Ceramic Sculpture Projects
Art-15 / Art-38A
Fall 2024
Slabs....Hard & Soft
Overview:
In this project we will be working with slabs. A slab is in its simplest term a sheet of clay. We can make this sheet by pounding it out on the table, by flattening it with a rolling pin or through the use of the studio slab roller. Whichever way you choose to do it is fine, just as long as we keep it limited to slabs. Within in the limited range of slabs we will be working with the various phases of dryness of clay. We often describe the process of working with wet/ soft clay slabs as "soft slab construction". This method usually produces sort contours that are round and have elements that have been "pushed" out of the slabs. Soft Slab Constructions allows you to bend, twist and for the slabs into limitless forms as you take advantage of the clays soft and malleable qualities. "Hard Slab Construction" on the other hand relies on the rigidity of clay that has been dried to a leather hard state. Construction in the phase of slab work is often characterized by flat planes and angular forms. I ofter describe had slab construction with an analogy of working with cardboard or plywood. In this analogy the way we work is often by cutting shapes from rigid clay slabs and then attaching them together with the score and slip process of bonding. To put it simply, soft slabs are worked when the clay is soft and pliable, while hard slabs are worked when the clay is rigid and structural. Bot processes rely on slabs, but the slabs are used at different phases of softness and will produce very different results.
The Project:
In this slab project you will be tasked with producing two objects. These two object will have a relationship in the sense that they will be displayed together. In fact you may think of one of the objects as the display and the other object as the displayed. The theme for the assignment is (FIGURE)Relic and Reliquary. Keeping in mind that the figure is the central core theme. Figure meaning the body, human body.
rel·ic
/ˈrelik/
noun
plural noun: relics
rel·i·quar·y
/ˈreləˌkwerē/
noun
noun: reliquary; plural noun: reliquaries
Requirements:
Produce a (1) sculptural SOFT SLAB figurative object that makes reference to the human body.
Produce a (1) sculptural HARD SLAB object that wil be used to display the soft slab object.
Use slabs as the only construction method for the project.
Soft slab sculpture should be no larger than 12" in any direction.
Areas of focus:
Explore the ability to push and pull form and shape from a thick soft slab.
Take advantage of the rigid qualities of had slabs to build angular and crisp formal objects.
Use defloculated slip as your moisture source when joining slabs.
Rely on soft slabs to produce soft forms that can be articulated in final decoration phase of the project.
Use of black slip for hard lines.
Understanding of the timing needed to make hard slabs from soft slabs (dehydration).
Artist References:
AkioTakamori
Jean Pierre Larocque
In this project we will be working with slabs. A slab is in its simplest term a sheet of clay. We can make this sheet by pounding it out on the table, by flattening it with a rolling pin or through the use of the studio slab roller. Whichever way you choose to do it is fine, just as long as we keep it limited to slabs. Within in the limited range of slabs we will be working with the various phases of dryness of clay. We often describe the process of working with wet/ soft clay slabs as "soft slab construction". This method usually produces sort contours that are round and have elements that have been "pushed" out of the slabs. Soft Slab Constructions allows you to bend, twist and for the slabs into limitless forms as you take advantage of the clays soft and malleable qualities. "Hard Slab Construction" on the other hand relies on the rigidity of clay that has been dried to a leather hard state. Construction in the phase of slab work is often characterized by flat planes and angular forms. I ofter describe had slab construction with an analogy of working with cardboard or plywood. In this analogy the way we work is often by cutting shapes from rigid clay slabs and then attaching them together with the score and slip process of bonding. To put it simply, soft slabs are worked when the clay is soft and pliable, while hard slabs are worked when the clay is rigid and structural. Bot processes rely on slabs, but the slabs are used at different phases of softness and will produce very different results.
The Project:
In this slab project you will be tasked with producing two objects. These two object will have a relationship in the sense that they will be displayed together. In fact you may think of one of the objects as the display and the other object as the displayed. The theme for the assignment is (FIGURE)Relic and Reliquary. Keeping in mind that the figure is the central core theme. Figure meaning the body, human body.
rel·ic
/ˈrelik/
noun
plural noun: relics
- an object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.
