1.02022 Archive of RENATURED, Marina Zurkow's Research Bloghttps://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022Marinahttps://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022/blog/author/admin/As for the clay, now I am teaching myself how to process it. I'm using the best online explanation I could find <a href="http://www.goshen.edu/art/DeptPgs/rework.html" target="_blank">here.</a> So first, yeah, I found some clay. I was simply excited to touch the stuff and <em>recognize </em>it as clay: silky, powdery, and if you wet it and rubbed it between your fingers, you could tell, if you'd ever handled slip in a cushy predetermined amateur clay studio like the one I work in in Brooklyn. I'm not good at assessing clay yet; apparently you should roll the clay in question between your palms and if it turns into a worm, it's good whereas if it falls apart or smears into palmy smaze, it's not going to be very usable. <div><dl id=""><dt><img alt="" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/9428088945_c33d1c7a7d.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></dt><dd>Sauvies Island clay sampling (digging)</dd></dl></div> Back at <a href="www.pnca.edu" target="_blank">PNCA</a>, I'm using the ceramics studio to see if it's usable, fireable, what it can do -- if anything. <div><dl id="attachment_3437"><dt><a href="https://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022//wp-content/uploads/2013/08/clayprocess1.jpg"><img alt="clayprocess1" src="https://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022//wp-content/uploads/2013/08/clayprocess1.jpg" width="415" height="310" /></a></dt><dd>Drying it out, then slaking it by turning it all to consistent mush</dd></dl></div> <div><dl><dt><img alt="" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/9461035938_46fc80c052.jpg" width="450" height="337" /></dt><dd>Straining the mush to get rid of debris (thanks  to awesome <a href="http://lizlux6.weebly.com/installation-gallery.html" target="_blank">Liz Lux</a> for help building the strainer frame!)</dd></dl></div> So that's where I am. More to come as the clay does its thing.   +++   Update Aug 14 I processed all the clay samples from the four sites. Willamette #2 I left as slip and Willamette #3 I had to amend with some Kentucky Old Mine #4 Ball (OM-4) clay, apparently from a mine in Kentucky. I was told* that clay, in order to have any plasticity, must contain a variety of particle sizes or it will dry up and crack, as mine did when I laid it out on the plaster slab. But as slip, it is surprisingly adherent and is not cracking. Here are 4 slab-rolled hand-built stoneware cups, coated with slip from Willamette site #2: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22155573@N00/9509141499/in/set-72157634917542638"><img class="alignnone" alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3809/9509141499_73c726cf8f.jpg" width="500" height="282" /></a>   Here are 2 pinch pot containers made from the Willamette site#3  clay amended with 20% OM-4 Clay. Even with the added clay, it was still quite lifeless so I knew that slab rolling for hand-built cups was not going to end well: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22155573@N00/9509141957/in/set-72157634917542638"><img class="alignnone" alt="" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/9509141957_d0ae05f0ed.jpg" width="500" height="282" /></a> Next step: firing. One bisque fire (no 2nd firing): <a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/9573381746_6bc458e683.jpg"><img class="alignnone" alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/9573381746_6bc458e683.jpg" width="500" height="282" /></a> <a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/9573383160_6ded582378.jpg"><img class="alignnone" alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/9573383160_6ded582378.jpg" width="500" height="282" /></a>   They are much brighter red than you see here. + + + + * More info on clay elasticity: <a href="http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/topic/3087-clay-elasticity-or-not/" target="_blank">http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/topic/3087-clay-elasticity-or-not/</a> "For a body to be really workable, you need particles of various sizes. Grog, while rated at a specific mesh size, actually has particles of many sizes." Some suggestions from this forum include adding ball clay, which is fine, urine, beer, and bentonite.rich