Conjuring a Vessel and creature

Bell and chipmunk before firing (red clay)

For this assignment, we created a vessel and creature, using a burnishing technique on one and a design inlay on another.  I made a bell with a pinch pot method.  After the clay dries, you can burnish it with a spoon to make a smoother finish. Our professor is smoke firing our pieces in a metal garbage can at home using newspapers and sawdust as the combustible material.  You don’t need to bisque fire the clay before you smoke fire it over a period of a couple of days.  It will turn out with some surprising effects that are made by chance. You can also put WD-40 on it to make it darker looking, which is what my teacher helped me with on the bell.

Here is a link to a post on smoke-firing in an old charcoal grill!

The animal I made was a chipmunk. I gave it some lightning designs.

After the smoke firing

Inside the bell is a wooden bead