Paperclay

PAPERCLAY

I discovered paperclay quite by chance while searching the web on ceramic sculptures in 2004. At that time, I did not know what paperclay was and thought it would be a new type of clay I could use to create my tall sculptures. Before this, I had always used the traditional clay bodies but ran into the clay’s limitation as my sculptures grew taller and larger the clay would slump under its own weight.

The more research I did on paperclay, the more excited I became. At last, I can build tall structures in a very short time. The paperclay was holding up on its own extremely well. This was the answer I was looking for. Paperclay is my medium of choice for all my work. Sometimes, I also include other traditional clay bodies, for example, high grogged sculpture clays for their unique textures and colors. Recently, I’ve been using a reduced color palette, opting for the natural color of the clay to carry the form.

In addition to making my sculptures lighter, I now have more freedom in my creation process. No longer do I have to worry about the condition of the clay at what ever stage. I like the fact that wet paperclay can be joined to bone dry pieces, even dry to dry joints are not an issue. If a dry piece should break off, it’s a simple matter of sticking it back on with some paperclay slip. Even cracked, bisqued pieces can be repaired and re-fired.

The resulting bisqued piece behaves just like any other clay body so there is no difference in the glazing process.

I’ve used paperclay in high fire, low fire, raku, pit fire and the Kazegama firing without any problems.

NOTE: More information on paperclay and the artists who are using it can be found on the internet.

LINKS: (by permission)

http://www.grahamhay.com.au/paperclay.html