Similar:
artifact
historical object
ancient object
antiquity
antique
heirloom
object of virtu
curio
fossil- a part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence.
"miracles wrought by the relics of St. Stephen"
Similar:
remains
body parts
bones
corpse
dead body
cadaver
holy/sacred objects - reliquiae
- an object, custom, or belief that has survived from an earlier time but is now outmoded.
"individualized computer programming and time-sharing would become expensive relics" - all that is left of something.
"relics of a lost civilization"
- a part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence.
rel·i·quar·y
/ˈreləˌkwerē/
noun
noun: reliquary; plural noun: reliquaries
- a container for holy relics.
Requirements:
Produce a (1) sculptural SOFT SLAB figurative object that makes reference to the human body.
Produce a (1) sculptural HARD SLAB object that wil be used to display the soft slab object.
Use slabs as the only construction method for the project.
Soft slab sculpture should be no larger than 12" in any direction.
Areas of focus:
Explore the ability to push and pull form and shape from a thick soft slab.
Take advantage of the rigid qualities of had slabs to build angular and crisp formal objects.
Use defloculated slip as your moisture source when joining slabs.
Rely on soft slabs to produce soft forms that can be articulated in final decoration phase of the project.
Use of black slip for hard lines.
Understanding of the timing needed to make hard slabs from soft slabs (dehydration).
Artist References:
AkioTakamori
Jean Pierre Larocque
And the winner is.....................Coil
Over View:
In this project we will be working with one of the fundamental clay building methods, COILS. Coils are a simple and manageable method that allows makers to create quick and uniform structures with relative ease. We will be using this method of construction to create form designed for specific, decorative needs. While at first encounter coils are simple and straight forward, there are some areas of attention that require sensitivity and patience. Primarily in the joining and connecting aspect of the build. Follow the demonstrated methods and think about your connects. Coil built work is essentially a long continuous collection of joints that when executed properly hold the work together, but when not done properly you might create problematic structural issues. Take care not to overlook the importance of how you join and connect you coils. This in my opinion is the most important area of focus when building with this simple construction method.
The Project:
Students will be tasked with creating two vessel forms. The vessels must be entirely build using coils. The purpose of these vessels is to create a forms that will be decorated using a limited pallet (black and white glaze) format for one and a polychromatic pallet for the other ( ie. black and white & color). While vessel forms are endless in possibility, students will be tasked with creating shapes that have a specific purpose. The purpose is very simple, but very specific. Create one vessel is meant to have a decoration on the exterior, and one vessel is meant to have decoration on the interior.
What type of shape is better suited for creating a decoration on the exterior, and like wise, what shape of vessel is better suited for creating decoration on the interior? Think vases versus bowls. Vases, or tall vertical forms are better suited to have their exteriors decorated since the forms are more vertical and easier to make marks on. Their exteriors are visually easier to view and project outward. Bowls on the other hand have their interior spaces opened up and exposed while the exteriors are generally downward facing and sheltered from view. There are endless varieties of form and exceptions to these mentioned general characteristics, but in general these descriptions are accurate. Students will be asked to keep this in mind when designing and building their vessels and encouraged to make forms that are more receptive to their skill level and mark making approach.
In terms of imagery for this project students are being asked to limited designs to the basics. No imagery that is overly detailed and requiring fine pinpoint executions of line and detail. Use line to create patterns, polka-dots, checkerboards, grids and or similar types of patterns. This project will be focusing on the high contrast of black on white as well as utilizing color in a simple pixelated fashion. Don't over think it and keep it simple and straight forward. I highly discourage you from creating refined imagery such as portraits, landscape and or representation images. Think shapes, patterns and grids. Complex drawing and representational imagery will create challenges that in my opinion are unnecessary for an introduction to materials. Lets learn the material first and them get more complicated later.
Requirements:
Create one vessel form designed for interior decoration.
Create one vessel form designed for exterior decoration.
Vessels must not be no smaller that 12" wide or tall. Vessels should be no larger than 18" in width or height.
Vessels must be constructed form coils.
