Golden Crane

Golden Crane by Tessa Wallis

The Japanese art of Origami has always fascinated me. To construct a similar form using clay is extremely challenging and requires skill and experience. In clay, the Golden Crane is constructed with slabs and all joins must be accurate and strong. The surfaces are smoothed using ribs to refine the edges and points. Great care must be taken to avoid knocking the piece during construction and when the clay is drying as it becomes extremely brittle. After successful bisque and glaze firings, I chose to differentiate the phoenix to “make it my own” by applying gold lustre on the sharp edges of the wings, tail, neck, and head. Liquid gold lustre is extremely toxic so wearing appropriate fume and particle mask, visor and gloves adds another layer of difficulty. Its application also requires patience and accuracy. Masking tape helps keep the edges straight and only the correct density of lustre will result in a golden gleam. At each stage, great care must be taken in handling the work and each additional kiln firing risks cracking or breakage.

My artistic aspirations include applying a high level of expertise in the production of a sculptural form which is pleasing to the eye. The successful completion of this work has brought me great satisfaction.