Clay Painting (2002)
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Clay Painting (2002)
The original idea of this painting came from a cartoon that I drew back in 1996. It featured two characters at a counter debating city life. The hands of the seated character are city buildings with roads leading inwards from the framework of the construction that makes up his body. He looks with surprise as he notices his feelings directly influence how the city treats him.

Masking the city section off, this scene then formed the basis for this clay painting. The painting outline was then enlarged on computer and printed to scale, it was then traced onto a freshly rolled slab. Then over a period of weeks the 3-dimensional form of the clay painting took shape.

Once completed it was cut into 7 puzzle pieces, then hand painted with slips and bisc' fired.

After an exciting firing the separate pieces were loosely positioned back in form, while working under extreme heat the rakoo painting techniques are applied providing the painting with light and dark shading effects as well as the rakoo crackle surface treatment.

The work was left to slowly cool in the burning sawdust, before being removed and cleaned. It was then mounted securely to thick board for displaying.

(Slide you mouse back and forth over the main image above to watch the work taking form)