Ceramic

The Art of Working with Clay

CRAFTS a Jacobson Production
For a more detailed experience with clay sign up for
Ceramics class!

What is Clay &

Where Does it Come From?

Clay is formed from the weathering and erosion of rocks

from the mineral group feldspar and is made of particles
with a grain size of less than 4 micrometers. Clay is
common and can be found all over the world. When wet,
most clays can be molded and formed into shapes.
When exposed to very high temperatures, clay can
become as hard as stone.

Where does clay come

from?

Clay naturally occurs in the earth.

Native America Indians and other cultures dug it up
from riverbanks.
We purchase clay from a industrial site that mixes
clay and packages it.

Why is Clay a Good Art

Media?

What is so cool about clay (besides that it is easy

and cheap to get) is that it is squishy when it is
wet, so you can make it any shape you like. It
has long been a popular art media for building
with.

Vocabulary

Ceramics: The process

of making objects from
clay and hardening the,
by fire
Kiln: a special ceramic
furnace that can reach
3000 degrees
Fired: After clay is
shaped and dried it
needs to be fired- this is
when the clay is in the
kiln.

Plastic Clay: Clay that is

wet enough to be worked
but firm enough to hold
its shape.
Leather-hard: clay that
is still damp but too dry
to shape.
Slip: clay that has so
much water that it is
liquid and runny. Slip is
used to join pieces of clay
together.

A Pinch Pot mug

Get a sheet of newsprint

paper and sketch 2
different ideas for a mug

The History of Clay

The first evidence of clay being used by mankind was some
5000 years ago. The Babylonians used clay to make
bricks. This was because stone was difficult to come by and
move. Clay on the other hand, was easy to mix and shape and
once dry, was a valid support for early constructions.

The History of Clay

But potters also used fired clay to make functional
objects like dishes and plates and cups and cook
pots. The first clay pottery was made around 6500
BC by Neolithic man.

The History of Clay

The Greeks were the first culture to make a sophisticated

form of pottery in the 5th & 6th century BC. As the result of
its relative durability, their pottery is a large part of the
archaeological record of Ancient Greece.

The History of Clay

Examine this vase. Notice

the extreme detail and
decoration.
What do you notice
about its texture?
Describe the lines,
shapes and designs
What might it tell us
about the Greek
Culture?

The History of Clay

Its smooth & shiny

Geometric line designs
on top and bottom.
Tell us about a battle,
uniforms and weapons
they used.

Native American
Pottery

Native American pottery is made by hand by

women.

The women would spend hours on end mixing the clay, then
wedging it to remove the air pockets, Then they would then
pound out a flat circle of clay to serve as a base and build the
coils up to form the shape. It took time to blend the coils
together.

Famous Native American Potters

Iris Nampeyo
1942)

(1860

Nampeyo is considered
the best potter of her
time.
She helped revitalize the
original form of Hopi
pottery.
Nampeyo's ideas for
designs and styles for her
pottery were inspired from
the many ancient ruins.
This form of pottery is
"characterized by a clear
yellow surface with
elaborate decorations in
brown and red"

Famous Native American Potters

Maria Martinez

(1881 1980)

She was a Native American Pueblo Indian

artist who created
internationally known pottery and is the most
famous Potter of all time.
At an early age, she learned pottery skills from
her aunt.
Her form of pottery is "characterized by rich
black on
black color.

How is Clay Fired?

Ancient civilizations fire

clay in a bonfire pit, called
a pit firing
The Egyptians where the
first culture to make a
kiln, they dug a room into
the ground which was
heated by fire.
Today kilns are either gas
or electric and heat up
between 1200-3000
degrees
Some artist still use the
idea of the pit fire now
called Raku. This type of

Methods of Building
withClay

Pinch Pot: a method of

rolling a ball of clay and
pinching a shape out of it.
Clay Coil: Rolling snake like
shapes out of clay and
stacking them on top each
other to build a form.
Clay Slab: Rolling flat sheets
of clay out like cookie dough
and then cutting them out and
connecting them to build a
form.
Potters Wheel: A device that
spins a ball of clay as your
hand forms it into a shape.

Methods of Building with Clay

Pinch Pot: a method of rolling a ball of clay and pinching a

shape out of it.

Methods of Building with Clay

Clay Coil: Rolling snake like shapes out of clay and stacking them on
top each other to build a form..

Methods of Building with Clay

Clay Slab: Rolling flat sheets of clay out like cookie dough and
then cutting them out and connecting them to build a form.

Methods of Building with Clay

Potters Wheel: A device that spins a ball of clay as your hand
forms it into a shape.

The Five Stages of

Clay

Each of these stages

the clay body
changes. As the
water evaporates
the clay shrinks.
Then when heat is
applied to it the clay
vitrifies and turns to
ceramic.
1.Plastic Clay
2.Leather-hard clay
3.Greenware clay
4.Bisqueware clay

Wedging the Clay

Wedging is the

process to preparing
the clay to build with
it.
Wedging makes the
clay nice and smooth.
It can help dry out clay
that is too wet to work
with.
Its can help to moisten
clay that is too dry to
work with.
As it mixes the clay it

https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=GNZhkHJ1ozE

Video on Maria
Martinez

As you watch the video; consider what aspects of her work show
its a CRAFT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VHL-lMCNNE