KINDS OF TEMPER ADDED TO CLAY TO IMPROVE IT'S PASTE

PREPARATION OF CLAY FOR NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY

CLAY PREPARATION
	CLAYS can be found near the ocean or by inland streams and ponds. The clay formed when tiny bits of dirt carried by streams sank and settled in still water ponds. Clays must be plastic enough to be rolled into a coil and bent without breaking.
ADDING TEMPER
	TEMPER may be crushed shell, sand, broken pottery bits, or plant material. Up to 1/10 of the clay mixture can be made up of temper for very fine natural clays. Tempering pottery makes it able to take rapid changes in temperature when placed in a fire.
WEDGING CLAY AND SPIRAL WEDGING
	WEDGE clay to make the mix even and to help remove air bubbles from the clay. If air is not removed from the clay pottery may break or crack when dried and fired. SPIRAL type of wedging clay is an efficient way to mix clay. Keeping the clay in a cone or shell shape, first pull a melon-sized piece of clay toward you. Second, push down and away from you while giving the cone of clay a slight turn.

CERAMIC HAND PRINTS

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childhood is a time to be treasured - for both parents and children. Time goes by so fast and we get caught up in our busy day to day hustle and bustle that we often forget to stop and smell the flowers. Before you know it, our kids have all grown up and gone off to college and then to lead their own lives. When that happens, we begin to treasure all the memories and little things we've kept as reminders of that wonderful time. Suddenly photos, baby shoes, art projects and stuff that you did together become priceless objects.

One of the best ways to capture and remember those precious memories our children as they were is to make ceramic hand prints. This is a technique where your child's hand or footprints are embedded into soft clay. The ceramic print may be customized any way you want, including any phrases, poems or designs. They are then baked in a kiln and glazed - exactly like other ceramic products. The result is a special moment frozen in time (ceramic) which you can keep.

Ceramic Hand Prints can be turned into a full time business, but they are usually offered as an added service by gift or craft stores. However, if you plan to run this as a side business during the weekends, then it can be a really fun way to make money and provide people with a treasured memory. You will need a kiln, supply of clay, art materials and sample designs to begin with. Making Ceramic Hand Prints requires a bit of learning at first, but the good thing is you can learn the skill. Pawprints and Pitterpats are two business opportunity providers that teach you how to create and market Ceramic Hand Prints.

It's possible to set up shop in a number of ways. If you run your Ceramic Hand Prints business part-time you could set up a small workshop in your garage where clients can drop by. Another way to increase your orders is to set up shop in a mall. The amount of space you need will also depend on the size of your kiln so remember that a large space also means your fixed cost increases. One work around to this problem is to set up a small kiosk where you can do the actual hand imprints on site. You can also perform any customization on the spot. The only difference would be that after your customer gives their okay, you will carefully pack their clay imprints in a crush proof container, to be tranported back to your home workshop for kiln firing and glazing. Your customer can then pick up their finished Ceramic Hand Imprints a couple of days later. Working this way also allows you to correct any mistakes that you may have missed in the imprints.

Ceramic artists display pieces made from earthenware, stoneware and porcelain clay

CERAMIC artist and art consultant Frankie YeeVia believes that ceramics is a unique art form that is yet to be fully developed in Malaysia, and hopes to improve and promote ceramics among the local society.

“The colours used for ceramics won’t fade and the pieces can be acquired as part of a person’s art collection,” the 45-year-old said at an exhibition called In the Garden.

It features works by six ceramic artists from YeeVia Pottery Studio that are inspired by the flora, fauna and elements found in gardens.

Inspired by flowers: Khoo’s works, like this piece called `Disclosure 2’, were inspired by her study of flowers, particularly how the flowers construct themselves to entice insects to fertilise their seeds.

The works are made from earthenware, stoneware and porcelain clay, and offer an opportunity to view ceramics as an art form.

“This exhibition showcases works done by my students and me. I wanted them to get a feel of the entire process of being an artist – from learning about arts and crafts to interacting with the public,” YeeVia said.

His Journey of Cubes is a series of vessels that depict man on a journey of challenges.

Fauna as inspiration: A piece by Laubichler called `Bug No Fly’ from her collection that was inspired by the vibrant colours and varying shapes of insects and garden creatures.

The lines of life etched into the vessels describe a man’s life from the beginning to the end.

YeeVia explained that this series reflected his journey of discovering his Sino-Kadazan heritage, and depicted both masculine and feminine elements in the edges and curves respectively.

“The asymmetrical patterns on the vessel bodies contrast with the smooth swelling of the stoppers that are phallic symbols for fertility and malehood,” said the Southern Illinois University Masters of Fine Art graduate, whose concept was to create a nirvana-like setting in the garden.

