Clay Vocab Flashcards
Sculpture meant to be seen from all sides, all around it
Sculpture in the round
Derived from the Greek “keramos”, meaning “burnt stuff” or earthen vessel
Ceramic
Sculpture which projects out from the surface. The back side is not meant to be seen.
Relief Sculpture
A plaster or wood slab for drying out clay or as a platform for working clay
Bat
Ware that has been fired once to a low temperature and is now ready to be glazed.
Bisque
Basically, a decomposed granite-type rock. must have fine particles so that it will be “plastic”. will often contain impurities which affect their color and firing temperature
Clay
A tall thin pyramid made of clay and glaze materials
Cone
A material used in glazes which causes or promotes melting
Flux
A liquid suspension of finely ground minerals containing silica, alumina and a flux which is applied by brushing, pouring, or dipping on the surface of bisque-fired ware. When fired it is a thin glass like coating on the clay.
Glaze
Pottery that has been completed and formed but not yet fired.
Greenware
A structure made of refractory (resistant to heat) clay materials for firing ceramics
Kiln
Clay which is dried sufficiently to be stiff, but which is still damp enough to be joined to other clay pieces
Leather-hard
A fluid suspension of clay and water
Slip
Kneading a mass of clay to expel the air, get rid of lumps, making it homogeneous and to strengthen the clay by aligning the microscopic clay platelets.
Wedging Clay
A method of construction where the artist molds the clay into a form such as a bowl by squeezing the clay between the thumb and fingers while rotating the clay.
Pinch
A method of construction where the artist forms a base of clay, then forms long snake like pieces that attach to the base first and then circle around and build up the sides of the form.
Coil
A method of construction where the clay is pressed into an even and flat pie crust. A roller of some type may be used. The sides, top and bottom are cut out and assembled. can be layered and cut to enable equal pieces required for the vessel.
Slab
A method of attachment for two clay pieces. The clay is etched with a knife type of tool in the form of loose x’s on both pieces in the area being attached. Then the artist dips his/her finger in water and run’s it along the marked areas of both pieces, then presses the pieces together to form adhesion.
Score and slip
