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ceramics tips
Phoebe Cummings:
Magic of Raw Clay

Smashing Ways to
Make Ceramics

Common Kiln
Questions Answered

ceramicsculptures.net
Vol. 60 February/ March 2022
 Table of Contents

Pages 3-5
Phoebe Cummings Interview

Pages 6-9
Tips for making ceramics

10-11
Center Spread

12-15
Common Kiln Questions

16-19
Exclusive article!

2
 P heobe Cummings:
Artist Interview
Magic of Clay
By Marga Patterson

Phoebe Cummings
(b.1981) is a British sculp-
tress-ceramics artist work-
ing primarily with unfired,
living clay in its raw state. What have you learned from
She creates time-based
installations that are ex- working with unfired clay?
tremely detailed, deli- What have been some of the
cate, and multi-layered. challenges and rewards?
Phoebe’s exquisite clay
sculptures pulse with an
irresistible energy as they I think being able to keep
gradually shapeshift over doing it is the biggest re-
time shrinking, cracking, ward. The endlessness of
breaking, or sweating, fall- clay is also a reward, it can
ing to pieces and just keep going – be one
turning to dust. They are thing, dissolve, and then
transient and temporary, become something else. I
reminiscent of the cycle of really enjoy that about it.
life. We spoke with I’m continually surprised.
Phoebe Cummings to Every time I do a project, I
unravel the ideas behind learn more, clay is always
her work, learn about why teaching me things.
she is so fascinated by raw
clay, and how she blends
intuition with active mate-
rial
to create
ephemeral masterpieces.

3
 How did you choose
clay as your
primary medium?

Clay was this

Portrait of the artist P hoebe Cummings by Camilla Greenwell, 2017.
material that I kept
coming back to
rather than always
knowing that was
what I wanted to
do. Whatever ideas
I had, clay had
something to offer,
it was always a way
of thinking things
through. Clay is so
varied, in one sense
it is a simple, basic
material, but equally,
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it is complex and has
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at different stages.
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It is many things at
once. I really like
that about it.

4
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You prefer not to Initially, it was a There are changes

fire your clay piec- way to keep making as I’m making it, it
without a studio or is much more of a
es, but leave them kiln, but I quickly dialogue between
in a raw state. realized that what me and the materi-
the clay offered me al, rather than me
Why? in its raw state was forcing the clay to
much more than I become something,
gained from firing there is a materi-
and the traditional al agency; the clay
way of working. pushes back.

5
 4 Tips for Clay
By Abby Schukei

Whether you’re a Clay dust is harmful

novice or seasoned because it’s more than
veteran, these 4 tips just dust, it’s silica.
are great reminders Crystalline silica is a
when working with mineral found in soil,
clay in your art room. sand, rocks, clay, etc.
Tiny particles become
1. Don’t use canvas. airborne, and we
One of the most breathe them in. Over
problematic things time, with too much
about working with exposure, a disease
clay is dust. Many called silicosis can
teachers use canvas develop. According to
covered tables or pla- the health care compa-
cemats as a working ny Concentra, silicosis
surface for students. occurs when silica
It’s a common prac- dust enters the lungs
tice because it helps and causes the for-
keep tabletops clean mation of scar tissue,
and clay from stick- reducing the lungs’
ing to the tables. But, ability to take
canvas or fabric mats in oxygen.
are also dust traps.

6
2. Wet wipe surfaces. 3. Air bubbles are a
To continue on the idea myth.
of preventing clay dust Opening the kiln
in your classroom, it to find that a piece
is essential to clean up has exploded is
your work areas using gut-wrenching. You’ve
wet cleaning methods. probably been taught
Avoid sweeping, vac- the widely believed
uuming, and dusting idea that air bubbles
because these methods are the cause of explo-
put dust back into the sions. But, this isn’t
air. To wipe off tables, necessarily true. This
placemats, and work idea takes the blame
areas have your stu- away from the teacher
dents use microfiber and puts it on the stu-
wash rags. These do an dent, but a bubble or
excellent job of picking an enclosed form does
up particles and can not cause an explosion.
easily be washed. It’s the moisture in-
side the air pocket that
caused the explosion
because the clay piece
did not have enough
time to dry.

7
Bone-dry clay is
porous and can let CONTACT
water vapor and air 518 Main Street,
out. This is how it Suite A
dries out in the first
Osage, IA 50461
place. When it comes
to the firing process, Main: 515.650.3198
there is chemistry
and physics occur-
ring that we don’t
even see. If a piece is
truly bone-dry, it has
-Fire with a preheat.
no more mechanical
water that needs to
-Do the cheek test. If
turn to steam, which
you hold a clay piece
means an explosion
to your cheek and
won’t occur. If it’s
it feels cold, don’t
not dry, don’t fire it.
place it in the kiln.
Here are three things
you can do to make
-Use a slow firing
sure your clay pieces
program.
won’t explode:

8
4. Limit fast firing pro- Even though there are
grams. health precautions and
When you’re setting complexities to consid-
your kiln program, you er, this shouldn’t be a
want it to be efficient. reason not to use clay.
This is why you might With proper care and
want to fire your kiln practice, clay is safe
on the highest or fast- and essential to use in
est setting, so it takes your classroom. Hav-
less time. Don’t do it. ing these four tips in
This is asking for a your knowledge bank
disaster to occur. There will help you prevent
are four main stages any future disasters in
of the firing process: your classroom from
Water Smoking, De- occurring.
hydration, and Quartz
Inversion, Oxidation,
and Maturity. At each
of these stages, if the
firing process occurs
too quickly, problems
can arise.