Surfaces should be relatively smooth and receptive to decoration and pattern.
Vessels must be decorated appropriately for the project (one in black & white and the other in a color palette)
Areas of focus:
Formal qualities that lend themselves to one design engagement over another. (open forms, closed forms, vertical forms, textural aspects of surface)
Formal development and maintaining design throughout build.
Joints and Connection points.
Maintaining moisture to allow for multiple work sessions over the course of the project.
Glaze application (dipping, brushing, spraying) what when and why?
Goals:
Gain a beginning level understanding of coil building.
Learn to manage moisture through the build process.
Learn to create strong connection points and joints in ceramic sculpture building.
Gain a beginning level understand in the various methods of glaze application. (brush, dip, spray)
Learn how to engage surface decoration though mixing and applying underglazes.
Learn how to use limited colors to create dynamic surface decoration and pattern. Pattern vs. Chroma
Engage patter and repetition of simple marks that accumulate to complex overall compositions.
Engage in critical dialog about sculpture and class projects.
Artist Resources:
Brittany Mojo / Britanny Mojo on instagram
Image Search:
Black and white pottery
Black and White Sculpture
Black and White Patterns
In this project we will be working with one of the fundamental clay building methods, COILS. Coils are a simple and manageable method that allows makers to create quick and uniform structures with relative ease. We will be using this method of construction to create form designed for specific, decorative needs. While at first encounter coils are simple and straight forward, there are some areas of attention that require sensitivity and patience. Primarily in the joining and connecting aspect of the build. Follow the demonstrated methods and think about your connects. Coil built work is essentially a long continuous collection of joints that when executed properly hold the work together, but when not done properly you might create problematic structural issues. Take care not to overlook the importance of how you join and connect you coils. This in my opinion is the most important area of focus when building with this simple construction method.
The Project:
Students will be tasked with creating two vessel forms. The vessels must be entirely build using coils. The purpose of these vessels is to create a forms that will be decorated using a limited pallet (black and white glaze) format for one and a polychromatic pallet for the other ( ie. black and white & color). While vessel forms are endless in possibility, students will be tasked with creating shapes that have a specific purpose. The purpose is very simple, but very specific. Create one vessel is meant to have a decoration on the exterior, and one vessel is meant to have decoration on the interior.
What type of shape is better suited for creating a decoration on the exterior, and like wise, what shape of vessel is better suited for creating decoration on the interior? Think vases versus bowls. Vases, or tall vertical forms are better suited to have their exteriors decorated since the forms are more vertical and easier to make marks on. Their exteriors are visually easier to view and project outward. Bowls on the other hand have their interior spaces opened up and exposed while the exteriors are generally downward facing and sheltered from view. There are endless varieties of form and exceptions to these mentioned general characteristics, but in general these descriptions are accurate. Students will be asked to keep this in mind when designing and building their vessels and encouraged to make forms that are more receptive to their skill level and mark making approach.
In terms of imagery for this project students are being asked to limited designs to the basics. No imagery that is overly detailed and requiring fine pinpoint executions of line and detail. Use line to create patterns, polka-dots, checkerboards, grids and or similar types of patterns. This project will be focusing on the high contrast of black on white as well as utilizing color in a simple pixelated fashion. Don't over think it and keep it simple and straight forward. I highly discourage you from creating refined imagery such as portraits, landscape and or representation images. Think shapes, patterns and grids. Complex drawing and representational imagery will create challenges that in my opinion are unnecessary for an introduction to materials. Lets learn the material first and them get more complicated later.
Requirements:
Create one vessel form designed for interior decoration.
Create one vessel form designed for exterior decoration.
Vessels must not be no smaller that 12" wide or tall. Vessels should be no larger than 18" in width or height.
Vessels must be constructed form coils.
Surfaces should be relatively smooth and receptive to decoration and pattern.
Vessels must be decorated appropriately for the project (one in black & white and the other in a color palette)
Areas of focus:
Formal qualities that lend themselves to one design engagement over another. (open forms, closed forms, vertical forms, textural aspects of surface)
Formal development and maintaining design throughout build.
