Artist Statement

This project was my first chance to work in this medium and experiment with clay as a base.  The intent was to create a stamp pattern that could be used to represent my "signature" on all my future projects.  The letters "S" and "G" use curved and sinuous form to reflect the flow of hands on clay.  They are encompassed in a circle to show the closure of the finished work that bears this mark.  

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The emphasis in this piece is best brought out through the use and organization of space because the lower flat-field area of the circle brings focus to the letters which are raised out of that surface.

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The hardest choice was deciding what I wanted to use as my symbol... My initials seemed the best choice.  There were no unforeseen obstacles during this project but it became clear that it is not as easy as it looks and will take practice and time to get good at working with clay!

 

The process was relatively straight forward:

  -Decide what symbol to use for the chop project

  -Create inverse image of symbol in plaster puck with use of stencil

  -Wedge the clay and create two balls for use as head and handle of chop

  -Force clay ball onto puck to transfer design to the head of the chop

  -Roll out second clay ball to form the handle of the chop

  -Score and slip the two pieces together and sponge for smoothness