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“Pinwheel,” 34 in. (86 cm) in width, silt-cast stoneware with colored terra sigillatas and dark clay wash, fired to Cone 3. One of the challenges Gryder faces with his silt-casting technique is applying the colored washes and terra sigillata without marring the silt-textured surface.
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October 10, 2007
Beauty from Silt
by Chris Gryder | Read Comments (1)
In Monday’s Ceramic Arts Daily we
profiled Chris Gryder and his use of silt castings to create his uniquely
shaped and textured vessels and tiles. Today, Chris explains his silt mold technique.InspirationBackgroundProcessesINSPIRATIONThe natural world is often the source for my
work, but the inspiration goes beyond simply translating this visual world. My
technique is inspired by and akin to an actual physical process within the
natural world which leads to fossils. The latin “fossus” translates “having
been dug up,” and I similarly excavate my clay works from sediment. A fossil is
the trace of the remains of some organic body, creature or plant, within
sediment. I likewise create trace carvings in the sediment or silt. I build
form via the aegis of negative space. A reductive approach, an intricate cavity
is dug in the silt which ultimately acts as a dissolvable one-off mold. BACKGROUND
The material I use to cast into is silt, a very
fine sediment created as a result of alluvial action. It is basically comprised
of about 70% fine sand and 30% clay. The sand can be thought of as very tiny
building blocks and the clay in the mix acts as a mortar to bind the particles
together when wet. The porosity of the silt mold allows the basic mechanics of
slip casting to operate; the water in the liquid clay migrates into the mold
leaving behind slightly more solidified layer of clay at the surface.
 PROCESSES
This layer becomes thicker as the mold remains
filled. Once the desired thickness is achieved, the remaining slip is removed
leaving behind a clay shell. As the clay dries and reaches a leather hard
state, it can be excavated from the crumbling and dissolving silt mold. This
casting technique sacrifices the advantages of multiple castings in favor of
rich encrusted and serendipitous surfaces that can be carved directly without
concern for undercuts and seams. This is a studio mold and casting technique
that approaches the immediacy of drawing rather than the precise methodical
planning often associated with mold making.FOR MORE INFORMATIONSee a term you weren’t quite sure of? Then visit
the Ceramic Arts Daily Glossary. To see more of Chris Gryder’s work, visit Bennett
Galleries (www.bennettgalleries.com in Knoxville, Tennessee; Clark House
Gallery (www.clarkhousegallery.com in Bangor, Maine; Function + Art (www.functionart.com in Chicago, Illinois; Obsidian Gallery (www.obsidian-gallery.com in Tucson, Arizona; and Red Dot Gallery (www.reddotgallery.com in Birmingham, Alabama.
Read more about these related topics:
Ceramic Tile Ceramics Decorating Ceramic Art Techniques Ceramic Artists
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