I recently visited Chicago for a few days, and while there, I took an architectural tour. Chicago is well known for its wide range of historical and contemporary buildings and for being a leader in innovative design—think first skyscraper and the popular Mid-Century Modern Prairie style. Chicago is also the home of pioneering architect Jeanne Gang, who is known for her organic, community-focused designs. Gang is a proponent of what she calls architectural grafting: bringing new life to older structures through purposeful additions. The concept is inspired by the horticultural practice of grafting. Horticultural grafting connects two separate plants— one old and one new—so they can grow and function as one, producing a thriving plant with both useful and desirable qualities.
If I know one thing about ceramic artists, it is that we’ll use a tool until it nearly dies, then we’ll rebuild it to live another life. It is one of our many superpowers. We never throw a tool away and never give up on a broken one. What is great about this skill is that it is not only upcycling, but it also allows us to expand our capacities and create enhanced utility, which ultimately generates creativity.
On the last page of this issue, we illustrate a tool-grafting idea that most ceramic artists can make and use: the X-Acto knife hack. Dig out that trusty, but dull X-Acto knife from your toolbox (1) and remove the blade (2). Next, purchase a shiny new flexible, metal rib and, using tin snips, cut it into smaller pieces. Shape them into various nibs (3, 4). Try odd shapes, serrated edges, jagged nubs, and angled points. Finally, make a pot and give your new tools a go. Who knows what you’re capable of with a grafted tool in hand?
In this issue, we celebrate tools of all kinds used by ceramic artists. Hilda Carr shares (from her book, Carve Your Clay) her favorite carving tools, various techniques for using them, and a wall-tile project to get your feet wet in carving. Michael Griffin employs bisque-fired slump/hump molds as the base for building jars. Will Dickert repurposes traditional trimming tools to carve intricate patterns on platters. Erica Iman demonstrates how to use raw materials as a tool to shape and texture large vessels. Lindsay Scypta encourages readers to try using new technology to create the tools they want to exist. Liz Pechacek gets to the root of why plates are hard to make and offers design considerations as tools you can adopt to make them easier.
The concept of grafting is not a new one to ceramic artists. We have long leaned on historical pots to inform new ones, taken traditional techniques and innovated them for a modern practice, and evolved our tools to enhance their functionality, aesthetic appeal, and longevity, while preserving their original purpose. Happy grafting!
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I recently visited Chicago for a few days, and while there, I took an architectural tour. Chicago is well known for its wide range of historical and contemporary buildings and for being a leader in innovative design—think first skyscraper and the popular Mid-Century Modern Prairie style. Chicago is also the home of pioneering architect Jeanne Gang, who is known for her organic, community-focused designs. Gang is a proponent of what she calls architectural grafting: bringing new life to older structures through purposeful additions. The concept is inspired by the horticultural practice of grafting. Horticultural grafting connects two separate plants— one old and one new—so they can grow and function as one, producing a thriving plant with both useful and desirable qualities.
If I know one thing about ceramic artists, it is that we’ll use a tool until it nearly dies, then we’ll rebuild it to live another life. It is one of our many superpowers. We never throw a tool away and never give up on a broken one. What is great about this skill is that it is not only upcycling, but it also allows us to expand our capacities and create enhanced utility, which ultimately generates creativity.
On the last page of this issue, we illustrate a tool-grafting idea that most ceramic artists can make and use: the X-Acto knife hack. Dig out that trusty, but dull X-Acto knife from your toolbox (1) and remove the blade (2). Next, purchase a shiny new flexible, metal rib and, using tin snips, cut it into smaller pieces. Shape them into various nibs (3, 4). Try odd shapes, serrated edges, jagged nubs, and angled points. Finally, make a pot and give your new tools a go. Who knows what you’re capable of with a grafted tool in hand?
In this issue, we celebrate tools of all kinds used by ceramic artists. Hilda Carr shares (from her book, Carve Your Clay) her favorite carving tools, various techniques for using them, and a wall-tile project to get your feet wet in carving. Michael Griffin employs bisque-fired slump/hump molds as the base for building jars. Will Dickert repurposes traditional trimming tools to carve intricate patterns on platters. Erica Iman demonstrates how to use raw materials as a tool to shape and texture large vessels. Lindsay Scypta encourages readers to try using new technology to create the tools they want to exist. Liz Pechacek gets to the root of why plates are hard to make and offers design considerations as tools you can adopt to make them easier.
The concept of grafting is not a new one to ceramic artists. We have long leaned on historical pots to inform new ones, taken traditional techniques and innovated them for a modern practice, and evolved our tools to enhance their functionality, aesthetic appeal, and longevity, while preserving their original purpose. Happy grafting!
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