Spheres

I am calling this piece the messy mandala because I based the design off of a mandala pattern. The base of the design is on the top, directly in the center, the lines work themselves outwards and towards the sides of the sphere. I decided on a mandala design because they are easy patterns that have the ability to make up a large composition. This design, though complex looking, is very simple to create.

For materials I used red clay, glaze, and a scraping tool. While creating this piece I tried to make my lines bold and prominent, but the first layer of clay was so fragile that it chipped in a few areas. Trying to make my pattern as even in size as possible, I used the "eye-balling" technique.

I wanted my work to look intricate and fun, and I did this by making the design flow outwards like it is getting bigger. I really like the color I choose for this piece, it bright and bold, but not flashy. I struggled with not being repetitive with my lines. If I could go back and fix anything in this piece I would try to be more gentle while scraping and carving the clay. Through this project I learned how to take two pinch pots and combine them into a sphere.