Christine Laginess on sun 14 feb 99
Hello,
Thank you for answering my questions in regards to paper clay. I have
purchased the Rossette Gault book on the subject and it has been a great
source. Just a few more questions which I didn't find an answer for in her
book or in the archives.
Is it possible to build solid sculpture with paper clay and then hollow it out
near completion? This is how I generally do my sculpture and am most
comfortable with this method.
Also I have a couple of sculptures in progress and would like to add paper
clay to this present work. I would like to use it on the neck area on one of
my pieces because it is always such a vulnerable area. I would be using the
same clay mixed with the paper. Will their drying rate and shrinkage rate be
compatible?
I am also wondering what affect the firing will have in a classsroom studio
atmosphere. Will it drive everyone out of the room. Should firing of paper
clay be left for outdoor kilns?
This group has been a great resource for me. Better than any single book.
Thank you so much for being there!
Christine
Lana Reeves on mon 15 feb 99
Hi Christine,
I added a paperclay lizard to a pot thrown of the same clay without paper.
All went well in the bisque, but in the glaze firing, the shrinkage was
different, and the pot cracked all around, a total loss.
I've been told that the paper burning off is not good for the elements in an
electric kiln, but if you have no choice, it'll just mean changing them
sooner. It does fume as the paper burns. Smells like... burning paper.
Paper burns at F. 451. You didn't say whether your kiln is vented, that
would help. Best probably to bisque past the fuming point while no one is
in the room, if possible.
I don't know about building solid & hollowing out-- I've done it with parts,
but not wqith a whole sculpture. The beauty of paper clay is that you don't
have to build solid. You can build an armature out of hollow tubes, or
coil, or whatever, let it dry, then add wet clay to it. When the sculpture
begins to feel unstable, just let it dry, then work some more.
Happy sculpting,
Lana in Somerville, MA =^..^=
kilnkat@javanet.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Christine Laginess
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Sunday, February 14, 1999 1:10 PM
Subject: Paper Clay Sculpture
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello,
>
>Thank you for answering my questions in regards to paper clay. I have
>purchased the Rossette Gault book on the subject and it has been a great
>source. Just a few more questions which I didn't find an answer for in her
>book or in the archives.
>
>Is it possible to build solid sculpture with paper clay and then hollow it
out
>near completion? This is how I generally do my sculpture and am most
>comfortable with this method.
>
>Also I have a couple of sculptures in progress and would like to add paper
>clay to this present work. I would like to use it on the neck area on one
of
>my pieces because it is always such a vulnerable area. I would be using
the
>same clay mixed with the paper. Will their drying rate and shrinkage rate
be
>compatible?
>
>I am also wondering what affect the firing will have in a classsroom studio
>atmosphere. Will it drive everyone out of the room. Should firing of
paper
>clay be left for outdoor kilns?
>
>This group has been a great resource for me. Better than any single book.
>Thank you so much for being there!
>
>Christine
>
Alyss Dorese on mon 15 feb 99
Christine Laginess wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hello,
>
> Thank you for answering my questions in regards to paper clay. I have
> purchased the Rossette Gault book on the subject and it has been a great
> source. Just a few more questions which I didn't find an answer for in her
> book or in the archives.
>
> Is it possible to build solid sculpture with paper clay and then hollow it out
> near completion? This is how I generally do my sculpture and am most
> comfortable with this method.
>
> Also I have a couple of sculptures in progress and would like to add paper
> clay to this present work. I would like to use it on the neck area on one of
> my pieces because it is always such a vulnerable area. I would be using the
> same clay mixed with the paper. Will their drying rate and shrinkage rate be
> compatible?
>
> I am also wondering what affect the firing will have in a classsroom studio
> atmosphere. Will it drive everyone out of the room. Should firing of paper
> clay be left for outdoor kilns?
>
> This group has been a great resource for me. Better than any single book.
> Thank you so much for being there!
