neat? I can be orderly without being neat.

This week I'm back at slip casting. Four attempts: 1 failure, 2 successes, and 1 partial success. I feel happy that I am seeing some progress with this project. That it hasn't been a total waste of time. The partial failure from today resulted with draining the mold into a bucket and the mold falling apart into the bucket. Thank God I had the sense to drain into the slip bucket, otherwise it would have been bad. The slip feels like really thick cake batter and doesn't wash off easily. But it is fun and really messy. And I have learned from this: Band the #2 Mold from all angles. Set up the draining bucket with ledges or boards to hold the mold. That way I don't have to stand there holding a really heavy thing. Duh!

Taking Time Off

Taking time off from my artwork is one of the hardest, yet necessary things I can do for myself. So why is it so hard to do? And once I do it, why is it so hard to get back into the swing of things? I had really been burning the candle at both ends with the sculpture class, running the house and taking care of the baby all day. When I finally ran out of supplies in the studio and took a family trip to Chicago, I was forced to take a couple of weeks off from creating. Ahhh... what a relief! I was not able to work. Out of town for a few days, supplies were a good 30 minute drive away. What could I do but focus on other things. Although I felt guilty about this, there was not much I could do until I made my way to Oviedo to load up the car with more plaster, slip and casting supplies.

So it has been about 2 weeks now, maybe longer. I drove to Smalltown America and got my plaster, cleaned my studio, and I should be ready to go. Why do I feel so exhausted now? I should be well rested, inspired, etc. I guess the thought of going back out there to fail again is uninspiring. It has been months since I have worked on a mosaic. I could be ready to start a new one. But I can't abandon the plaster casting now! I have come this far... I need to continue until I get it. It isn't rocket science. I'm sure I can figure it out! Though it is some kind of science, and I never liked science.

Baby Steps

I did a few slip castings with my first mold. After my first bout with failure on this step, I decided it wasn't the end of the world and went back for another try. After about 2-3 castings I got a hold of it. I had to play around a little with the timing.

I used to think that cast ceramic pieces were not art, just reproductions. But through my recent lessons I have come to find that making molds is an art in itself… learning to mix the plaster, how long it takes for the plaster to set up, the mess it creates, and how to open the plaster mold once it is dry and remove the original. After all that, the mold needs to be dried completely, sanded and repaired before even casting.

I have also learned that slip casting is another art to learn... luckily I can buy pre-mixed slip. I could learn to mix it myself and save some money... we'll see how things unfold before taking on that chore! The setup time for the slip to dry is trial and error (mostly error so far) and removing it from the plaster successfully is yet another technique that should be mastered with making any molded piece. It’s a huge undertaking.

I was very excited about the first cast piece coming out in good form.