Teresa Wentzler Art

I love pen and ink. I truly do. The purity of black lines on white paper simply makes my heart sing. It’s my jam.

But. I also feel the need periodically to challenge myself creatively. I fall into a rut, so to speak. And I need to get the creative juices flowing.

So.

I’ve been looking for something new to try. The notion of somehow adding extra dimension to my artwork has been popping into my head. Not just making the rendered subjects appear dimensional through shading, etc…. but adding actual dimension: a touch of 3-D, as it were. Something like bas-relief sculpture in clay maybe?

**This is a bit of a digression, but might explain my yearning for a bit of extra dimension. One of the things I so loved about needlework designing was the textural, dimensional character of the fibers (and other embellishments) on the fabric. The needlework stitches were raised above the surface of the fabric. Even though it wasn’t a lot of extra height (in most cases), it still added shadows and textural interest to the design. This made looking at, and the actual stitching of the piece more satisfying for me.**

Back to the subject at hand: clay…

The only experience I’ve had working with clay was in high school when the sculpture project I had worked on for ages came to a bad end in the kiln during firing. While I enjoyed the sculpting part, I wanted nothing to do with repeating such an unfortunate event. I considered trying polymer clay, but it requires baking (in a regular oven) in order to make it permanent…which induces firing flashbacks.

Anyway, in the course of my search, I came across air-dry clay. Specifically: paper clay. It can be modeled/carved like regular clay, and dries hard without the need for baking or firing. It adheres to different grounds/surfaces, including wood panels… which really appeals to me as I’m not looking to do sculpture in the round. The clay can be painted/sealed to preserve what is created. While it can crack during drying, it is easy to repair. And, it’s possible to add more clay to a dried piece. Nifty, right?!

Thankfully, there are a ton of videos on YouTube that are very helpful. There are many air-dry clay artists online as well who generously share their expertise via their websites and blogs. It’s a whole new world!

I’ve begun experimenting with different brands. While I am enjoying the experience overall, I’m finding working with the material rather challenging. The paper fibers in the clay make it difficult to get the smoothness and level of detail I’d like. But I am persevering.

Pictures next time.