Art in Clay – The Cloak

Posted bySarahPosted inArt, Ceramics, PotteryTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Browsing through my own blog, I´ve noticed that I haven’t shared with you examples of my art work with clay for some time now. (tsk! tsk!)

In the hope that you will forgive this inexcusable lapse, I´m posting today one of my latest pieces – The Cloak.

I´ve made it with white clay, which by the way, is no better than the red one, I simply prefer it because my clothes look less muddy afterwards and it´s also sometimes better for certain glazes.

 

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The Cloak (white clay, unfired)

 

Before the piece can be put in the kiln it needs to dry thoroughly.

 

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The Cloak (white clay, unfired)

 

After the firing the clay reveals its true color (having looked rather grey before).

 

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The Cloak (white clay, after firing)

 

It´s also much easier to take photographs from any kind of ceramics when they are (still) unglazed, the light tends not to bounce off it as easily.

 

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The Cloak (white clay, fired)

 

Some pieces of mine I leave unglazed, but not this one.

The Cloak was blanketed in a glaze called “Gloria” – a shiny metallic glaze, that looks either silver or gold in certain lights.

 

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The Cloak (white clay, fired and glazed)

 

Since you have to fire the piece even higher for glazing, it has the advantage of being somewhat less breakable. (Which only means its less porous, not that you can bang it on a table and it wouldn’t break. 😉 )

 

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The Cloak (fired and glazed)

 

It also protects the piece from moisture and humidity, which is perfect if you choose to put it outside.

 

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The Cloak (fired and glazed)

 

 

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Detail The Cloak

 

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The Cloak (fired and glazed)

 

Hope you liked this one and as always, I´m looking much forward to your comments!

 

 

Published by Sarah

Artist & Illustrator

105 thoughts on “Art in Clay – The Cloak”

    1. Thank you very much, Eric! Well, all I can say that I totally enjoy doing it and that not every piece I make comes out this well 😉
      Thanks for stopping by, commenting and the follow – I appreciate it very much!
      Have a wonderful day!

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  13. It is another amazing piece of art dear Sarah! Just a matter of taste again, without glace I personally like it more 😉
    Hope you are also happy to see more Sunshine, now the temperature needs to rise, right?!
    How is your mom healing? Can she use her arm more already? And you? Everything ok?
    Sending you a big hug again, XxX

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    1. Thank you very much, Patty! And it’s totally okay that you liked it better without the glaze. 😊
      My mum has much more use of her arm now, thank you for asking. She’s still in quite a lot of pain though. I’m slowly improving too thanks to my strengthening and stretching exercises. How are you? Do you slowly get used to the prosthesis? I hope you can eat all the things you like too eat! Big hug! Have a lovely week! Xxx

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      1. Sorry to hear about the pain, but happy to hear your are both progressing.
        Been to the dentist today, the bone underneath the gum is not strong enough to proceed in the process. So, I can eat more each day, but brattwurst and steak…nope 😦 Oh, and salade…if I try to eat that, I almost choke, because it gets stuck. Ah well…patience, patience 😉
        Wishing you a lovely week too! Big hugs, XxX

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      2. Oh no! Poor you! I’m so sorry. Does this mean you will never be able to eat those things again? Would it be possible to do implants instead of the prothesis? My guess would be that chewing would be more powerful and easy with those but they are quite expensive.
        Have a lovely evening, dear! Xxx

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      3. Well, I hope I will be able to again. But I need to wait till the bone has ‘settled’/healed more, before they can adjust the prothesis again.
        No weird things in my body if I can prevent it, so no..implants not an option. Besides that, I did all this, because I had infections almost every week. One of the highest risks with implants is that those things get infected/inflammations. Therefore the choice to go for prothese 😉
        Enjoy your evening too, sweetie! XxX

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  14. I love this piece and the gold metallic… — Ooohhh such a lovely effect it brings. I would use this artwork as a bookend. The invisible man or woman under the cloak could keep a watchful eye on my precious books. See the link here my friend, you have been nominated for a special award by Darren and me: https://3cstyle.com/2018/02/17/one-groovy-award-for-myself/comment-page-1/#comment-2368

    No obligation to take part Sarah. We just want to let you know that we appreciate you. xoxo

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    1. Thank you so much, Dominique! And it does indeed throne on a pile of books! Hurrying on to read them all! 😀 But I think I like your idea of a bookend even more – need to do a second one in this case, so I´ve got a set!
      And thank you so much for nominating me for this special award – I´m hopping right over to your blog! xoxo ❤

      P.S. I´m going to send you an email, so watch out! 😉

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      1. I took four years in high school. I donated my free period to helping get the clay ready and the firing of both the clay and glazed pieces. So many wonderful memories with an amazing teacher! I have never had the opportunity to get back into to it. I had made a squirrel and a few years back my husband broke it! I am still devastated, it was my prized piece.

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      2. You know, kilns aren’t that expensive if you can get a second hand one and you could easily put it in a garage or basement. It sounds like you really enjoyed the whole process and it’s never to late to get back. And I know the pain of broken sculptures only too well. Even if you repair you know it’s never going to be the se again. Hope you can get back to working with clay some time, Diane!