Joints and Connection points.
Maintaining moisture to allow for multiple work sessions over the course of the project.
Glaze application (dipping, brushing, spraying) what when and why?
Goals:
Gain a beginning level understanding of coil building.
Learn to manage moisture through the build process.
Learn to create strong connection points and joints in ceramic sculpture building.
Gain a beginning level understand in the various methods of glaze application. (brush, dip, spray)
Learn how to engage surface decoration though mixing and applying underglazes.
Learn how to use limited colors to create dynamic surface decoration and pattern. Pattern vs. Chroma
Engage patter and repetition of simple marks that accumulate to complex overall compositions.
Engage in critical dialog about sculpture and class projects.
Artist Resources:
Brittany Mojo / Britanny Mojo on instagram
Image Search:
Black and white pottery
Black and White Sculpture
Black and White Patterns
Slabs_____________ Color...................
Over View:
In this assignment you will be workin with one of the basic and fundamental ways to work with clay, slabs. Slabs are a basic method of taking clay and shaping it into flat sheets of clay and then using those sheets of clay to build with. As you may know clay can be used in various stages of hardness, or wetness depending on the effects you're looking to achieve. In this project you will use slabs in varied levels of moisture (soft and hard slabs) to execute the sculptural project. It's important to keep in mind that slabs are going to be the mode of operation in this assignment. All work must be made for slabs, no coiled or pinched forms. You may refine your slabs, but all of your work must be made of slabs entirely.
In addition to the vessel form as the element of focus, we will use the vessel form as a vehicle for glaze and color play. We will be playing with excessive amounts of glaze and color. You might think of this as an oportunity to let the glaze be wild and free. We will explore the possibilities glaze lends to the ceramic sculptural process. What happens when we over apply glaze? How does molten glaze move over a surface? How do we deal with the realities of fluid materials in the firing process? Problems..... Challenges...... Discovery!
The Project:
Each student will be tasked with creating 1large scale vessel. This vessel should be an opportunity to explore composition and slab methodology. Vessels could be representational a person, place or thing, but I highly encourage you to work with a purely vessel grounded approach rather than going too far down the conceptual pathway. In this project we will discuss basic elements of design such as background, foreground, rhythm, negative and positive space. These basic elements of design will be the foundations for the sculptures produced. Students are encouraged to explore possibilities, take risks in composition and seek out inspirations. Art is not created in a vacuum but rather a response to something. Seek out elements in the world you can respond to. Look at the artists references and understand this is an opportunity to both learn slab construction and to play.
Upon completion of the project students will be engaging the glazing process. Vessels will be glazed with multiple glaze basses and the focus of the glazing will center on the characteristics of glaze ( how it moves, how it melts, how it is colored and how it can be modified to achieve various outcomes.Glaze will be a major element of this project and students are encouraged; instructed, to thing of how the glaze will play out in the firing process.
Project Value:
100 Points (major project)
Timeline:
2 Weeks for wet construction.
1 Week for glaze.
Requirements:
1 ceramic vessel
1 Vessel pedestal designed to catch glaze spill.
Vessels should be between24-36" in height
Slabs are to be the only means of production
Students should incorporate into vessel composition elements of both hard and soft slabs
Students must design sculptures that are in a vertical format (tall rather than wide) do not exceed 12" in width!!!!
Each vessel must be glazed ( glaze will comprise 50 percent of this project )
Areas of Focus:
Students should focus on the discussed methodology of construction (slabs, both hard and soft).
Students should focus on compositional design considering how glaze will interact with the vessels structure.
Students should pay attention to the way clay behaves when wet and soft as well as how it behaves when dry and stiff.
Goals:
Gain a beginning level understanding of how to produce slabs using studio equipment as well as by hand.
Learn to manage ceramic slabs in various states of moisture (hard and soft slab construction).
Learn how to manage the drying and storage of ceramic works while in production.
Gain a foundational understanding of glaze and glaze application.
Gain a beginning level understanding of how glaze interacts with surface and how glazes can be used to create dynamic surfaces though contract, shift and movements of melt.
