Material Explorations: Wood, Glass, Paper, Clay
In fall 2024, I took a class at the Washington Glass School where I learned how to create woodblock carvings that I then cast in glass, hand-printed on paper, and printed on clay. The resulting pieces echo each other while highlighting the different ways we perceive each material. The subjects of these works are drawn from my ceramic sculpture, reflecting some aspect of the natural world and the desire to capture movement at a precise moment in time. This exploration resulted in a new body of work for two solo shows in 2025.
Process
The first step in this exploration began with drawing an image that we’d carve in wood. Wrapping my mind around positive and negative space was so different than working in clay—and such a challenge. But the carving, though less forgiving than clay, was very satisfying.
Printing: Paper & Glass
Once carved we hand-printed our woodblocks. It was much more challenging to get a clean print than I anticipated! We also cast the carving in glass…
Interpretations in Clay
Using the subject of the octopus, I created a porcelain low-relief sculpture based on a woodblock I made, that I could cast in glass. The dry plaster casting process worked best for impressions that were less than an inch, which made my initial attempts at casting larger sculptures unsuccessful.