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    1. Thank you so much, Divya! It was a fun project and I´m thinking of doing maybe more of these kinds of sculptures.
      Hope all is well and wish you a beautiful Sunday and an amazing week ahead! Hugs&love! xoxo ❤ 🙂

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  18. Apparently there aren’t many Catholics among your readers, because no one has mentioned that the sculpture looks like a medieval monk….or I might say (as an ex-Catholic), like an evil monk. In any case, it’s an extremely GOOD work of art. 🙂

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    1. Yes, it really seems that way. But YOU noticed it and thus earned bragging rights for at least a week! 😊
      I have actually been thinking about it as a Cloak Sans Monk for a while but decided to let the viewers fill in the blanks whichever way they prefer.
      And thanks so much for saying it’s a GOOD evil monk. 😉

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  19. Is there no end to your talent Sarah?? This is fabulous… At first, I was thinking, it looked good before it was glazed then I saw the pictures of it glazed and wow! It really makes a difference. Just brilliant! 🙂 Hope you are well and have a fab weekend xx

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    1. Haha! 😀 You´re too kind, Gill! And thank you so much! Yes, sometimes a glaze can make all the difference. The funny thing is, our modern perception of ancient sculptures has made believe, that leaving them without colors is the right thing to do and more classic. But actually the Greeks used to paint their statues in a variety of colors and they would shudder seeing all those “naked” statues standing in our museum nowadays!
      Wish you a wonderful weekend, my friend! xx

      P.S. Thank you so much for posting “My Girl” on your Facebook page! I appreciate it! ❤

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  21. Tsk, tsk, indeed!! 😀 Sarah, wow!! This is wonderful, haunting, mysterious and brilliantly crafted. I had no idea you made sculptures as well … what a treat for us. Where will the cloak be displayed? Have you made many more sculptures … I’m greedy for more as you can tell! Hugs xxxx

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    1. Hehe! 😉 Thank you very much, Annika! I’ve been working with clay for over 10 years now and just love it! Though it’s seldomly as sensual as you might believe when you’ve watched ‘Ghost’ with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. 😂
      For now The Cloak thrones on a pile of books, telling me to hurry. 😁
      And yes I’ve made a few others, you can find them on my blog in a special section on my menu – “Pottery” – if you like. Hugs! xxxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Lauren! I have thought of it, of course, but I´m still working on creating more pieces to justify an exhibition, which will still take a while. But also I´m slightly worried about having to part from them in case they get sold…mmmh, quite a conundrum! Haha! 😀 xoxo ❤

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  31. Sarah, this is an extraordinary sculpture. I notice that the very dark red interior leaks through the golden glaze as if leaving bloody tracks. So many thoughts come to mind – the person hidden by a cloak, a gleaming surface that suppresses inner turmoil, or a person with no depth to his soul. This is your forte and I hope you will do more.

    May I ask what you used for an armature?

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    1. Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful observations, Sharon! I have to confess I made this in quite a sombre and dark mood… And the good thing is, that it helped me overcome it! I’ve noticed this a lot. Art really helps me letting off some pressure and to clear my head.

      Of course you may ask! Although it’s quite tall I could still work with rolled and bundled newspaper as an armature. The advantage is that it burns away if I accidentally leave a piece of it inside.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kerry! A mix of magic, fairy stories and a hint of sinister was exactly what I had in mind when I was forming this sculpture! I’m so glad you love it – you absolutely made my day, dear friend! 😄😚💕 xxx

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  33. Sarah this piece is so beautiful and haunting. I read a book once called ‘The Empty Raincoat’ and the imagery has always stuck with me. By making a cloak rather than a coat, you have added an almost magical element. Enchanting. You are so talented my friend xxxxxxxx 🙏

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    1. Thank you very much, Su! I’ve a fascination for empty clothing that sticks to the form of its (invisible) wearer and think I might do a whole series of them! There’s also a certain dark element involved: the unseen can be sometimes more frightening than the seen, I think. Like in old Hitchcock films – just to see a closed door in a corridor has so much potential for the imagination. Okay – I could rant about this for hours it seems- I will stop now. 😁 xxxxxxxxxx

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      1. I love the idea of a series!!! And I think you are right about the unseen having more impact. Hitchcock was a master of that. And of showing the audience something the protagonist can’t see so we become afraid on their behalf. One of the films I wrote my thesis about did that, and the director told me when I interviewed her that she lifted the idea directly from Hitchcock. I’ve seen that film dozens of times, and the particular scene still gives me goosebumps 😱

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  36. Sarah, this is beautiful. I am in awe, didn’t even realise you worked with clay too. Thanks for also explaining all the processes and what happens to the clay each time.
    Is this going for exhibition?
    miriam

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    1. Thank you very much, Miriam! I’ve been working with clay for 10 years now and absolutely love it! Due to teaching pottery at a local school I don’t find much time to dot own stuff though. 😂
      And it’s going to be definitively part of an exhibition if there’s ever to be one!
      Have a very lovely day! 😊💚

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