PORCELAINia
Fabrication
 | After conceiving a plan to unite the parts (faces, vertices, edges), they are prepared from the materials on hand. Each part is shaped so that it will "fit" to its neighbor, i.e., not too small and not too large, thereby preventing underlap and overlap. For smaller solids, the parts are attached to a solid sphere of appropriate size. For larger solids to prevent their "blowing up" in the kiln during firing, the parts are attached to each other and the center is left hollow. After the parts have been assembled to each other using dark and white slips, they are pressed together to produce a relatively smooth surface. Finally, to complete the Fabrication Stage, the piece is placed under running water and its surface rubbed to remove the smudging caused by excess clay. The design is thereby revealed as the work is "water birthed." Click on a sphere below for a demonstration of the fabrication stages of the Tetrahedron(4), Hexahedron(6), Octahedron(8), Dodecahedron(12), and Icosahedron(20). |
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