Clay is a very abundant material on earth that you might find on a hill, it may be dry, among layers of stone, have a small molecule and a waxy surface. Also you can find at the bottom of a river. In fact, if no clay where at the bottom of a river, the water would permeate
underground: yes, water slips on a bed of clay.
Magnolias by Celina Clavijo Kashu
It is usually mixed with sand and stones, so, if ever you find clay, you have to grind and to sieve it, and either wait for a while to dry to the right consistency for modeling, or on the contrary, to wet it for the same purpose.
There are many kinds of clays, black ones, red ones, yellow ones, what is common to them is their plasticity. Try to model it: make a ring for yourself, if the clay bends without breaking, it is good for whatever you want to do.
Well almost. There are clays too plastic and cannot keep their shape, we call them “short” and mix them with flint, (silica or ground sand) or another refractory clay in a percentage determined by experimentation.
Do not let yourself be cheated with the color of any clay: very seldom they keep their color after firing. Usually black clays are black because they have organic compounds and these in firing become ashes or disappear: the resulting color after firing being white.
Yellow clays more often than not, have a content of iron hydroxide, they may fire pink or blackish red.
In the same way, red clays usually have a content of iron oxide and fire red, such is the case of terracotta, much used for sculpting the human figure, and such is the case of ordinary flower pots and bricks.
The photos are beautiful. The pieces are a visual delight, both serene and intriguing.