RAINSTICKS
CERAMICS II
clay, oxides, glazes, metallic rubbing compounds & nail polish
Let me introduce you to senior Sarah Chang,
my top most Ceramics student this year.
She recently finished one of her first projects of the year,
this delicate take on a rainstick.
Sarah was required to build her rainstick to at least 18 inches,
one of the tallest pieces she has made to this point.
Slab built with hundreds of tiny clay balls inside to provide the sound when you tip the stick.
As you will start to notice,
whenever I post one of Sarah's pieces this year,
she brings great sensitivity to whatever she produces.
She is developing a unique style and we all love it.
To finish off this piece she was required to bring other color to it
in addition to the glazes and oxides.
She chose to rub her sweet little birds with metallics,
and she painted their beaks with nail polish.
She was also required to embellish it with at least two different media.
I adore her choices.
They are so perfect.
Blue jay feathers from our cabin and recycled packing paper for the nest.
I'm so pleased to be able to share this for you Sarah.
This is why I love coming to Artisun. My opening screen shows birds in a nest. Then I scroll down and a soft "Ahhhhh ..." escapes from my lips as the wonderfully sinuous form of Sarah's rain stick appears.
ReplyDeleteReally, quite a wonderful way to begin a rainy day in Texas.
And I love starting my day with a wonderful heartfelt comment from you Liz. Thank you so much for taking the time to send us here at Artisun such lovely messages. We all look forward to your comments!
DeleteI love the results of your complex assignments, especially the sweet birds. Ceramics question-How do you keep the little balls from sticking to the inside of the stick when firing?
ReplyDeleteHey ya Hazel, you make the clay balls a couple of days before you make the slab built cylinder/stick. That gives them a chance to dry out before you put them inside. Dry clay won't stick to wet clay, therefore they don't stick to the insides as they fire. Does that make sense?
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