Our garden is a haven for birds.. Why not recreate them in clay. I make templates and then use my own lines as the different shapes appear from the slab of clay. I make a clay holder on the back of each bird for the garden stake to sit in. Took a while for this engineering idea. Glazing was the true challenge. some birds are more accurate in color and others I have taken liberties.
Big challenge... how do you cover the piece with glaze?.. if you leave any areas of clay exposed the chances of it cracking due to the elements are greater.. I figured that out too!! Glaze the bird.
Now the skill comes in...when loading the kiln you must have the tools to keep the birds from touching the kiln shelves. Stillts.. these are high fired posts with metal pins sticking up.. using several of these stillts you have to place the glazed bird on these pins.. in a strategic manner... the piece is supported on the pins just high enough so nothing touches the kiln shelves... After the high fire each piece will have pin pricks left from the metal pins... Success... the bird is covered and is safe to live in garden.
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