Haystack Part I: What I Made

It was a productive session for me at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts June 23 - July 5.

I brought back three bird baths. I've seen a catbird cooling off in the one I placed in my garden yesterday, so it works. All three were made in two pieces: bowl and stand. They were larger than any other clay work made by anyone during the 12 day session, and stylistically they didn't resemble others either. That's not to say they are good.

When they came out of the kiln I felt almost shocked. They were unfamiliar - transformed by the glaze and the salt firing. I couldn't look at them. They seemed to me like weird, gothic furniture, contorted forms dripping with glaze. Some pieces had definite problems with glaze that I hope to fix at home. One bowl had a crack near the rim.

Bird baths, cups & Twisted sculpture

The cups in the photo were an early exercise before we started working on our own ideas.

I also made some sculpture based on the theme I chose for myself: "Twisted." One was a wobbly-looking coiled tower, one a crooked extruded cylinder with a tiny supporting limb, and the last to be made, a crushed and twisted cylinder made to look like a pop-top soda can. I painted the can with underglazes giving it an invented brand name and lots of lettering and images.

These last three pieces were the most well received by the class and by me. Because it seemed so popular with everyone, I ended up donating the soda can to the auction that took place on the last night of the session. It raised the grand sum of $50 for the school.

"El's Diet Weasel"