Light is something that inspires me often and I love it when it projects onto a wall or illuminates something at just the right time. I also love to carve into clay, it is tedious but I find it relaxing to sit and cut out tiny pieces and poke them through. This project was a great mix of both of these elements.
To start, I threw bottle shapes on the wheel. It was a difficult shape to create for me, especially where the top tapers but good learning experience.
I let them dry for a day before starting to carve them and this made it so much easier! Before I officially started carving I outlined where I wanted to make all of the cuts and then took my dull X-acto knife and went to town. I didn’t time myself but each one took a few hours. I listened to a good podcast and got into the zone.
After that, the most important step was to put wax on them so they would dry without cracking because I pushed the clay to the limits with how much I cut out. After that it was a waiting game, hoping they came out of the kiln in one piece. Choosing what glaze is always the hardest decision for me but I am really happy with how they both came out.
I was beyond excited to put a candle in one and see how it looked in the dark! These were so enjoyable to make and I am already starting to think of what other shapes I want to see projected onto the wall. I can’t wait to make some more.