>
> Christine
I use paper clay with clay sculpture all the time and mix it. My pieces
tend to be large 4' and I've always been unable to keep the clay from
drying before I finished my pieces. I find that combining the paper
clay with clay--such as attaching parts or adding to the clay even after
it has dried works. As far as the firing. I had three large pieces- a
camel, and two others in the gas kiln at COD. We were firing it and on
Sunday, it started to smoke. When the fire department was called, they
opened the kiln and there was Joe Camel smoking up a storm. The piece
was damaged when one unexperienced fireman tried to remove the sculpture
with tongs. Fortunately, he was stopped before any further damage could
be done. I was able to repair the piece with faithful bondo. But the
lesson is alert the fire department to the possibility of a lot of smoke
and fire at night.
Good luck,
Alyss
Cathy Harris on mon 15 feb 99
Christine,
The best bet for sculptures would be to build the armatures themselves out
of pclay, but to answer your question, yes you could hollow them out. It
is very difficult, as you can imagine, though. Pclay is tougher.
If your clay bodies are the same, you can add pclay to the present
sculpture. Rosette showed us (at a recent workshop) that you can add pclay
to an already bisque piece and then re-bisque it. She added a handle to a
mug and it held on fine!
Firing - hope you have good ventilation. It smokes if it's a full kiln
load and it is very hard on your elements. The area above my peep holes
have turned to a green/yellow colour from firing pclay. I wouldn't fire in
a classroom situation - fire after everyone has left and make sure you have
good ventilation! It definately has an odour to it.
Hopefully, this has answered your questions. It's great stuff, have fun
with it! I have made a coffee table out of it with a glass top and it has
passed 'the twins test' - I have a twin neice and nephew (3 years old) that
came running into the room to check out whether the Easter Bunny left any
eggs in the nest! The coffee table is all made of paperclay - it's a
branch of a tree with a bird's nest in the crook of the branches with 3
eggs in the nest. The glass top sits on top of the branches and you can
look down into the nest. Anyway --- I figure if it can withstand little 3
year olds leaning and fingering/pulling, etc on the branches and the nest
it will survive anything!
Cathy
Potter's Pleasure
Aurora, Ontario
c.harris@aci.on.ca
----------
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hello,
>
> Thank you for answering my questions in regards to paper clay. I have
> purchased the Rossette Gault book on the subject and it has been a great
> source. Just a few more questions which I didn't find an answer for in
her
> book or in the archives.
>
> Is it possible to build solid sculpture with paper clay and then hollow
it out
> near completion? This is how I generally do my sculpture and am most
> comfortable with this method.
>
> Also I have a couple of sculptures in progress and would like to add paper
> clay to this present work. I would like to use it on the neck area on
one of
> my pieces because it is always such a vulnerable area. I would be using
the
> same clay mixed with the paper. Will their drying rate and shrinkage
rate be
> compatible?
>
> I am also wondering what affect the firing will have in a classsroom
studio
> atmosphere. Will it drive everyone out of the room. Should firing of
paper
> clay be left for outdoor kilns?
>
> This group has been a great resource for me. Better than any single book.
> Thank you so much for being there!
>
> Christine
>
Thonas C. Curran on mon 15 feb 99
Christine, Glad you purchased Gault's book. I saw the new edition in
the bookstore the other day and wished I had waited for that one! Can't
rationalize the new one when I have the old edition!
I have not tried to hollow out paper clay in mid sculpture: the paper
fibers do make it tougher, and I suggest you start with a small sample
before you try it on a bigger form.
Also have not tried paper clay along with regular clay, but I know a
lot of people who use paper clay for mending. Again, I think it best to
try it on a small scale before experimenting on a major work.
Fumes: I do occasional bisque loads with paper clay in my basement
kiln with exhaust fan, nothing fancier, but 1) I keep the paper clay to
a small quantity of the kiln load and 2) I do not work in the studio
while the kiln is on. I have not had any smoke that I noticed, but the
P clay has created an acrid smell. Again, I have not filled kiln full
of paper clay, since I think that is asking for trouble. I would not
recommend it for a classroom if students have to be nearby.
This is my personal experience...others may have more input. It is a
wonderful raw material for sculpture! Carolyn
| |
|
