INTRODUCTION

TO
CLAY
EARTH, FIRE AND WATER
CLAY IS MADE AS A RESULT
OF THE DECOMPOSITION OF
IGNEOUS ROCK.
IGNEOUS ROCK IS
PRODUCED BY VOLCANIC
ACTIVITY.
OVER TIME, THE IGNEOUS
ROCK BREAKS DOWN INTO
SMALLER AND SMALLER
PARTICLES. THIS
WEATHERING CREATES THE
FINEST GRAINS OF
MINERALS THAT COMPRISE
CLAY
WHAT IS
CLAY??
ORIGINS OF
CERAMICS
CERAMIC ART HAS THE LONGEST
HISTORY, DATING BACK TO WHEN
PEOPLE FIRST LEARNED TO
CONTROL FIRE.
TURNING MUD INTO STONE HAS
BEEN THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN
DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT WHEN
PEOPLE TOSSED CLAY OBJECTS INTO
A COMMUNAL FIRE.
MANY POTS WERE FORMED FOR
PRACTICAL PURPOSES LIKE
COOKING OR STORING FOOD.
SOME CERAMICS WERE PRODUCED
AS FUNEREAL OBJECTS MEANT TO
ACCOMPANY AND PROTECT THE
DECEASED IN BURIAL CEREMONIES.


MAYAN FUNERARY URN
317-1200 C.E. (Common Era)
WHY DO SO MANY CULTURES
HAVE A HISTORY OF
PRODUCING CERAMICS?

CLAY IS A COMPOSED OF MINERALS
FOUND IN THE EARTH SO IT CAN BE
FOUND ANYWHERE AROUND THE
WORLD.

CLAY IS ABUNDANT AND EASILY
PROCESSED SO IT IS TYPICALLY AN
INEXPENSIVE MATERIAL TO WORK
WITH.


PREPARING CLAY
WEDGING: THE
PROCESS OF
IMPROVING THE
WORKABILITY OF CLAY
BY KNEADING THE
MIXTURE TO MAKE IT
HOMOGENEOUS AND
EVEN IN TEXTURE
WHILE ALSO
ELIMINATING AIR
BUBBLES.
FORMING CLAY
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO FORM CLAY INTO A DESIRED SHAPE. THE
MOST COMMON METHODS ARE:
PINCHING: A HANDBUILDING
TECHNIQUE THAT
INVOLVES SQUEEZING
THE CLAY BETWEEN
FINGERS AND THUMB.

COILING: A HANDBUILDING TECHNIQUE THAT
INVOLVES ATTACHING ROLLS OF CLAY
TOGETHER TO FORM A POT.

SLAB BUILDING : A HANDBUILDING
TECHNIQUE THAT INVOLVES
SHAPING CLAY INTO FLAT
PIECES AND BUILDING WITH IT.
CLAY BODY: A MIXTURE OF CLAY, MINERALS
AND OTHER INGREDIENTS THAT MAKE UP THE
COMPOSITION OF A CLAY TYPE
EARTHENWARE: CLAY
THAT HAS A LOW
TEMPERATURE FIRING
RANGE.
STONEWARE: CLAY THAT
HAS A MID TO HIGH FIRING
RANGE THAT IS MORE
DENSE AND NON-POROUS
THAN EARTHENWARE.
PORCELAIN : A WHITE,
HIGH FIRING CLAY THAT IS
USUALLY TRANSLUCENT.
PLASTIC
The property of clay that
allows it to change shape
without tearing or breaking.
Clay minerals have platelets
which are flat and move over
one another when moist.
Moisture helps them cling
together.
Clay in its plastic state has the
ability to be formed into many
shapes.



Leather-hard
The stage
between plastic
and bone dry
when clay has
dried, but may
still be carved or
joined to other
pieces.
BONE DRY
a term used to describe
and identify pottery that
has dried as much as
possible before it has
gone through its first
firing. The surface of
the clay no longer feels
cool to the touch. Clay
in this stage can also be
referred to as
GREENWARE.
FIRING CLAY
KILN: A furnace or
oven type device that
is meant to hold in
high temperature heat
to fire clay into rock-
like ceramic.
Bisque ware
The stage of clay
when the material
has been fired
into rock-like
ceramic but has
not been glazed
yet.
HOW CAN CLAY WORK BE
FUNCTIONAL?
CLAY CAN EASILY BE FORMED INTO OBJECTS THAT CAN
BE USED.

IF YOU GLAZE CLAY OBJECTS THEY BECOME COATED
WITH A PERMANENT GLASS SURFACE THAT SEALS UP
THE PORES OF THE CLAY MAKING THE OBJECT
WATERPROOF AND VERY DURABLE.

EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONAL CERAMICS ARE VIRTUALLY
ENDLESS. IN OUR WORLD YOU CAN FIND CERAMIC
PLATES, CUPS, PITCHERS, MUGS, BOWLS , VASES,
STORAGE CONTAINERS, SERVING DISHES, BAKEWARE
ETC. SOME ARTISTS EVEN MAKE BEADS AND JEWELRY
OUT OF CLAY!
Describing ceramic vessels
LABELING THE PARTS:

RIM

NECK


SHOULDER



BODY




BASE OR FOOT
WHAT ARE SENSORY QUALITIES
OF CERAMIC WORK?
SENSORY QUALITYS OF CERAMICS WORK REFER TO THE DESIGN ELEMENTS OF
SHAPE AND FORM, LINE, COLOR, AND TEXTURE.

YOU MAY DESCRIBE A CERAMIC WORK BY REFERRING TO THE COLOR OF THE
WORK. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE GLAZE? TRANSPARENT, OPAQUE,
INTENSE, METALLIC?

YOU MAY DESCRIBE A CERAMIC WORK BY REFERRING TO THE TEXTURE ON THE
SURFACE OF THE POT. IS THE SURFACE ROUGH, GROOVED, PEBBLY OR
SMOOTH?

YOU MAY DESCRIBE A POT BY ITS SHAPE OR FORM. IS IT A CUBE, PYRAMID,
CYLINDER, CIRCLE , TRIANGLE, OVAL OR POSSIBLY A COMBINATION OF THESE?

YOU MAY DESCRIBE A POT ACCORDING TO ITS LINE. DO THE LINES OF THE POT
SUGGEST MOVEMENT AND DIRECTION? IS THE WORK CURVY AND FLOWING
OR HAVE BOUNDARIES AND EDGES WITH PARALLEL AND DIAGONAL LINES?