From my Island

I have been carving a collection of fish in various forms from our local clay. These
will be used as test pieces to ascertain the make up of the clay, firing temperature etc.
A little nervous about the whole process but sure all will be well.

     

More of our beautiful clay. The one of the left reminds me of porcelain as it is quite delicate
and cant take much handling and cracks if over worked. It has small inclusions that are quite soft and don't interrupt the tool when the surface is cut into  . The fishy one reminds me of
a robust stoneware, easy to work and cut into. The red clay is powdery and feels as if it is full
of air. It has to be compressed in the hand before and during pinching as the surface cracks easily, I also had to keep my hands moist when working.