Multiple Pinch Project

The assignment was to create a sculpture out of clay by using the pinch technique. We had to incorporate 5 or more pinch pots into our creation. I did this by stacking a bunny head on top of an elephant head which was stacked on a panda head, that was on an upside down turtle body. I made my project by first using the pinch technique. I rolled two even pieces of clay into balls, then I dug my thumbs into the center of the clay and used my fingers to pinch the clay in a circular motion. I connected the two pinch pots by slipping and scoring them, then smoothed it. I used this method for the rest of the heads. After I added details to the heads like, ears, eyes, mouths and noses. Mr. A fired it in the kiln and my next step was to glaze. I used multiple glazes like cherry blossom, red, white, black, clear and added 3 coats for each glaze. Lastly I fired it one more time and got my finished product.

In my artwork I used texture in the facial features by making them come out and pop more. To go along with texture, I used pattern on the turtle by making hexagons on the shell. My project didn't change much from my original idea other than I made the turtle upside down because I thought it would be cuter. Throughout my project I had some difficulties, for example my statue fell over in the kiln and broke. From this I had to think about how to glaze my project. I decided that i would glaze everything and attach it back on after I was done. Honestly, this made the glazing process easier because I didn't have to worry about other getting glaze on parts where it should be. Overall you can barely notice it even broke in the first place.

The meaning behind my artwork is that when I thought of doing multiple circular pots I thought about animal heads. I chose these animals because I love elephants, pandas and bunnies, so I wanted to incorporate my favorite animals into this project. Although I do not love turtles I decided to make one on the bottom because a turtle was a perfect base for my structure. This relates to my life because I am learning how to use a important clay method while still adding some of my favorite animals. I also love how happy the animals look, and how they look like cartoon characters almost. I proud of how well the animals came out, they look smooth and well done. I also am proud of how I problem solved when it broke. I struggled with glazing because for example the elephant looks uneven and not well done, this might be due to the fact that I mixed glazes, which now I know does not work well in the future. Also the turtle could used another coat of green glaze so its not as transparent. Next time I would make sure to have a good three coats of evenly distributed glaze on my pot.