We've been playing with transparent clay in the studio over the last few weeks. Jess loved what I was doing with the leaves and pulled out the clay to
make this style of pendant above. It reminds me of Indian corn. It's
hard to see in the photo, but the light shades of red or actually
iridescent paint under the red dye. Or maybe they look like juicy berries - they are a luscious color!
You may not know it, but Jess actually has his fine art degree with a sculpture emphasis. So the transparent clay kind of awoke his inner clay dude. He was once a ceramic artist. I keep trying to get him to go to the community clay studio. Sigh. I need to sit him down at the clay table more and give him time to play. He likes making something from start to finish so it feels more like his design rather than just rolling beads or painting things. Which is part of the job, but he needs a little more too. He has been having fun with those ornaments and now he has moved on to pins.
The transparent quality of the clay opens up so many ideas and possibilities. I love how the light shines through the leaves.
I was experimenting with color added to the transparent clay and tried working up porcelain berries. They are fun and brighter than I was hoping for - that's one of the tricks of working with transparent clay, it changes when it's baked. So I will try this again next week and work on getting the colors softer.
You can find these latest experiments in my
Etsy shop.
14 comments:
Please, please keep sharing your process of working with PC. I'm really enjoying reading about the possibilities with transparent clay. The berry bead photo is luscious!
My experience with mixing translucent is that you need just a touch of color. Whether it is a tiny drop paint, ink, or clay..a little dab will do ya for those really soft colors.
Thanks for sharing your latest pieces.
~Angie
Absolutely *gorgeous* leaves!
Gasp! Those leaves are gorgeous. I love see your new ideas set in motion. Beautiful!
I think the berries are a really close match and I love the leaves!
The transparent clay is devine. I love the translucence and the colors are so autumn. One of the things I love about this time of year is when the leaves change and the sunlight hits them and they have an inner glow. The leaves capture that beautifully.
Ah, but that you were closer by. Jess would be welcome to my ceramics studio anytime.
Heather, your work is such a gift. You have amazing talent! My son (7th grader) is a budding artist, so he and I just poured over your Etsy shop tonight and admired the artistry that goes into each piece you create. You are truly inspiring!
Those translucent clay leaves are gorgeous - I should know, I bought some already. Looking forward to seeing your experimentation with more pieces.
Andrea
The leaves are stunning. Love the color and light play.
Absolutely love the leaves. What a cool effect.
Those leaves are stunning. I like the other pieces, but the leaves... Wow. Just wow. What lovely work!
What is transparent clay? Type of Porcelain?
I've always wanted to work with clay. I need to get me a toaster oven first. I love the leaves!
Your leaves are my new favorite. I cannot get enough of them and when they are in something people just want to touch them! I am so happy that Jessie is picking up the clay and coming up with his own line of things to offer at the Humblebeads studio. I love the touch that he brings to these! Keep at it! And I will willingly be your guinea pig ;-)
Enjoy the day!
Erin
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