When it comes to clay, I compulsively fuss over it. I adjust and re-adjust until I am satisfied (or run out of time). I can easily spend hours on one piece. To any other potter, this is pure craziness. How can one make any money at all this way? Well, one can't hardly. But it is to the details and the precision that I am drawn most. Sculpting and carving are just begging to be applied to every thrown form.
The problem is, I have been commissioned to make over 40 handmade relief tiles for St. Croix Valley's Happy Gardener Tour this spring. This task would be simply insane to take on in my typical fashion. When I accepted this proposition, I knew I would need to venture into unfamiliar territory. This job would require the enlistment of pottery plaster and perhaps a canteen and compass.
I have avoided mold-making of any sorts, fearing that it would take some of the unique nature away from my work. It was a foreign matter that I felt best left to those interested in painting ceramic figurines.
But with the aid of the staff at Continental Clay and a few internet tutorials, I have taken my first steps on this new trail. Stumbling is only natural, right? My first experiment failed miserably. Even though the directions specifically said to use cold water, my left hand habitually cracked the faucet and voila - pure cement. I hastily diluted the mixture with more warm water and dumped the solidifying mess into my make-shift plastic container, covering my meticulously crafted master tile. The 20-minute curing time turned into a day and a half, whereby I accepted defeat, tossed it all out, and called in for help. A good reminder to test the water, so to speak.
I learned my lesson in following instructions. I made a sample tile and carefully measured the plaster to water ratio. I built a legitimate melamine frame. Now I was ready. I made my second master tile which is now happily nestling inside a curing framework of pottery plaster.
I have been dreaming about the possibilities of plaster in my future work. My love for sculpting can be economized with molds. I don't think of this as cheating anymore, instead I appreciate the value it can give. I am excited to watch these tiles take shape.
