I love to work in clay. All forms of clay. I have tried them all. Some I prefer more than others for different reasons. These masks are all made a ceramic studio. Ceramics are time consuming and nerve wracking. You have to go through many levels and it takes weeks. First you have to build the item and let it dry to green-ware stage. This is when the piece is at its most fragile. It can shrink, crack or warp depending on how it has been constructed. It takes a long time to dry correctly. Once it is at green-ware it has to go through it’s first firing. Again, anything can go wrong. If it gets through it first firing it has a chance of survival. It goes onto glazing. This is the bullshit stage. Do your best but it is a crap shoot. If the kiln loader does not know what they are doing and loads a piece to close to yours it can absorb the coloring of the other piece. I have had many things wrecked in this stage. It goes back in the kiln for yet another firing. If it actually comes out…SUCCESS!!! If you have ever wondereed why ceramics are so expensive? It takes weeks for one piece. It is really hard to get a perfect piece.
I do LOVE ceramics but it is really a complicated sport and you can never get to attached to your piece until it goes through all stages. Everything can go wrong. It is kinda like making a baby…you just hold your breath until it comes out.