ARTIST STATEMENT

When I accidentally entered a clay studio instead of a life drawing class many years ago, I discovered my passion for clay and I have never looked back.  I became hooked on clay and on the way it felt, smelled, and looked.  Clay for me is inspiring and surprising.  The restrictions imposed by each stage in the sequence that forming, glazing, and firing clay demands might seem to restrict the possibility for creativity, but I find the opposite.  In reduction firing no two firings are alike.  And though casualties in the kiln do occur, there are also gifts that make it feel like unwrapping birthday presents.  This is such an ancient medium that sometimes it is almost impossible to discern a twenty first century piece from one made hundreds of years ago.

Clay allows me to release new forms, new shapes, and to incorporate my love of drawing and painting; it also gives me freedom to improvise and to be absurd.

THE PROCESS

Like a painter who has a choice of color and canvas, a sculptor has many choices to make in the studio. As a sculptor of figurative work, fountains and clay paintings, I have many choices to make when beginning the process of clay creation. I must choose the type of clay, the type of glaze, the application of glazes, as well as the firing of the finished piece. All of these variables combined in the right way manifest into a three-dimensional representation of an idea that begins in my imagination.

To bring these forms into existence, I start with the choice of clay. Of the many types of clay available, I work primarily with two kinds of stoneware; one allows for firing at a high temperature and the other at a lower temperature. I make my choice of clay depending on the effect I want to achieve.

For my sculptural work I use stoneware that vitrifies at cone 10, which is 2300 degrees F, or 1260 degrees Celsius.  In this range of temperature I am able to use my favorite glaze, the Shino glaze, which has its origins in 16th century Japan. By manipulating the chemical ingredients in the glaze as well as the application, I am able to achieve colors that range from the translucent blush of sea shells to the smoky grey of a Shino Carbon Trap glaze.  

For my paintings in clay I use stoneware that vitrifies at cone 6, or 2174 degrees F, 1190 degrees Celsius. This clay allows me to use more color variations and obtain the painterly effects I desire. Sometimes I base my clay-building on the “Millefiori” technique, meaning a thousand flowers.  This technique combines in a controlled way two or three different colored clays of the same firing temperature range.  I prefer to combine my clays at random and in a less controlled way before forming it into a plate, tile or vessel. This clay piece then becomes my “canvas” where I draw and paint in harmony with the swirls of the clay.

Prices for my work depend on the type of clay used, length of firing, price of oxide colorants, and complexity of form and design. If you are interested in any of the work shown, or if you have any questions, special requests or comments, please fill out the form on the contact page and I will contact you as soon as possible.

Photography on site: Gabriella Heald

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