| When
I was a child in the late fifties and early sixties, I wanted to
live in a tree house or a hollowed out tree and live off the land. I
took classes in forestry from the Department of the Interior in
Washington, D.C. while still in elementary school, and pored over a U.S.
Army survival manual that my father brought home about how to live
without benefit of modern society.
I also
believed in fairies and would play for hours on
end in the woods, pretending with plates and cups made from leaves and
old wood,
making little hideaways with branches and boughs of pine (or blankets if
I was desperate). It was great fun, especially since my very active
imagination seemed to make it all work.
My work now reflects
that long ago appreciation of the woods and land that I was so familiar
with as a child. I’ve been a professional potter for years but I’ve
never felt as comfortable working with clay as I do now.
Starting with a thin
slab of clay, I roll in and cut out real leaves and carefully sponge the
edges. I’ll impress either one or both sides of the clay leaves,
depending on how they will be used, and add them to slab vessels,
overlap them for a ‘patchwork’ effect, or assemble them in much the
same way that I would make a dress from a pattern. The last method is
the most difficult since the leaves must often be cut away from the clay
to reveal a seam to attach to, but the results are the pieces I enjoy
making the most.
I am often asked if I
use stamps or molds for the impressions and shapes of the leaves. That
would be easy but it also wouldn't work. The real leaves must be left in
the clay while I’m working on the piece or else the clay would smudge,
erasing the delicate veining that I’m trying so hard to keep.
After the piece has
dried and been bisque fired, I’ll brush the stems, handles or other
accents with a rust glaze, wax them and then dip the whole piece into
the green leaf glaze. Some pieces require brushing the leaves and stems
first and covering them with wax, and then dipping the piece into
another glaze, usually white or yellow. That method is very time
consuming but I also find it somewhat meditative, a job that can be
quietly pleasant when I need it to be.
When fired, the stoneware or porcelain pieces are durable, dishwasher and microwave
safe. However, due to the delicacy of the designs, care should be taken because each creation is fragile.
What makes this work so
enjoyable for me is that I’m finally able to make the things I could
never quite pull off as a child. It is a very satisfying end to all
those years of dreaming.
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