CERAMICS

(ELECTIVE)
REPORT

GAURI JOGLEKAR
1421
METHODS OF MAKING ARTICLES

1. Pinch Pots
Begin a pinch pot by forming a lump of clay into a smooth sphere that fits
the size of the hand. This method is similar to the way the Native
Americans shaped clay into useful pots. While holding the sphere of clay,
press the thumb into the center of the ball, half-way to the bottom. While
revolving the ball in one hand, press the walls out evenly with the thumb
into the inside and the fingers on the outside. Smooth the surface with a
damp sponge.

2. Coil Method
Coils of clay can be used to build bowls, vases and other forms in various
shapes and sizes. Keeping the fingers flat, form the clay into sausage
shapes, then roll into ropes 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick. Make a shallow dish
with the pinch pot method and turn up-side down to serve as a foot of
base. Place a coil along the edge of the foot. Dampen the fingers and join
the next coil to it, with a little pressure. Keep adding coils . Coils may be
pressed with the fingers or a tool on both the inside and outside to create
interesting texture.

3. Slab Method
Place two strips of wood on canvas a little further apart than the width of
the finished slabs. Working on a textured fabric will leave imprints on the
clay slab. Place clay on the cloth between the strips of wood and roll out.
Use a pointed tool to trim the slab of clay to desired size. You may make
paper patterns to follow if a form that has a number of sides is desired.
Rub a wet finger over the edges to be joined and score with a tool. Roll out
a thin coil of sticky clay and place it along one edge. Press the two edges

together. Slabs of clay may be placed over rocks, bowls, plastic forms etc.
to create interesting shapes. As the clay dries, it shrinks away from the
form but retains the shape of the form.

TYPES OF CLAY USED FOR CERAMICS

-1 . Earthenware Clays
Earthenware clays were some of the earliest clays used by potters, and it
is the most common type of clay found. These clays are highly plastic
(easily worked) and can be sticky. Earthenware clays contain iron and
other mineral impurities which cause the clay to reach its optimum
hardness at between 1745F and 2012F (950C and 1100C).
Typical colors for moist earthenware clays are red, orange, yellow, and
light gray. Colors for fired earthenware includes brown, red, orange, buff,
medium grey, and white. Fired colors are in large part determined by the
content of mineral impurities and the type of firing.
Low-Fire Clay Bodies
Dry Earthenware Clays and Slips

-2 . Stoneware Clays
Stoneware clays are plastic and are often grey when moist. Their fired
colors range through light grey and buff, to medium grey and brown. Fired
colors are greatly affected by the type of firing.
Mid-Fire Stoneware Clay Bodies
are formulated to fire to maturity between 2150F and 2260F (1160C
and 1225C).
High-Fire Stoneware Clay Bodies
fire to their mature hardness between 2200F and 2336F (1200C and
1300C).
Mid-Range and High-Fire Clay Bodies

-3 . Ball Clays
Ball clays are highly plastic and contain few mineral impurities. They fire to
their mature hardness at about 2336F (1300C). When moist they are
dark grey and when fired they are either light grey or light buff.
Ball clays do have a serious drawback. They cannot be used by
themselves due to their excessive shrinkage during drying and firing. They
are extremely useful, however, when added to other clays to increase
workability and plasticity.
Dry Ball Clays Used in Pottery

-4 . Fire Clays
Fire clays vary widely in their characteristics. The hallmark is their high
firing range. They mature at about 2696F (1500C). Although relatively
free from mineral impurities, they tend to have spots of iron which lend a
speckled appearance once fired.
Fire clays are often used in stoneware clay bodies to increase
their maturation temperature and to give the fired clay a bit extra
roughness, or "tooth". They are also used fuel-fired kilns to create cone
packs (which monitor temperature), as supports for ware or shelving, and
to seal doors.
Dry Stoneware and Fire Clays
-5 . Kaolin (Porcelain) Clays
Due to their mineral purity, kaolin clays are used for porcelain. Although
kaolin clays do have some range in color, they are all very light in color.
While moist, they will be light grey and will fire in the range between a
very light grey or buff, to near-white and white.
Kaolin clays are not nearly as plastic as other clays and are difficult to
work with. Pure kaolin clays fire to maturity at about 3272F (1800C).
They are often mixed with other clays to both increase workability and
lower the firing temperature. Many porcelain bodies are a mixture of kaolin

and ball clays.

VICTOR SPINSKI

Victor Spinski, a leading figure in the avant-garde ceramics movement of the

1960s and 70s died on Monday, January 21, 2013, at the age of 72.

Spinski was born on October 10, 1940.

He attended the Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, Kansas, where

he earned a B.S.E. in Art and Foreign Languages in 1963. He went on to
earn an MFA in Ceramics with minors in jewelry and photography from
Indiana University in Bloomington. Following graduation from his master's
program in 1967, Spinski became a full-time faculty member in the art
department at the University of Delaware in Newark, where he served as a
professor until his retirement in 2006.

Throughout his career, Spinski experimented with many different materials,

forms and techniques, becoming most well-known for his tromp l'oeil clay
sculptures, which often incorporated humor and, occassionally, a jestering
live performance.

In a 1983 article in the New York Times, art historian Helen A. Harrison
describes Spinski's works as being "technically sophisticated and fascinating
in their imitation of nonceramic objects, such as metal cans filled with
garbage. His "fountains," including an overflowing sink full of dirty dishes and
a pile of beer cartons that have sprung a leak, are both cleverly conceived
and beautifully realized."

Spinski participated in many historic solo and group exhibitions during his
lifetime, including "Clayworks: 20 Americans" and "Coffee, Tea and Other
Cups" both held in 1971 at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York
City. Most recently, he exhibited at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida
and the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts.

Today, Spinski's works can be found in major museum collections across the
United States, including the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin, the
Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington and the Mint Museum in Charlotte,
North Carolina, among others.

According to ceramicist and scholar Garth Johnson, who interviewed the

artist early last year, "Spinski is a consummate craftsman. He knows his
materials, knows his processes, knows his decals and knows his china paint.
He's not afraid to pour hundreds of hours into a piece, because he knows his
efforts will pay off."

SOME OF HIS ARTWORKS WITH ITS DIMENSIONS AND DESCRIPTION

VW Crashing Though the Wall Fountain

12w x 4d x 8h
hand built, slip cast medium fired clay with
low fire glazes, stains, photo-ceramic decals and

white gold lusters

Breaking into a Fruit Box

16w x 14d x 12h
hydraulicly pressed medium fired
white clay, slip cast,
low fire stains, glazes and photo-ceramic stencils

Misdirected Forward Pass

12"w x 10"h

slip cast low-fire clay, hand built and wheeled thrown,

low fire glazes and stains

Birthday Cake
9"w x 5h
slip cast
low-fire clay and glazes