Week 13 Assignment to Self

Use Clay to Play with Surface Design

Explore possible surface decorations for angel wings through a series of rapidly executed experiments –

Roll five slabs, mark four with a grid

Preassemble tools: small ribbon tools, premade clay stamps, rubber stamps, miscellaneous found object tools (pencil, emery board, marker lids…),Timer

Slabs 1-4 Use five minutes and one set of tools per grid marked slab to create as many textures as possible.

Slab 5 Use five minutes and any / all combinations of tools on plain to create as many textures as possible.

 An added benefit to this assignment, while digging through my clay tools, I discovered a small cylinder seal I had made and forgotten about!

I couldn't wait to get started on this assignment. I felt like it would be the perfect opportunity to explore designs for my angel wings.  Traditionally, the wings are painted with two or three simple line patterns.  I was having difficulty translating that look onto clay, and hadn’t been satisfied with anything I’d came up with.  So, I gave myself the assignment posted above, assured myself that I would not be bound to actually use the designs, and began to play.  As I carved and pressed with reckless abandon I enjoyed the freedom to not worry about originality and craftsmanship.  While exploring I found myself thinking of what to try next….how I might repeat something, add something, and omit something.  I discovered new techniques for using my ribbon tools. (I never knew that the round loop tool could work like a melon baller, carving out a near perfect sphere when used on leather-hard clay!)
I particularly enjoy the texture achieved when pressing a screw head into the clay and in the end decided to use it for part of the wing design.

How could I see this experience translating into my classroom practice? As I have mentioned before, in my elementary classroom there is so much curriculum to cover that I feel like I am driven to move quickly from project to project.  I provide far too few opportunities for my students to ‘play’ with a medium prior to the start of a project.  I think that by building some play time into my lessons it would provide valuable chances for them to explore freely, to enjoy that random ‘what-if’ thought process, and then, determine if they wanted to implement those new ideas in their work.