OK, so I'm a newbie, and an urban refugee to boot. Can any of you point me in the direction of websites and/or publications that discuss how to identify and collect clay from the wild? I'm doing fine on store-bought, but I'd like to try to expand my horizons a bit.
I am a newbie too, and I was just today contemplating over the advantages of having a "standard" clay to work with. If you harvest clay from your surroundings - if you don't get it all from one huge deposite - each batch will have different properties - plasticity, firing color, etc.
If I may be so bold .... I would suggest that you start out with bought clay that is made to a standard mix and wetness, so that you can learn the skills first and worry about the clay's own properties later.
I would strongly recommend Clay: A studio handbook by Vince Patelka
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am only up to about page 50, but have learned tons that 3 pottery "teachers" haven't taught me. This book should be every newbie's first purchase! Anyway - that said - I would say that if you are a newbie, start with techniques and experiment with clay later.
To add to that excellent advice, I'd just like to point out that my "garden" clay is good only up to about cone 2 as a body clay. I suspect that this type of clay is what the vast majority of people ahve nearby... not good stoneware clay and not porcelain, etc.
However, although it's only a mediocre low-fire body clay, it's an excellent GLAZE at cone 6, like Albany slip. So you can probably find some use for your clay, no matter what firing range it turns out to be.
Best regards,
Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
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