Russell Wrankle  

Ceramic, Glaze, Multi-Media

Shade, 6" x 7" x 11"

Base, 8" x 4.5" x 8"

Lamp and Base together 10" x 6" x 18.5"

2021

Inspired by the slot canyons and desert of Southern Utah.

Each of these lamp bases is made with a mold. Liquid clay is poured into a plaster negative, and since the plaster is absorbant, it pulls the water out of the clay and leaves a shell on the inside surface of the mold. After the liquid clay sits inside the mold for a bout 45 minutes, the excess clay is poured off, and the remaining shell sets up in the mold overnight. The next day the clamps are removed and the mold is separated, revealing the positive shape. Then all the seems are removed and the piece is smoothed over. In some cases, slip is applied to create the texture. 

This is how the form is repeatable. Since there are several steps in the process, there will always be variations in each piece. So the piece that you own will be similar to all the other pieces in the world, but yours will be unique due to the handmade nature of the process.