Monday, May 2, 2011

Psalm 139


This is one of my projects that I am most proud of. One of the requirements for this project was to make a torso that had a story behind it. I decided to make a torso of a small body with a large stomach and the back arched. As I was making the arched back, the clay began to break apart. I patched it back together, but then another part began to break. I began a series of patchworks, but ultimately I knew that I had made the base too thin to hold the stomach and the back. After two hours of working, I smashed my torso. I decided that I would make a new one the next day.
I still wanted to have a theme of an overweight torso, I just decided to make it larger than before and less of an arch in the back.


As I was forming this piece, I couldn't help but think of how God formed me in my Mother's womb. How every single detail He thought of and planned a head of time with no mistakes. He made me exactly how I am and loves me just the same.

The glaze was a hard decision because I wanted it to look like it had color, yet at the same time, a natural, earthy color. I decided to use underglaze which is glaze that has more color than regular glaze and it paints on like paint. I could not decide the color. So I started with a light brown, but that did not look so well and I could not see much of a difference since it was bisque fired. Then I decided to paint on an orange, thinking that it would turn darker in the kiln. However there was not much of a difference from the light brown. That was when I decided to put a third coat on with mahogany brown.



When it came out the kiln I was not expecting, the colors to be speckled like it is. This also brought about a great sense of texture from the underglaze which I am very happy about.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." --Psalm 139:14--

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