Clay | Grace Cherian, BA, MTS: Professional Writer and Mental Health Advocate

Birds. Sparrows, ducks, geese. I love them all. Even when I see pigeons suddenly take off in formation from telephone wires, I can’t help myself. I stop and smile up at them in wonder.

But the peacock belongs to a class of its own. This bird is special in many cultures. To Native Americans, it most closely describes the phoenix—the bird that burns itself up—and then rises from its ashes. That’s why it’s related to immortality. Due to the many eyes in its feathers, the peacock is also connected with wisdom, visions, and increased watchfulness.

For one of my ceramic projects, I set out to sculpt a peacock. And in keeping with my motto that all my pieces must be both beautiful and serve a purpose, I decided I would create a peacock candle holder.

Making the peacock involved four separate stages.

Stage1
I sculpted the body of the peacock with a head, crest, neck and wings. Then I made two very short cylinders (half an inch high), attaching them to the body. These would serve as the candle holders. I carved out deep enough hollows inside these cylinders so the candles could stand securely in them.

Stage 2
For the tail, I rolled out a slab of clay, one-quarter of an inch thick and made a semi-circle (radius approximately eight inches). Then I started making the tail feathers. Using a garlic press, I produced numerous thin strands of clay, each eight inches long and attached them to the mid-point of the base of the semi-circle, fanning out to the outer edge.

For the eyes of the feathers, I rolled out about one hundred little balls of clay. Yes, one hundred! I pressed each ball with a special stamp. This stamp converted the balls into oval pieces of clay and imprinted them with a design that resembles an aerial view of a snail’s shell.

Stage 3
Bruce, the clay facilitator at Creative Works Studio took over at this point. He carved out a cone-shaped hollow from the back of the bird’s body. Next he made a clay cone to match the hollow space he had created inside the back of the bird and attached this to the tail. Using enough slip, he expertly assembled the two pieces together. And there, sitting in front of me was my peacock. Like magic!

Stage 4
The peacock was fired in the kiln. Using different-coloured underglazes, I painted the white bisque. It went into the kiln a second time. When it came out of the kiln this time, I coated the peacock with a clear glaze to add a shine to it.

When I started this project, I had no idea how challenging it would be. Or how labour-intensive. Creating the tail (with all the veins and eyes) and then painting each eye one by one took such a lo…ong time. The funny thing is even if I had known beforehand what I was getting into, I would have gone on full steam ahead. You see, the time and labour was well worth it. I have a very beautiful ceramic piece which now adorns my living room.

A few years ago, I became a member of Creative Works Studio. I love to muck around with clay. There’s something very healing about digging into the clay and getting your hands dirty. But I only create pieces that are beautiful and serve a purpose. The ceramic pieces I craft must have form and function. Bruce, the clay facilitator at the studio, has been sculpting for about twenty years. He helps the members of our studio move our pieces from vision to reality. I call him our “ceramics engineer.”

Because I had never worked with clay before, Bruce suggested a pinch pot for my first project. He cut a piece of clay for me. Then he showed me how to work it between the palms of my hands and turn it into a ball.

I pushed my thumb into the centre of the ball of clay. Then I pinched up the walls, rotating the clay between my hands as I pinched. Doing this helps to create an even wall all around.

When I was satisfied with the size and shape of my pot, I patted it on the table to create a flat base. But I wanted a lid for my pot. So I rolled out a slab of clay, took the lid of a jar of glaze. I outlined the circle on the clay with a pointed tool and then got rid of the surplus clay. And, voila, I had a lid!

A clay piece must dry naturally first before it can be fired in the kiln. Bisque refers to the piece that comes out of the kiln after it’s first fired. This is quite fragile. Next comes the glazing phase. You can choose underglazes or glazes. With glazes, you can never predict the colour of your piece after it’s fired. Underglazes, on the other hand, are ‘true,’ i.e., what you see is what you get. Underglazes also tend to be much more vibrant than glazes. And I love bright colours! So, I generally paint my bisque with underglazes. The piece then goes into the kiln a second time.

To create a shiny or glossy ceramic piece (an effect I really like), I coat the fired piece with a clear glaze. So I tend to fire my pieces three times in all. Yes, making a ceramic piece is a long, slow process. But creating really nourishes my soul.

I loved working on my first ceramic project. Making the pinch pot taught me to slow down. This is true of all clay projects. When you use old clay, you must remember to knead it. You want to get rid of all the air bubbles trapped in the clay. If you don’t knead, you risk having an explosion in the kiln. And that would be disastrous for everyone whose pieces are being fired!

Kneading the clay reminds me of all the times I used to make my own bread and pie pastry (yes, from scratch!). I love the aroma of bread baking in the oven. And, as for pies, my favourite was apple-rhubarb. Mom would give me the rhubarb which grew almost wild in her backyard. Thinking of those sweet, tart pies still makes my mouth water. Kneading the clay not only brings back fond memories, but I find the process very relaxing.

All ceramic pieces start with a vision. What do you want to create? Do you wish to make an ornament? Do you want something that serves a purpose? Or do you wish to make something that’s both beautiful and functional? And that’s the beauty of clay—you can create almost anything you want. The only thing that limits you is your imagination.

Tag Archives: Clay

A ceramic peacock candle holder

The humble pinch pot