I enjoy working with clay bodies other than white (see my post The Color of Clay). In my work, mostly sculptural, glaze functions as an embellishment rather than the main attraction. This comes from my aesthetic and my dislike of the glazing process! I find the contrast between the glazed and the unglazed piece quite interesting, especially with a toasty or reddish clay. Two years ago I started working with this black (actually a deep chocolate brown toned) clay body.
Clay gets its color from certain minerals and pigments. Iron oxide is what makes terra cotta clay red. In the case of black clay, the color is from burnt umber. It is a pigment in short supply these days so a bag of clay will cost you a few dollars more. Any highly-pigmented clay is messy to work with and this is like working with black mud. Wearing a good apron is key. Regardless, the end result of this clay is worth it.
So you walk into an art gallery or an art festival and there is the fruit of the artist in all of its magical glory, looking like it was created effortlessly. What you don’t see is the plethora of mistakes and sometimes heartaches that go into making art. It’s a part of the process. If you aren’t willing to fail, you are not going to learn. This is especially true in the medium of ceramics. There’s no way you can work with mud and transform it into permanent objects without running into some challenges. There are so many variables to contend with in the making- construction, drying, firing, glazing, and firing again at a temperature around 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.
This week before my open studio on the
opened my kiln to find my share of disappointments. The beautiful grape leaf plate on the upper left (traced from one of my grapevines leaves) has a crack down from the notch of the leaf shape. It’s still lovely but not saleable. I’ll use it though. No one will notice under a pile of carrot sticks. Those three lovely bowls with incised grape leaves rubbed with iron oxide all cracked. This was a 
puzzle. Maybe they got jostled when I removed them from the press mold? These will become part of a mosaic on my future walkway. Then there was the barn owl sculpture with hairline cracks in two places – maybe from cooling too quickly in the pit fire? I love this piece though and I am not sad to keep it.
incarnations such as “quote blocks,” little sculptural pieces with collages.
While I was at 
colors that can be possible. Still, I understood the process, had fun, and plan to try this behind my home clay studio.
My last show is done for the year and perhaps indefinitely. I am relieved to return to my ceramics studio without the stress of deadlines. It’s playtime!
arts from their curriculums in favor of core subjects, the population is becoming culturally illiterate, more plugged in, and more isolated.
Clay is one medium that immediately can turn adults into kids again and turn kids into kids again. It’s tactile, versatile, and gives immediate satisfaction. If you need more play in your life, consider taking a ceramics class. Enjoy the satisfaction of playing in mud again. I wish everyone had access to clay. The world would be a better place.
I was especially happy that I could incorporate the pieces of a favorite ceramic plate that I made years ago and then recently broke. Also included are some old springs, washers, a silver bracelet, a hawk feather, jute, a scrap of copper & a couple of glass moonstones for eyes. It’s now hanging on the outside of my studio. I call it ‘Grateful God.”
similar to a houseplant, ie proper lighting, ventilation, & watering. The main difference is that since they forgo soil, you need to water them by soaking & misting. Avoid buying from big box stores as they don’t know how to care for them properly. You best bet is a specialty plant store or an online air plant company. 
By Alanna Pass 