Teresa Wentzler Art

I’ve decided to continue my experiments using a different type of air-dry clay called ‘stone’ clay, which still has paper fibers, but less of them. Some doll artists use these clays so they can get super smooth surfaces that mimic porcelain. I’m hoping it will allow me to achieve finer detail and a smoother finish.

So far, I’m liking this clay better. And the sharp sgrafitto tools are a HUGE help. The clay is called ‘La Doll’ (Activa Products) available from Amazon.

But, I’ve encountered another issue…

I’ve been working on a probably-far-too-complex subject (what else is new?!) And, I’m not working quickly enough, apparently. I have found out that gesso-sealed wood panels will develop mold on the underside. Why didn’t it occur to me that keeping wood with clay on it in a damp environment (under plastic) for days on end would cause issues? Duh!? I’ve wiped the back of the panel with isopropol alcohol in the hopes that I can continue to work on the project for awhile yet.

From here on out, if I’m working on a larger clay bas-relief, I’ll be using a temporary plastic covered work surface. After the clay has dried totally, I’ll attach the sculpture to the wood panel using glue!

Anyway, this is the subject:

There’s a lot of extra surface roughness. I know there will be a certain amount of texture marks indicating the horse’s hair, etc…. but what bothers me is the extra stuff that I can’t seem to smooth out. There is quite a bit of fuzz from the paper fibers, especially in the very detailed areas. Smoothing with a little water works to a point, but too much causes cracking. The piece of mane at the far right has a nice big crack, but it could be partially due to uneven drying: the main body of the piece is drying more slowly than that section of mane.

I began with a slab of clay rolled to 3/16″ thickness, and carved clay away from that. Later on, I found that there just wasn’t enough height to properly address the holly leaves, so I added another 1/16″ of clay to that spot. Given my inexperience with the medium, this ability to add more clay easily (even to a fully dried area) is one of my favorite things about it!

The fibers in the clay make it difficult to create sharp points/clean edges whilst carving… at present, I have to settle for somewhat rounded ends (holly leaves, mane and forelock), and a rather ‘lumpy’ surface appearance. Once things dry fully, I will try sanding (with very fine sandpaper) to see if I can get things any smoother.

My skills are gradually improving…but my patience still needs alot of work!

I have another stone clay I’m ready to try. It’s called ‘Premier’ from the same manufacturer (Activa), and it should be a step up. We’ll see!