I guess that some of you
may feel a bit irritated to read about Christmas in the middle of November.
Most of the stores are already decorated and ready for the shopping frenzy. You
can by Christmas cookies everywhere. Santa is coming, snow is falling and bells
are jingling. Well, at least until you come out of the store and find yourself
surrounded by the perfect sunny and vibrant November day. And if you were
wearing only a T-shirt while going out for a walk, as I did the other day, you
may be convinced that the world is going really crazy with this festivity
pressure.
I have to admit that I am
in the middle of Christmas production frenzy since August. Considering that I
am still not a full time potter, I may be a bit late already. Making ceramics
is a slow process. There is a lot of waiting involved. When you make something
you have to wait patiently until the ceramics dries (and you should let it dry
slowly to prevent cracking).
Only then can you bisque
fire it. Then you wait for two days until your kiln cools down so that you can
open it. After glazing you fire it again. And wait for two more days to open
the kiln again. This is only a rough description of the process. In between you
have to catch the right consistency of the vessel to be able to decorate it.
I started to make these
elegant and minimalistic porcelain pendants in August. Just to mention that
these went through my hands about eight times. First I have to roll the
porcelain slab really thin and take care not to capture any air bubble. Using different
cookie cutters I can cut out the desired shape – one by one. The hole for the
cord has to be done while the porcelain is still very soft. Now, you let your
stars and angels dry a bit so that you can soften the edges with a sponge and
take care that the hole is nicely smoothed.
At this point I can let
them dry completely but I have to take care that they do not deform as the
edges dry faster. To avoid it I put some weight on them while drying. After the
bisque firing, the ornaments get sanded until the surface is smooth. I have to
rinse them after the sanding and letting them dry again. Afterwards I can fire
them really high to get that translucency that is so typical for porcelain. I take them out of the
kiln, one by one and check for any cracks or damages. Now I can pull the cord
through the hole so that it can joyfully swing on the Christmas tree.
Now you may understand why
it's necessary to start your Christmas production early. These ornaments are not
glazed because I like the mate surface a lot. Also I wanted to keep them more
affordable by skipping the glazing process.
If you like them, you can
purchase them directly from my studio. Also you can send me an email
(danciceramics@gmail.com) if you are not from the area – I gladly ship
worldwide. The price for one piece is 5 CHF (5 Swiss Francs) + Shipping (2 CHF
for Switzerland; 2.5 CHF for Europe and 3 CHF for other countries).
So, finally I
can say that it is not too early to think about Christmas even if it is
November and if you like these Christmas tree ornaments – get them while
they’re hot from the kiln.
