Clay Figures
Figures in White Clay, about
16 inches tall, 1982-83
These were done during
my freshman year at Rhodes College, Memphis, TN, under Lon
Anthony.
Raku Masks - Early
Hominids
Inspired by the
Missing Link Exhibit, Academy of Arts and Sciences, San Francisco,
CA, August 1999. I referred to color photos in the book From
Lucy to Language, by Donald Johanson, Blake Edgar (Contributor),
and David Brill (Photographer). Clay
masks are about 7x5". Raku
firings were done in Wes Burns' sculpture class at West Valley
College, Saratoga, CA - Summer 1999.
Raku is a Japanese method of glaze firing, using low heat in an
outdoor kiln, the results of which are unpredictably beautiful.
Colors are dependent on the amount of reduction during the firing
process. The bone effect on the Gorilla skull is achieved by
using a Crackle White Raku glaze. The Lucy skull, bottom right,
has a shiny Lithium Blue glaze which can vary in color from green
to turquoise to black. The australopithicines, top row, have a
matte Copper Lithium glaze which can vary from royal blue to
reddish bronze to gold.
This page
last updated on January 4th, 2000.
Copyright © 2000 Stasia Marie Burke McGehee.