The Spiral Story

The spiral motif has been a part of my work for a long time.  This new piece takes this motif a step further, from scraffito on functional pieces to a fullblown 3D representation.
The work is tricky to handle in the 'green phase', drying very slowly to avoid cracking.  Clay shrinks when it is drying, so one must allow trapped air inside the piece to escape. Dry clay is also very fragile, so handling the piece proved to be a heart-stopping event.
 Once dry, the piece will again shrink in the firing, and with such a large piece, shifting on the kiln shelf is also an issue to consider.
Firing the kiln is the part of the ceramic process lacking absolute control .  One employs all the hard-earned tricks  and invokes the kiln gods to help out, but ultimately it is the firing that decides the fate of the piece.
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