Clay shares: Abstract coil nature project

Inspired by nature

•“Our source of inspiration should be found in nature, but nature should always stay as a source of inspiration and not as a direct model to copy.” Paul J. Grillo

•Print out 6 different natural forms . All have to be from NATURE. Save it on a Word document and bring in on one sheet of paper. All six should fit comfortably on the page- look at folded example.

•Think about the overall form (in the round).

Nature abstract forms by professional artists:

Guess which two natural forms they used to create the form?

In addition you will pick out of a hat: An Art historical cultural theme:

Clay coil nature abstracts-Design themes

Abstraction- Any art form that does not seek to represent recognizable objects or the world around us.

Art Nouveau- A primarily architectural and decorative art style of late 19th and early 20th century Europe and N.America

Assemblage- Form of sculpture produced by arranging found objects and materials. Used in Cubism and Dada

Basketmaker culture- A hunter-gathering and early farming cultural group in the region of the North America’s south-west that thrived between 1000BC and AD 500.

Mayan sculptural art

Oceanic sculptural art

Judaica sculptural art

Benin Kingdom sculptural art

Japanese sculptural art

Chinese sculptural art

Greek sculptural art

Indian sculptural art

Islamic sculptural art

Pop sculptural art- Abbreviation for popular culture, describing artists whose subject matter embraced and celebrated popular commercial culture.

How to get started:

Come up with two mini mockettes no bigger than your palm. Suggest pinching the forms.

Questions to ask oneself when creatively building :

What two natural forms did you simplify into one unifying form?

How does it look in the round?

Can it be coiled and smoothed out?

Does your piece capture a human emotional gesture, movement, pose?

Are there undulating forms?

Will it be able to stand alone?

Is it about one and a half hands high?

Prototype 1,2,3

Advantages of the coil:

Large forms are possible, the walls of the coil are built strong and thin, the process is meditative and calming, the shape can change and morph,exciting and unpredictable potential!


Materials: bisque bowl (optional), jagged rib tool or kneedle tool, handmade coils that are no thicker than sharpie marker, bowl of water, clay (about 2lbs. to start)

Snake coils. After every three blend up with finger until completely smooth

May use plastic rib to blend as well.

Creative process:I did not use any of the two mockettes in the final piece. I worked more intuitively. The two natural forms that I was thinking about were tree trunk and cave.