The remains of a stone, thrown from a mountain, are ground more and more. Granulated, pulverized, turned to dust until it settles like silt in the calm arms of a river. For centuries, people have been mining it. We dig it up to wash and knead it and then …
About 15,000 years ago, people discovered that fire could turn clay into stone. And we are still doing it. We started with bowls that could hold our food and the first figurines. Female figurines, of course, for women to give birth, give life.
Those first sculptures were made by hand, without a wheel or mold, everything was molded by hand. When you visit an archaeological museum, you can sometimes see those bowls, which date back several thousand years, and which still contain the manufacturer’s fingerprints. A man or a woman like you, with hands and fingers. Maybe cursing that things didn’t turn out the way he or she wanted or being proud and happy with the result of all this kneading, shoving and shooting. It was adorned with twigs and ropes and pinches and nudges in the clay. Balance and order the decoration device, like today.
It takes several years before you can impose your will on the clay. It is a time consuming process to really know the material. To know when to shape it, when to let it dry. Pat dry a bit so you can continue later. Then continue shaping, holding, further drying, polishing until exactly what you want it to be.
Then you shoot it. Modern clay ovens are computer operated. You put your work in the oven and set a program. Mine usually takes about 18 hours. I start with a little drying (90 degrees) to remove all the water and prevent the work from exploding because the water starts to boil. So watch out for the quartz inversion at 573 degrees. This is when the clay changes from hard silt to a stone-like substance. If this process goes too fast, it will go wrong. 900 degrees is just enough to change and strengthen the clay, but some clays can be fired up to 1,300 degrees. Porosity and hardness will be determined by temperature and the type of clay you use.
We use clay products all the time. To eat and drink, to urinate, to cook and wash, to look at, to insulate, as a heat-resistant material. Even to live in and under! Clay is an intriguing material …