Further benefits of clay as an art medium relate to its physical factors and characteristics. Clay is a natural resource that can be found in the soil and under bodies of water all over the earth (Mackey, 2003). According to Counts (1976), clay is a plentiful resource as it accounts for nearly three-fourths of the earth’s crust. Additionally, since clay is formed through a process of weathering rock, clay is also a renewable and sustainable resource (Mackey, 2003). If desired, clay and bisqueware can even be recycled and reused, to reduce waste. Furthermore, the many different stages of clay, which include slip, plastic, leather hard, and bone dry, each render themselves well to unique techniques or processes, such as slip trailing, modeling, carving, and firing, respectively. The plastic quality of clay makes it an especially useful medium as it is very malleable and easily manipulated at this stage (Mackey, 2003). Moreover, the physical properties of clay, especially at the plastic and [softer end of] leather hard stages, lend the medium well both to taking on impressions or textures from various tools as well as to creating a work with a three-dimensional form (Mackey, 2003).
References
Counts, Charles. (1976). Pottery workshop: A study in the making of pottery from idea to finished form. Macmillan.
Mackey, M. (2003). Teacher’s edition: Experience clay. Davis Publications.