This can be done in two ways: rubbing or polishing a pot with something very smooth like a polished stone and coating the pot with terra sigillata and rubbing it with a soft material such as a chamois cloth. It is a process which begins after the pot is constructed. It is first smoothed with a spatula or rib and then when the pot is beginning to dry, the polishing process is begun. The back side of a spoon can be used first and then when the pot is leather hard, polished stones are used. Oil and water can also be used to achieve a very smooth, polished look. The result of burnishing is a beautiful shine on the clay pot. This shine is just the clay itself. A design can be incised into the clay or painted on with slip.
Two of my Ceramics classes are in the final stages of this process. We have just fired two kilns with these pots. The kiln fires to cone 018 which is a low temperature. These pieces are not to be used as functional pieces as they are not fired to vitrification which is where the clay changes chemically and physically to a state where the clay will hold water. They are very beautiful.
The next step is for my student teacher, Steve, to take them home to pit fire. More information on this is coming. A great book on both burnishing and pit firing is Low-firing and Burnishing by Sumi von Dassow.
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I would love to see some of your work, as well as your students' work. Could you post some photos?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to see some of the work you and your students have done. The last and only time I took a ceramics class was back in middle school, and I had a lot of fun with that. I think I'm better at making stuff rather than with drawing, which is why I've never taken a course on drawing and tend to lean more to the crafts.
ReplyDeleteI plan on posting some photos this next week. We have just had a few loads come out of the kiln so I will take photos this week. Thanks for the suggestion. We have just had our art show so things have been crazy.
ReplyDeleteThought you might find this activity by the local Nevada Clay Guild interesting. Following your blog has made me more aware of local activities. http://www.lvcw.org/emptybowl.htm
ReplyDeleteI too would love to see some of your student's work. I have been interested in ceramics and clay since I went to some of the pottery studios in North Carolina and saw some native American pottery exhibits in museums in Colorado. I have never tried my hand at it, though I think I would enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the site on empty bowls. A high school down the road from me did this years ago but I had forgotten about it. I was hoping to have a pottery sale at my school this spring but I don't think I have enough items yet. We'll probably wait until next year. With budget cuts, it will be nice to have money for clay and glazes. The glazes are expensive.
Hi Faith,
ReplyDeleteMy students were required to decorate their pots and my student teacher suggested Native American Indian designs. He had a video to show them from a Navajo potter. Many chose designs based on Native American Indians but not all did which is fine. I was inspired by their work when I went to Colorado years ago.
What do you kids think about their work being displayed on your blog?
ReplyDeleteThey love to see their work on it but most don't take time to look at it. Some show their parents and I'm sure the parents who check blogs on a regular basis will see the work. I try to shoot a few photos and upload them after each assignment or kiln firing.
ReplyDeleteThe pots are beautiful and remind me a bit of the Sgraffito technique. What you teach in your art classes is so different from when I was in high school. Good luck with your art show. Mine was last month and it's a relief to have it over! I can't wait to see the photos that you post next week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive comments LJ and Jill. The pottery does have a rustic look to it. Yes, it really is a sgraffito method. I just didn't go into that on my blog.
ReplyDelete