Sunday, July 13, 2008

Clay Trays!!!




















Inspired by some wonderful Japanese ceramic trays I had seen years ago, I decided to make these sweet serving trays as a class demonstration last week. I began by rolling out slabs and extruding a variety of coils. I textured the slabs with some stamps I had made and then cut out the various shapes I wanted the trays to be. I added the extruded coils to the perimeter of the slabs to create the edges of each tray. One trick I showed my students was how to cut a round coil in half by placing two strips of wood half the thickness of the coil on either side of the coil and then resting a wire cutter on the wood and cutting through the coil lengthwise (see picture). This will give you a half-round coil which can be used for an interesting edge. On one of the trays I curled a flat extrusion to create handles, scoring them onto each side of the tray. By weeks end, I completed a variety of trays and now I'm thinking of making sets that fit in one another...you may see those pear shaped trays in sets of 2 or 3!!

Again thanks to Norma for taking great pics of each step!

3 comments:

Graciela Testa Lynt said...

These are fantastic Barbara! I've trying a similar idea but throwing the sides. I am also throwing the bottom... My biggest difficulty is attaching the rims to the bottom. Either it splits at the junction or it looks like it's cracked. I have to keep at it!

Muddyfingers said...

Graciela, I think the trick is to join them at the right time,when the clay is still has enough moisture in it. Also, score the heck out of each surface and try adding vinegar slip before assembling...and very important...DRY SLOWLY!! Thanks for leaving your comments. I appreciate it!!

Graciela Testa Lynt said...

Thanks Barbara... I can see my problem from your comments: I'm not drying them slowly enough!