Open Form
For this project, we created a dynamic form using the combination of a kitsch item and a piece of fruit. The materials we used were low fire clay and plaster molds.
We started our project by locating a piece of fruit and a kitsch item. For my kitsch item, I chose a Bugs Bunny Pez dispenser that I found at ladders. For my fruit, I chose to use an orange from Dhall.
After I picked my items I started on the plaster molds. Getting to work with plaster and create my own molds was probably my favorite part, it’s been a long time since I got to create my own molds.
I started by making a stand out of clay on one half of the item and then splattering plaster on the other half. once the plaster dried then I pulled off the clay and did the other side.
I messed up my first Bugs Bunny mold, because of the way I cut it in half.
I fixed this by laying it down on its side instead. This worked a lot better and I was able to cast it.
After creating my molds I used them to make copies of the orange and Bugs Bunny out of clay. After I created several copies I started to add them to my cylinder form moving them around to see what would create a dynamic form. Once I found a set up I liked I scored and slipped each piece and attached them permanently.
Next was to go in and add texture. I made the bumps on the oranges more prominent and added horizontal lines to the Bugs Bunny Pieces. I felt like this wasn’t enough so I added some swirls to the base of the form. I felt the swirls were a good combination of the circular form of the oranges and the linear design added to the Bugs Bunny copies.
Once I was happy with the texture my piece was fired in the kiln. After it was all fired I began painting. Painting was where I really struggled. The acrylics texture and how it reacted to the clay was difficult to work with. Since the paints were all different brands each kind reacted differently to the clay as well. This made it hard for me to get a polished piece.
My goal was to have the piece mainly blue, with orange highlights. I felt that the pleasantness of the complimentary colors represented kitsch while still being somewhat dynamic. Getting the orange highlights was really difficult though. After having to repaint the base several times I tried scratching away the blue to reveal the orange underneath. This worked well for the base, but the paint on the Buggs Bunny copies began to flake in certain parts. I tried to remove all the paint from them, but that didn’t work either so I removed what I could and repainted them again. Keeping them just blue.
If I could redo this project I probably would use glaze and accomplish what I was trying to go for with sgraffito.
