LEARNING THE ROPES

COIL TRIVETS

CERAMICS I

clay, glazes, oxides, glass shards

Before I have my students build a full on 3-d Coil Pot,

I have them first learn to roll coils and try them in an Inlay assignment.

Inlay is a beautiful way to bring Surface Design into the lid of a Slab or Lump Box.

I've even had kids build it into a side wall for gorgeous results.

To Inlay means to cut away and replace.

So what senior Augustine Lee did above in his sweet home was to roll out a slab of clay,

cut away his outside design format (his house shape),

then to decide where to bring in his inlay design.

He chose two separate places,

the roof attic and the lower floor.

He cut and pierced out those two spots, 

removed the clay,

and replaced with coils,

 a slab carved out shape to later fill with glass shards in the second firing,

 and rolled balls.

He also did a really nice finish with his oxides and glazes.

The kids were also required to incorporate a repetitive stamped design into the outside border area.

You can really see above right where senior Christian Balbido carved away parts of his middle triangle so that he was able to melt glass shards into it at a later date. 

Senior Shreya Gupta (above left) asked if she could draw in her repetitive design 

instead of stamping it.

Of course.

I like to be flexible with new ideas for old requirements.

That's how and why I keep changing up assignments to keep them fresh.

Thank you Shreya!

Superstar last and this year,

junior now senior,

Dustine Ansiboy,

 created one of the most intricate and exciting designs in the class.

I also really liked how junior Liam Abalos

 finished off his piece with black glaze and milky blue glass with the little white dots in the border.

Really striking.

Another favorite was this one by senior Ashley Scott.

I admired her sense of design all year with many of her works being my favorites.

Check out the cool and various stamps she used in her borders,

and how she thought to repeat some of them inside her Inlay.

That creates Visual Flow.

 The way she finished it with the staining of the various Oxides is also quite appealing.

And the melted glass for her windows,

brilliant!