Thursday, January 20, 2011

Slab Candlesticks w/ Beeswax Candles - Student Work


Every year when I began my slab unit in the beginning Ceramics class, I start with slab candlesticks. It's a fun, simple way to ease the kids into making their more difficult slab boxes later on. And it's also an assignment that introduces them to clay embossing with laces, leaves, burlaps, wire mesh, and other found items around the room. So 2 sides were embossed, and the other 2 sides I had required them to use their cylinder rolls & stamps that they made early on out of clay that we bisque fired to make them usable. So lots of Surface Decoration!!! That's what it's all about clay kids! :) The pieces above were done either last year or the year before, I'm sorry, I've lost track. And the ones below were just finished up. They had a choice in how they finished them up after the pieces were sawdust fired. They could either paint a 50/50 mixture of Elmer's Glue and water over the surface, or they could have rubbed them with metallic compounds.

From left to right are seniors John Balagtas, Harry Trieu, junior David Hyun, and seniors Andrea Acosta and Andy De Avila. Very cool pieces your guys. And yes, they made their own beeswax candles to put inside them, but they had already been sent home so you can't see how they looked together. Bad planning on my part. Sorry!

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