Originals in this selection, Sculpting, Material Clay.
Adding and removing
Sculpting in clay means working with both hands: building up, taking away, smoothing, roughing up again. Clay sculptures that began as sculptors’ work are for sale for the thinking behind the form.
Unlike stone, which only ever shrinks, the sculptor in clay can do both: add mass and cut it out. This produces figures with a history, where you can still sense the reworking. Armatures of wire or wood support larger pieces until the clay turns leather-hard. After that the works are hollowed out and fired.
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What you can clarify beforehand
Ask whether the work is fired, glazed or raw. Raw pieces are more sensitive to moisture and knocks. Fired ones handle daily life better, though not frost. Sculpting in clay can also be part of a series, in which case a note on numbering helps. A spot without drafts protects the surface. The underside is worth a look too: stamps, incised marks or a date tell you how the work came about.