Now for something truly different, not thrown, not slab, not pinched, and not coiled. Give up? Just take an old cotton garden glove and a pan full of clay all mushed up with water, and start pushing the clay down inside the glove until the fingers are nice and plump. Then continue to spoon in the wet mush until it's full as a tick. Set aside to dry for a few days, and then think of what lies ahead.
Well, for one thing, your going to have to time it right. Too wet and you will not have the "hand" you desire and if you wait too long, the inside of the cotton glove will bond to the clay and you won't ever get it out. In addition, it isn't going to be easy to slice open the glove... just ask me... it wasn't!
But suddenly, there it is... surprisingly rough (I didn't realize how many seams and other manufacturing details were inside a garden glove.
The glazing was carried out with such enthusiam that I did both sides... thus making it impossible to set on a kiln shelf. Only with the use of a stilt (thanks, Nancy) was I able to have it fired... and even at that, I required the generousity of my friend Bob to offer me a little space in his kiln.
Did I say I put on a coat or two of extra glaze? Did I say this glaze runs a little? It does and I did... so the end of the story is, there is a stilt stuck to the bottom of the glove FOREVER. Makes a nice stand for the glove.
Name: Blue Garden Glove
Date: August 2009
Size: 8 x 5 x 1
Clay: Slip made from Highwater Riverside Grit
Glaze: Kathy's Opal Blue
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