Grotesques in Clay

Eighth grade artists worked for much of the first quarter creating beastly creatures in clay inspired by gargoyles of the Middle Ages. Did you know that gargoyles are actually elaborate downspouts? Usually taking the form of elongated fantastical animals, these decorated gutters are architectural necessities turned into ornament, and they can be found peering down from the churches and cathedrals, houses and town halls of Western Europe. Grotesques look a lot like gargoyles but these sculptures are only decorative and do not function as waterspouts...

Students used a combination of clay hand-building techniques to create their creatures out of low-fire white clay. Most students started by creating two pinch pots joined together to create a hollow egg shape before carefully adding a lot of various details and features. Once the pieces dried out and were bisque fired, the sculptures were painted (rather than glazed) with Krylon's "Make it Stone" spray paint  to give them the look of stone. I love how different they all are and the personality of each piece is so unique!

Here are a few pics of students working on them:

 A few of them waiting on the shelf for spray paint:

The final sculptures were a challenge to photograph- they really need to be viewed in person to get the sense of depth they have and to see the details. I took a few photos from various angles so you could see the tops and sides of some of them... Enjoy!