….most schools don’t have kilns so working with clay has been largely non-existent

I have tried using air dried clays in the past but not with much success. This workshop let teachers experiment and play with a variety of air dry clays that are available from the board supply catalogue and from the local art store. I always thought that this type of clay was too expensive to use with a class, never mind 5 classes.

We enjoyed working with most of the brands. Of course the one brand we didn’t like was the one we can order from the board. The others were all soft and easy to handle and manipulate. We could also compare the prices and since we were allowed to take home our little pinch pots we can compare each brand for the time it takes to dry.

After experimenting with the different brands of clay, the real fun began. We used photos from the famous artist, Karl Blossfeldt, for inspiration and created three dimensional sculptures with the clay we liked the best. I was really impressed with how creative everyone was. At the end of the class all the pieces were attractively displayed with the photographs that inspired the creations.

Here are some close=ups of the individual pieces.

I’m actually excited about using clay with some of my art classes.