Water Erosion

My next step, as mentioned in the previous post, was to create a way of altering the form without too much interference from me. This lead me to think about how natural forms alter, and why. Water was the obvious choice. A part of the clay body itself, it is one of the main elements that alters natural forms. Colossal structures can be worn away by water; and so I decided to let water have its effect on my cast forms.

Water works best at breaking down the structure of clay when it is in bone dry stage. Therefore I cast forms, let them become bone dry, and then immersed sections of the form in a bowl of water.

And the outcome...

These textures and broken down edges are incredible in my point of view. I love how they expose the clay body within the cast form. Also this unpredictability of how the bone dry clay slates off and the bubbles that form in the process is exactly what I am after. They create a juxtaposition between the smooth clay body of the cast form and the rough edges and surfaces of the eroded areas. This is definitely the method I am going to pursue, maybe alongside the dropping whilst still leather hard method.