I joined James Ort in his class at West Dean College for four days of rapid clay animal sculpting and learnt so much about firing rather than casting a sculpture…. It was liberating to get great results from only a few hours of sculpting. No moulding or casting in sight!
As you’re fully drying out the clay and then kiln firing, there are all sorts of tips and techniques to counter the shrinkage of the clay during drying…. And the possibility of explosion due to expanding air bubbles! The only downside is that the finished pieces are very fragile and always one-off unless you do go through the moulding process and cast them.
Here are my results…
