Addition by Subtraction

Artist Statement

This piece demonstrates how different types of clay absorb water in varying amounts using clay loss as a material representation. In Week 1, our class conducted a lab using five different clay types, both wild clays and manufactured clay bodies, showing how each one absorbed water differently. Each of these forms corresponds with a sample from the lab where the amount of clay removed from the form is proportional to the amount of water that the clay body absorbed.

Form 1 is made of B-Mix and represents B-Mix itself, a clay body used extensively in studios. It absorbed about 5 mL of water, so 5 grams of clay was taken out of the form. Form 2 is made from SB Red clay and represents a mystery wild clay from Paul Myrow, which absorbed 16 mL of water, so 16 grams of clay was removed from this piece through a combination of holes and a textured pattern. Coming up with the idea for these forms was a difficult task, as I wanted them to be creative and unique while also portraying how clays absorb water in different amounts.

Form 3 was previously a similar closed form made of micaceous clay representative of another mystery wild clay found outside the geology department. Originally, I had taken out 59 grams of clay from the form since it absorbed 59 mL of water. While it survived the bisque kiln at a firing temperature of about 1046°C (1915°F) it unfortunately melted in the glaze kiln where the temperature was about 1185°C (2170°F). This was because the micaceous clay contains iron, which acts as a flux. An increase in iron content gives the clay body a lower melting temperature, which is why it couldn’t withstand the heat. This was quite a devastating discovery, as I had made a main form and a backup, both of which melted.

I wanted to use three different clay bodies to represent how natural and manufactured clays interact and respond to water, but the pieces also show how different clay contents can behave during firing. These events have changed my interpretation of the creative process as I had successful pieces that went according to plan and failed ones, for reasons both in and out of my control. The melting of the micaceous clay showed how heat can transform clay through phase change, in this case solid to liquid. This is similar to what happens in the mantle during melting, transforming solid rock into magma at high temperatures. These three pieces show both physical changes to the clay bodies similar to deep earth processes, as well as how clays interact with water, conveyed through intentional mass loss.