9
 You’ll be able to move
How to make Pottery you’ll forward quickly, too.
want to keep! With crystal-clear in-
structions and helpful
There is definitely a big learning photographs, every
curve with clay, and lots of early step is easy to follow,
attempts end up in the slop bucket. and there are dozens of
But this download includes accessi- tips and tricks from our
ble projects that will help you gain professional instructors
confidence quickly. You’ll learn to help you avoid com-
how to use a simple Chinet paper mon beginner mistakes
plate as a mold for slab building a and create pieces that
plate of your own. you’ll be proud of in no
time.

Home-made
vases made
from oven
baked clay.

10
“We shape clay into a pot, but
it is the emptiness inside that holds
whatever we want.
-Tao Saying You see, no one can teach
you how to make pottery like
Ceramic Arts Network! We’re
an extensive, experienced
online resource created for the
benefit of potters and ceramic
artists worldwide.

You can’t make

great pots without
clay and this guide
gives you clear in-
structions both for
mixing small batch-
es by hand, and for
using a mechanical
mixer for larger
batches. Even if you
plan to buy clay
premixed from a
supplier, this arti-
cle includes great
information that
will help you under-
stand your clay.

11
Common Kiln FAQS
By: The Ceramic Shop

How to Choose an If you are firing glass

Electric Kiln to 1500° F, buy a kiln
rated to 1700° F. If you
1. Temperature fire ceramics to cone 6,
The kiln you choose buy a cone 10 kiln. As
must be rated hot heating elements age,
enough for the ware they draw less and
that you will fire: less power. Generally,
the higher the kiln’s
2350° F: Porcelain and maximum tempera-
stoneware ture rating, the longer
2300° - 2000° F: Low- the elements last. This
fire ceramics is because even after
1400°-1700° F: China the elements begin to
painting, glass fusing, wear, they still draw
glass slumping, enam- enough amperage to
eling, bead annealing fire the ware.Another
It is a good idea to buy advantage to higher
a kiln that will fire hot- temperature capacity is
ter than you need it to. that during periods of
low voltage, your kiln
will still likely reach
the temperature you
need.

12
2. Size spending time on In addition, kiln
In general, the larger other projects. Oth- shelves for 10-sided
the kiln, the low- ers prefer firing kilns are lighter than
er the cost per cu- fewer large loads. those for 12-sided
bic foot of interior The 10-sided kiln is kilns and are easier
space. Divide a kiln also a good choice to lift.
price by its cubic for those who need
feet. Will you want short firing cycles.
to fire many small Since 10-sided kilns
loads or a few large are smaller than
ones? Some people 12-sided, they can
prefer to fire fre- heat and cool faster.
quent small loads to
see how special ef-
fects turn out before

13
3. Firebrick or
Ceramic Fiber

Though ceramic
fiber heats and cools
faster, insulated fire-
brick (used in most
kilns) outlasts ce-
ramic fiber. So each
material has
its advantages.

In addition, heating
elements are easy
to replace in a fire-
brick kiln, because
they are exposed in
firebrick grooves.
Most ceramic fiber 4. Front or
kilns use elements top loading
embedded into the Ceramists typically use
ceramic fiber. There- the small front loaders for
fore, these elements glaze testing and small
cannot be replaced. pieces. Large front-loading
Instead, the ceramic studio kilns are easier to
fiber firing chamber load than top-loading mod-
and elements are els because you don’t have
replaced as to bend down into the kiln.
a single unit.

14
5. Can I install a kiln 6. What do I need for
in my home? the arrival of my kiln?

You can install a kiln Well, you need to be

for use in a residential available most impor-
house/basement/garage tantly. Either The Ce-
as long as you follow the ramic Shop or your kiln
guidelines outlined by the manufacturer will be in
manufacturer. If it will be touch with you once your
in your house it is highly kiln has shipped. Keep
reccomended to install a in mind that a 7-cubic-ft
downdraft vent (either an kiln packaged on a skid
OVM, and envirovent, or with a furniture kit can
a vent master). weigh up to 500 lbs! We
suggest that you have a
box cutter, drill, hammer,
and at least one other
person to help unbox and
set up your kiln. Please
keep in mind that it is
NOT the responsibility of
the trucking company to
do anything but deliver
the kiln to your address
at the curb.

15
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