These pieces combine ceramics and lettering in a new and unexpected way. They invert the traditional way of making vessels and adorning them, sometimes, with letters. Here, the letterforms become the “vessels” themselves!
Her site has a neat interview that I will add here later.
| An excerpt from an article about her in Ceramics Daily magazine: http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-art-and-artists/ceramic-artists/text-and-context-stephanie-dearmond/?floater=99  Best Beast, 27 in. (68 cm) in length, white earthenware, glaze, 2009.Putting the Pieces Together After I have created a paper pattern of my design, I flip it over and trace the back of the image with a needle tool onto a prepared and smoothed 1/4-inch-thick wet slab of clay. I flip my pattern so the front of my piece will be flat, lying face down against a ware board. I then cut three-inch-wide strips of clay for the sides of the piece from even wetter slabs of clay, which makes them easier to bend to fit the curves of my pattern. If I am doing a geometric piece, I use leather-hard slabs instead. When the clay slabs have stiffened, I score and slip the side-wall pieces and the face of the piece together. I usually cut the edges of the slabs at a 45° angle so the joint is cleaner, and strengthen the attachments with tiny coils.  A sculpture of the letter E in progress (shown face down), with leather-hard side-wall slabs shown placed on the front slab. Side view of a completed and scraped greenware piece.Next I have a leather-hard slab ready for the top (back) of the piece. I spray the half-constructed piece down so the top edges of the side-wall slabs are wet and press a sheet of paper onto the piece so it makes an imprint on the paper. After tracing the imprint onto a leather-hard piece of clay with a needle tool, I use an X-Acto blade to cut out the shape. Then I slip and score everything, and flip the back of the piece onto the sides. I press the slabs together with my fingers and a rib, fill any cracks with bits of wet clay, and use a rasp and some silicon carbide sanding screens to scrape away the excess clay until the areas of attachment look clean. I avoid using the sanding screen too much because bits of black silicon carbide can get embedded into the white clay body. I start with the rasp, then the sanding screen, then use a sponge, then a rib to smooth everything. Once smooth, I flip it over between two boards, making a board/fabric/clay/fabric/foam/board sandwich. I flip the piece over onto a piece of foam in case it is not flat on the back, to prevent it from stretching or cracking. I make some pin holes with the needle tool in an inconspicuous place to allow air to escape and then dry the work slowly. |