Liz Joo’s My Sweet Garden collection features a little garden of tableware concept to create the feeling of having tea or dinner in the midst of nature.

“These functional tableware go by themes like lilies, leaves and water. My favourite is the waterfall series as I like the sound and shape of water flowing,” said the 42-year-old Korean, who took inspiration from the variety of Mother Nature’s shapes and colours.

“This works can be used not only to serve food and drinks, but also to enhance the taste and give pleasure to those who use them,” said the former lecturer, who combined her love for cooking and ceramics for her works.

Lim Ai Lin’s collection – The Gloria Chronicles – is a story about life’s journey and various issues that one faces in life, and is represented by a fictitious character called Gloria.

“There were three main elements I used in my works: the boat-like shape and landscapes we encounter as we travel through life, carvings to depict effects left by life’s experiences, and words like poetry and prose to verbalise what we feel as we’re grappling with issues,” she said.

The 31-year-old cited the example of a piece called Questions that queries the restrictions and rules that have been set by society, and another called Petit Bateau 1 – part of a series of boats that describes the hesitance and acceptance of going through change.

A trip to the Butterfly Garden in Kuala Lumpur was what inspired Elke Laubichler, 45, for her Encounters with Metaphoric Creatures series.

“The vibrant colours and varying shapes of the bugs and beetles I saw are metamorphosed into organic-shaped vessels that evoke the feel of warriors, pagodas and mythic creatures, while some become fanciful and bird-like.

“Certain elements the same, such as the colours and patterns, then gave my own interpretation,” said the German who picked up arts and crafts to ease her mind from her accounting work.

Niki Cheong YL turned her fascination for the winged Dipterocarp seeds into her Seeds and the City series.

“These winged seeds of hope, new life and energy fascinate me, a witness to the city’s ruthless expansion that has left little space for trees to grow.

“These pieces were mounted to look like they were floating away from the background, and look as if they are notes in a musical score.”

Khoo Gaik Sim, a full-time artist in her 50s, said her Disclosure series was inspired by her study of flowers.

“I homed in on how the flowers constructed themselves to entice insects to fertilise their seeds located at the secret centres.

“My sculptural vessels speak of this seduction of the flowers,” said Khoo, who feels that flowers are metaphors for human life.

“My works are an expression of human sexuality and how seductive life can be. On another level, these sculptures refer to the secret centres within us, and which we choose to disclose or hide.”

Norwegian ceramic art goes modern

THE making of glass and ceramics is a tradition in Norway. The oldest glassworks in the country is Hadeland Glassverk which was founded in 1762 and is still in existence today.

Although some craftsmen have chosen to maintain the craft in their traditional objects such as plates, pots and vases, many have injected new ideas to produce contemporary pieces.

These contemporary pieces are no longer placed on dinner tables, instead they decorate shelves and become showpieces in galleries.

“Norwegian-glassmaking dates back to the 18th century, when local farmers gave up tilling the soil to work together with glassblowers, engravers and other master craftsmen from abroad.

“Similarly, the ceramic arts are part of an age-old tradition of crafmanship and the field of ceramics in Norway has been dominated bycraftspeople whose roots are in pottery.

Pleasing sight: Visitors admiring the display.

“But since 1945, Norwegian contemporary glass art and ceramics have particularly undergone interesting developments,” said the ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy to Malaysia Arild Braastad.

He said contemporary glass and ceramic artists had used their creativity and imagination, turning the pieces into decorative art.

Some artists even chose their work as a medium to express their feelings and emotions on certain issues.

Their work features images of absurd and surrealistic figures instead of the beautiful glassware and ceramics that are commonly placed on dining table.

Such artworks are now on display at Wisma Soka Gakkai Malaysia in Jalan Bukit Bintang until Sunday.

The show, jointly organised by the Norwegian Embassy and Soka Gakkai Malaysia, features more than 50 pieces of glass and ceramic works by Norwegian artists.

Most of the artworks in the show use trolls, which is a traditional Norwegian supernatural figure, as the central theme.

The Norwegian Contemporary Glass and Ceramic Exhibition has travelled the world since 2000. The pieces have been shown in several places including New York, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney and Helsinki.

“It is good that it is now presented in Malaysia.

“I am delighted that the exhibition is being exhibited for the second time in Kuala Lumpur.

“Last year it was held at the National Art Gallery and now here at Soka Gakkai,” said Braastad.

The pieces are done by both established and budding artists in the country.

Braastad added that the exhibition was being held to share the uniqueness and wide range within contemporary glass-art and ceramics in Norway with the world. He also hoped that the show could provide some inspiration to local artists and art communities in Malaysia.