Coloured clay bowl

Properties & Qualities

Application

Art, Product, Sculpture

Qualities

3D, Colourful, Shiny, Textured / tactile

Colour

Blue, Brown, Earth-colour, Green, Pink

Sample Information

Date of creation

03/16/2022

Dimensions

35cmx40cmx15cm

Weight

Culture & Context

My work consist of two parts – the inside of the bowl represents the pond’s underwater terrain and the outside is made up of stained clay, representing the decomposition of sediment building up over decades. My process in making the ceramic bowl reflects the life of a pond – I begin by digging a hole in the earth and filling it in with plaster. The cast is removed and clay is pressed onto surface creating an impression and picking up details in the soil. The layering and carving of coloured clay on the outside is a rhythmic process of building and revealing that represents unseen changes below the peaceful surface of the pond.

Process & Production

The clay is stained using coloured dyes and rolled into coils before handbuilding onto the mould. Each coil is made up of multiple colours which are then compressed and carved back with a hand tool to reveal the details of the layers beneath. An oxide is applied to the inside of the bowl to emphasise the textures from the cast of the earth.