Holiday Cheer…
whether I like it or not.
It’s time to make the ornaments.
Although painting is indeed my number one artistic outlet, I enjoy many other forms of creativity. Making ornaments is one of them. Usually, I do this for friends and family, or myself, and at the appropriate time of year, but as I’m preparing for a holiday market, I said to myself, “Jean, you’d best get to feeling festive.”
Ugh. I truly deplore the sight of Christmas decorations coming out even before we’ve had a proper Halloween, but here I am doing it myself.
I am fortunate enough to have a generous sister who is also an artist. She lives up north and, among other things, works in clay and owns a kiln. After a creative think tank with her, I decided to grab myself some wet terra cotta. On Saturday, I procured a block of clay. Sunday afternoon, I rolled out a slab and cut ornament shapes with holiday cookie cutters.
Cut out clay ornaments drying on my drawing table at Longhouse Studio
On Monday and Tuesday, I did a little edge clean-up. Cutting wet clay creates some raggedness, so when the pieces become leather hard, still wet but no longer malleable, the job can be performed safely. Once in a while, my tendency to save everything for a just-in-case kind of event pays off. I recalled having, and more amazingly, was able to find, my clay tools from COLLEGE—miracle on Camden Avenue.
Trimming the edges of leather-hard clay pieces
It’s a game of balancing the process of drying too quickly with drying in time. Due to the schedule we had devised, the pieces would need to go into the kiln on Thursday so that I could return on Friday. Sure, there was plenty of time to sit out and dry, but quick drying can cause smaller areas, like the tips of stars, to dry faster. As the clay dries, it shrinks. If a small part dries and the adjacent areas are still wet, a crack will occur. It’s just physics. To ensure even drying, the process must be slowed. I kept the cut-outs loosely covered with wax paper, with a board on top to keep them flat.
The ornaments spread out to dry more quickly
Wednesday morning, I packed the little buggers up and headed for Nashville. It was a stormy drive, but I arrived ok and every ornament made it without injury. I unloaded them and spread them out, hoping they would be dry by kiln time. The moist air was not helping. But Teresa, a seasoned ceramist, had planned to start the kiln slowly. This way, they finish up drying before she turns the heat all the way up. Here goes!
My sister had several layers of pots already loaded. We put mine on the top shelf in the hopes that by starting the fire early Thursday, they would be cool enough for me to handle and take home on Friday. Fingers crossed.
Double layers of ornaments share the top shelf with Teresa’s vases and mugs
We kept a close watch on things. Teresa propped the lid open to slow the heating process. When the fire reached a specific temperature for bisquing low-fire clay, cone 05 in ceramic-speak, the oven top would need to be lowered.
The kiln must be closed quickly and carefully to avoid burns or damage
With the lid closed, the matter was now in the hands of the kiln gods. Nothing for us to do but wait.
Or, maybe not. We left and visited a small art gallery, had lunch at a Mongolian restaurant, then came home and did some painting. I started this piece. I’m sure you’ll see the completed version in a future post.
Acrylic floral painting - two bees and the flower center to go.
It was later in the afternoon when the kiln completed its job and shut off. We would not be able to open it until the next day.
By lunch time on Friday, things had cooled enough for handling. I loaded up my little terra cotta pieces, shared lunch with my sister, then packed up and headed home.
Here they are, spread across my drawing table. What next? A little paint, some shiny beads? You know, I’m really not sure. I suppose I’ll put on some Vince Guaraldi and see what bubbles up.
Stay tuned!