Representational Clay Journal

Class began with two independent clay presentations. The first was about ‘coffee clay’, something I had never heard of before. Apparently the dough comes out quite sticky, much like cookie dough. The aroma is pleasant and the color is brown. This seemed like a simple recipe, but I would probably use decaf instant coffee just in case I was working with really young and curious children.

The second clay recipe was for ‘corn starch clay’, which I actually went home and made the very next day with my three-year-old daughter. Like the presenter said, this clay solidifies almost immediately in the pot and can have a slightly grainy feel. It doesn’t have a very long shelf life and requires a bit of reworking after refrigeration. What’s really nice about this type of clay is how well it takes to color. Its original color is white, so with food coloring or even markers, the color options are vast.

After the independent clay presentations we watched a slide show with some truly amazing clay pieces done by slightly older children. Some of the motivations for their creations included personal experiences, environments with animals, group learning experiences, things you like to do with friends, fierce and friendly animals, things you like to do to relax, and more. We also saw slides that showed clay as pottery. We looked at an outdoor kiln in Africa and talked about cooking clay in fire outside.

When we were given pieces of clay to work with on our own, we were advised to make a person or an animal. When I was little, and played with clay a lot, my favorite thing to make was clay food. I styled bowls of pasta, cookies, cakes, and much more. Figures, in any art, have always been a struggle for me. I’m not even sure if it’s the proportions or the details, but I felt slightly overwhelmed. I looked at my piece of clay and looked at my neighbors and just began to roll my clay. Quickly I began to realize that I had created a snake-like figure and decided to go with it. With a material that is as malleable like clay, I think that it’s very important to hold it in your hands for a minute. Squeeze it, roll it, and see if the simple act of playing with it can begin to actually create something.