Resources:
I strongly suggest you look for inspiration and see whats our there that you can respond to, take over, repurpose, borrow from, and plain old fashioned simply take and make your own. Research and searching for inspiration is essential in developing your abilities to both think of ideas and create them in reality. Do yourself a huge favor and see whats our these for you to respond to.
Artist references:
Tony Marsh
Vince Palacios
Elka Sada
John Gill
Andrea Gill
Gareth Mason
Brian Rochefort
In this assignment you will be workin with one of the basic and fundamental ways to work with clay, slabs. Slabs are a basic method of taking clay and shaping it into flat sheets of clay and then using those sheets of clay to build with. As you may know clay can be used in various stages of hardness, or wetness depending on the effects you're looking to achieve. In this project you will use slabs in varied levels of moisture (soft and hard slabs) to execute the sculptural project. It's important to keep in mind that slabs are going to be the mode of operation in this assignment. All work must be made for slabs, no coiled or pinched forms. You may refine your slabs, but all of your work must be made of slabs entirely.
In addition to the vessel form as the element of focus, we will use the vessel form as a vehicle for glaze and color play. We will be playing with excessive amounts of glaze and color. You might think of this as an oportunity to let the glaze be wild and free. We will explore the possibilities glaze lends to the ceramic sculptural process. What happens when we over apply glaze? How does molten glaze move over a surface? How do we deal with the realities of fluid materials in the firing process? Problems..... Challenges...... Discovery!
The Project:
Each student will be tasked with creating 1large scale vessel. This vessel should be an opportunity to explore composition and slab methodology. Vessels could be representational a person, place or thing, but I highly encourage you to work with a purely vessel grounded approach rather than going too far down the conceptual pathway. In this project we will discuss basic elements of design such as background, foreground, rhythm, negative and positive space. These basic elements of design will be the foundations for the sculptures produced. Students are encouraged to explore possibilities, take risks in composition and seek out inspirations. Art is not created in a vacuum but rather a response to something. Seek out elements in the world you can respond to. Look at the artists references and understand this is an opportunity to both learn slab construction and to play.
Upon completion of the project students will be engaging the glazing process. Vessels will be glazed with multiple glaze basses and the focus of the glazing will center on the characteristics of glaze ( how it moves, how it melts, how it is colored and how it can be modified to achieve various outcomes.Glaze will be a major element of this project and students are encouraged; instructed, to thing of how the glaze will play out in the firing process.
Project Value:
100 Points (major project)
Timeline:
2 Weeks for wet construction.
1 Week for glaze.
Requirements:
1 ceramic vessel
1 Vessel pedestal designed to catch glaze spill.
Vessels should be between24-36" in height
Slabs are to be the only means of production
Students should incorporate into vessel composition elements of both hard and soft slabs
Students must design sculptures that are in a vertical format (tall rather than wide) do not exceed 12" in width!!!!
Each vessel must be glazed ( glaze will comprise 50 percent of this project )
Areas of Focus:
Students should focus on the discussed methodology of construction (slabs, both hard and soft).
Students should focus on compositional design considering how glaze will interact with the vessels structure.
Students should pay attention to the way clay behaves when wet and soft as well as how it behaves when dry and stiff.
Goals:
Gain a beginning level understanding of how to produce slabs using studio equipment as well as by hand.
Learn to manage ceramic slabs in various states of moisture (hard and soft slab construction).
Learn how to manage the drying and storage of ceramic works while in production.
Gain a foundational understanding of glaze and glaze application.
Gain a beginning level understanding of how glaze interacts with surface and how glazes can be used to create dynamic surfaces though contract, shift and movements of melt.
Resources:
I strongly suggest you look for inspiration and see whats our there that you can respond to, take over, repurpose, borrow from, and plain old fashioned simply take and make your own. Research and searching for inspiration is essential in developing your abilities to both think of ideas and create them in reality. Do yourself a huge favor and see whats our these for you to respond to.
Artist references:
Tony Marsh
Vince Palacios
Elka Sada
John Gill
Andrea Gill
Gareth Mason
Brian Rochefort
Float.......
