John Post on sun 12 dec 04
I like to use the local clays in my area to teach kids that everything
doesn't come from the store...
That clay really does come out of the ground.
My local clay is a nice reddish tan earthenware.
I have been using it for about 5 years underneath the cream breaking
rust glaze that was
posted on clay art. It gives the glaze a warm shino type look at cone
6 electric.
I live in the suburbs north of Detroit and there is always some kind of
construction happening near me.
I just drive by a site and load some clay from the dig into my truck.
This year I had the kids at the elementary school where I teach process
their own clay.
You can see pictures of them doing that on this page...as well as the
instruction sheet I give them...
http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/utica/Schwarzkoff/art-making-clay.htm
(We got lucky this year and found a 500 million year old fossil in the
clay.)
I also took some of the same clay and ran it through a 100 mesh sieve
and tested it as a line blend
with the unwashed ash I got from campfires over the last few years of
vacations.
I posted the results on this page...
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~jpost4400/
The tile that has a blend of 90% clay with 10% ash will find its way
onto some pots this week.
It develops nice crystals if the kiln is slow cooled.
Working with materials that are solely mine has its own rewards.
Not having to make my living from pots lets me pursue the areas of clay
work that interest me.
I like harvesting local materials, but wouldn't want to do it if I had
to process enough of the stuff to
make enough work to feed the family.
I collect all of my local clays from construction sites instead of
along river and lake beds.
The one river that runs through my city is too polluted to even think
about collecting anything from its banks.
Cheers,
John Post
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