Tools always awaiting me on my decorating table, left to right: 2 wooden sticks, one with a little thicker tip than the other used to smooth and seal the seams of attachment such as handle to cup and to deepen incised lines. Next, my little wooden handled knife purchased in 1975 for 99 cents in a grocery store in Marshall, Texas under the toutalege of my mentor, James Sanders. It's tip has worn from pointed to flat as it has worked as an extension of my hand to incise lines into at least 20,000 pots over 35 years. Next, sponges that smooth bumps and re-wet handle and cup so that they stay moist together as I work to join and sculpt in the dry air for hours. Then, a wooden stick that opens the splits and defines the folds and peels back the clay to create edges. Last, my exacto knife that carves out sections of clay in the base and makes clean cuts when needed.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Tools
Tools always awaiting me on my decorating table, left to right: 2 wooden sticks, one with a little thicker tip than the other used to smooth and seal the seams of attachment such as handle to cup and to deepen incised lines. Next, my little wooden handled knife purchased in 1975 for 99 cents in a grocery store in Marshall, Texas under the toutalege of my mentor, James Sanders. It's tip has worn from pointed to flat as it has worked as an extension of my hand to incise lines into at least 20,000 pots over 35 years. Next, sponges that smooth bumps and re-wet handle and cup so that they stay moist together as I work to join and sculpt in the dry air for hours. Then, a wooden stick that opens the splits and defines the folds and peels back the clay to create edges. Last, my exacto knife that carves out sections of clay in the base and makes clean cuts when needed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Seeing the tools, reading about their specific uses, understanding them as extensions of your hands and your artistic vision makes me aware of the creator and the process which results in these beautiful creations. I'm especially touched by the evidence of the process present in the tools -- the coating of dried clay, the worn tip of the knife...
ReplyDeleteDeborah...thanks for joining in a deeper understanding....Julia
ReplyDelete