Luminary

The luminary is a beautiful way to show off your technical skills in ceramics. When lit with a small candle or tea light, these pieces come alive and give a warm glow that eases the mind and enhances cozy feelings. Using either the removal technique, or hand building with slab, you can make a luminary that stands out. These will be glazed both inside and out and will be heat safe for actual use in your home. 

Assignment:

You can start by looking at several different types of luminaries and deciding whether you want something more modern, more traditional, or more whimsical. Either starting with a wedged hunk of clay and digging out the interior to make your walls, or rolling out slab and building from a base (think hard slab box or textured vase) you will then let your piece set to leather hard before cutting from the walls to create the shapes for the light to shine through. You may also add a texture before you carve if you want a more cohesive piece. 

Steps:

• Look on your ipad for inspiration images of luminary candle holders 
• Think of how you will be creating the base for the carving (is it slab work or removal technique)
• If you are adding a blanket texture do this before building
• Create your base piece and let set up to leather hard (DO NOT LET DRY)
• Once piece is leather hard, begin cutting into the clay walls to create the design that the light will shine through, be careful not to break or crack the walls
• Be sure to wrap these well while you are working on them (it will take 2-4 classes to complete)
• Check with me before you let these dry, they may need to dry slowly to avoid cracking and breaking