Birdhouse glazes, textiles, objects
While I wait for the mold to cure, I decided to keep notes here on each aspect of producing it after I’ve poured them.
I think glazes are the easiest think to start off with, though I haven’t made one before. I collected a few recipes I want to try off glazy:
From left to right:
LC MALCOLM DAVIS SHINO, C10, REDUCTION. I’ll probably do this one first or second—it’s a great surface for camouflage & it looks pretty. Doesn’t seem too runny. The image is from an wood-ash fired piece—I don’t know how/if I’m able to do that at the studio atm.
SUPER CANDY APPLE, C10, OXIDATION. Seems like a simple recipe, not runny, very pretty on it’s own but I’m not sure about whether it’s great for this project.
KAKI, C10, REDUCTION. Very good color for my own use because it looks brick-like to me. I’m worried that a more matte surface may absorb water, though? This is likely my first choice if LC Malcolm isn’t doable.
REITZ GREEN, C10, REDUCTION. Pretty ugly color, decent for camouflage though, and seems very stable and simple to make.
SYRUP, C6. I don’t think the recipe for this is fully fleshed out, and it’s not the optimal temperature for what I’m making, nor is it camouflage-able… but I really, really want to make a glaze like this. One of my old professors made a very, very thick & goopy glaze in that color, and I really wish I could find out how to make it. Maybe not for this project (or the next), but even if just for my own cup, I want this glaze badly.
First thing Monday I need to put some test tiles (L-shapes with holes) to bisque fire, so I can test these glazes out asap. By the time they’re out the kiln I can glaze the birdhouse itself.
The decision to deconstruct then reconstruct the house with some sort of textile/yarn/string is hard to just even think about. What sewing method am I going to use to assemble the pieces? Should I put in holes into the wet clay, or drill it after it’s bisque fired? Should I use loops instead of holes? These are questions that’ll be answered as I construct it, but this is what I hope the final thing to roughly look like:
I hope this image makes it easier for other people to imagine what I had in mind. The lines in between are just to show where the connections might be—it will be solid walls of fabric, not single bits of string holding it together.
Coincidentally it looks a bit like a cute windchime. It might sound like one, too. This might detour birds from using it, but if not, it becomes a multitasking object.
Anyway, it’s been really difficult thinking of a strong enough material to hold the house and all the decorations together. I already have acrylic yarn, which apparently can last around 10 months in the wild, but it’s really important to me that this is a long-lasting product because I want to make many of them and I don’t intend them to be single-use.
Right now, I’m testing if it’s possible to mod podge the acrylic. I crocheted a small square and painted the back with podge to see if it might be stronger. Either way, though, I still need to figure out how I’m going to make the top (or some section) detachable so that the house can be cleaned every once in a while.
Macrame cord is an obvious choice, but the holes I’m putting into the house need to be small, so I’m not sure if such a size cord exists.
My thought is a wool/nylon blend yarn would be the best choice, as nylon is added to yarn for strength and wool is a natural fiber/naturally strong and fit for outdoor use. I usually wouldn’t buy an animal product—but wool is something birds often use in their own houses as well. Then that raises the question of ‘well, if they can just make it themselves, why use it then?’ - because I’m on a maker’s course and my goal is to make objects both humans and animals can hopefully appreciate aesthetically. If a certain material which works well for me also works well for birds, that’s not a useless exercise to do what the bird would do on its own, if that makes sense—I’m making my own thing and animals are leading my practice.
Working list of decorations I want to use, and how to include them:
Sprig mold-able:
rasp/blueberries
red berries (found on ground outside house)
caps from glass bottles
Felt? Sewing? Thread crochet? (question of lasting long in outdoors):
leaves
flowers/petals
Wood/stone/clay sculpting (question of skill, time, price):
snail shells (maybe sprig)
Why don’t I just collect these objects as they are and sew them to the thing instead of trying to make a bunch of different beads? Again, because I’m on a maker’s course and I’m making things, and I want this object to last a long time. Sure, if the objects fall off they’ll compost—but then you’re left with a broken/incomplete/ugly object.
Best not to argue with myself on these questions and just go on with it.
