During my Ceramics II class this fall semester I started to create around the theme of Baba Yaga. For those who are unfamiliar with this powerful and enigmatic witch, I will give her a brief introduction. In Slavic folklore, she is revered and honored as the Mistress of the Woods or as a mother nature figure, a wise old woman. She lives in a sentient house that walks around on chicken legs, is surrounded by a fence topped with skulls, and flies around in a giant mortar using a pestle to guide her way. Much like nature, she is neither good nor evil but always wise. She is a character in countless tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Vasilissa the Beautiful. Baba Yaga is a figure who inspires me in both art and life.
I have had a fascination with her iconic house on chicken legs for a while now and knew that it was something that I wanted to use as an inspiration. The first idea that came to mind was to make a cauldron that sits on chicken legs. I felt it would be a cool altarpiece for someone who loves her as much as I do. The first cauldron I made is still incomplete because I want to add gold to the legs but it’s mostly finished. From the first attempt, I have learned that I need to make the legs, especially the toes, more sturdy and secure so they don’t have a risk of falling off and breaking in the kiln. I had one toe fall off in the bisque fire but thankfully I was able to reattach it. Since the first cauldron, I have made one more with different leg placements and a candle stick holder. For my second attempt at at the leg placements I changed the direction, having the foot holding the cauldron instead of being on the bottom. This made the feet more sturdy and less likely to break but I didn’t like it as much as the first idea. The candle holder definitely has my favorite looking chicken leg so far and it’s sturdier than the first attempt too! I still have a long way to go in figuring out how I want to attach the chicken legs but I am enjoying the process. Once I create a pair of legs I like I can make a mold and add chicken legs to anything! I’m excited to keep you all updated on my process and discoveries.
Featured Image: https://sunbirds.com/texts/fairytales/Baba%20Yaga/image.jpg
