Coil Creations

Coil Coaster

First Friday Art Club in August went in stitches.  Coil Creations was the fiber based theme, which proved to be more of a struggle than originally anticipated.

Just getting Started

The process to make a vessel by coiling is to take a base cord (we had clothes line, paracord, and very thick yarns to test), then wrap the cord with a thinner string and stitch with a needle.

That's the method!

There were fourteen eager students ready to create something that afternoon.  Many factors lead to a struggle with this project.  In general, kids do not sew or even hold a sewing needle in these modern, technology laden days.  It was hard for the students to understand the flow of the thread through the cord.

Round & Round

Sewing is a skill prevalent in my life and I had the 

assumption that this knowledge is shared in school.  I quickly learned that our tutorial with terrific pictures lacked the simple steps of moving the thread through the coils, keeping the string fluid and avoiding knots.

A table surface was helpful

 Luckily there were two other adults ready to help with the process, but the string kept defeating these makers.  Poor quality embroidery floss continued to knot upon itself, causing loads of frustration.  Good thing we had persistence to finish the project.

Tons of Time

This project took lots of patience on the part of teacher and student.  My sample, seen at the beginning of this post, only grew to coaster size, but some students were determined to make a true container.  This little pink vessel above seemed fit for a fairy.

Practice Makes Perfect

Some students learned this process on their own time at home.  After several attempts, they discovered their mistakes and were able to cruise through this class.  Practice makes perfect with any skill.  Pushing forth can lead to a beautiful final project, but I admit this time-consuming process is not for most.  Hands can cramp, needles can disappear on the floor, and string will always knot.  

Keep trying

While we put our struggles behind us, check back in September when we make Stained Glass Fake Out drawings.  This should be a relaxing project to prep the mind for the first days of school.  It will be a colorful experience.

Thanks for visiting!

~erica

Clay Coil Creatures Part 1

First Friday Art Club visited and learned in a local museum in

March with a ceramics survey course. 

Who has visited the Rockwell Museum before today?

We visited The Rockwell Museum for a visit in the galleries and a lesson in ceramic construction. The class began with a pristine education lab.  Education Programs Coordinator, Amy Ruza, led instruction on clay hand building using the coil technique, with the most important law of clay building- slip and score.

Slip and Score is like glue in ceramics.

The students got straight to work, understanding that they had a very strict time frame to complete this segment of the project.  It was impressive to watch these budding artists take lumps of clay and transform them into mini masterpieces.

From Lump-thing to Something

The idea was to create a creature form the coil technique, hence the program title, "Clay Coil Creatures."  

The results are quite fascinating...

There were turtles and squirrels

Great examples of coils and smooth textures

Then there were elephants

This lady has taken ceramics classes before.

They discovered texture options...

Texture with party beads

In just under an hour of working time, there was a jungle of creatures and shapes to adore. These need to dry for about two weeks before they get bisque fired 

and prepared for the next class in April.  

The next phase of these projects is glazing, 

which will give everything a new life of color and shine!

From clay to bisque, waiting for glaze

Check back in April to view the collection in it's final phase.

Thanks for visiting!

Beauty from the studio

A Special note of Thanks goes to the staff of the Rockwell Museum for collaborating with our library and welcoming our First Friday Art Club for a ceramics treat.