The Process
Sections of the sculpture are shaped separately and assembled as they become "leather hard", which means they have lost some of the softness caused by moisture in the clay. My electric paragon super dragon front loader kiln has great capacity for firing large pieces at any ceramic firing temperature. This creates opportunities to use an endless variety of clays, glazes or oxide finishes. Because I hand paint my sculptures with three coats of glaze and fire twice to obtain durability, my process takes time. But the outstanding results are worth the wait!
|
I favor Raku sculpture clay for its capacity to maintain form, accept glazes and oxides, plus its ability to support large sculptures. My sculptures are "slab built", which means clay is rolled through my slab roller and formed usually starting with a basic cylinder. Each sculpture is hollow inside.
Stephanie Schriver |