The Clay Problem
Why I Might Not Buy Any This Year.
The price of clay along with other things has gone up. While it might be important to buy local I personally would need to take a day and make a 350 mile round trip to Philadelphia, PA to buy the clay in bulk. Or I could have it shipped. Doing the math it would be cheaper to get the clay as everything would be a write off. My travel, my gas, my mileage, and even the clay itself as it’s a raw material. For a few dollars more I could have it shipped.
I may not even have clay shipped this year as I do have a bunch of clay that I have left over to reclaim. I used all reclaimed clay for my spring show and it was a nice clay to use. It was my favorite clay to use for eight years until it was discontinued. It does not take much to process and use reclaim so I may continue on working with clay I already have which might be enough.
I have thought about mixing clay. I would be able to buy the raw materials to mix but it would be a challenge to set up a process to mix everything. I also worry about the dust caused by mixing even though I would be wearing a mask. I have never mixed clay before but do have some great recipes in the many books I have collected. I would just need to research what clay body would work best. I could also dig clay, as a friend of mine lives near a clay deposit where there used to be an old brick factory.
The challenge of buying clay and when ties back to the current economic and political environment we are finding ourselves in. There has and will always be economic and political challenges to consider. As artists and creators we solve problems as we work. I may just make the decision on clay based on what is happening at the time I need clay, and make a decision then. It’s almost like a game.
If I were living yesterday a second time: I would have started processing one bucket of reclaim clay instead of just thinking about how much I have. I would have tested one batch to see if it’s actually enough for the year. Tomorrow I’ll remember that having options is good but choosing one is better.
Things I am grateful for: The reclaimed clay that worked so well at the spring show.
Days remaining if I live to 86: 12,690
What problem are you solving today that you could have solved with resources you already have? What’s sitting in your studio waiting to be reclaimed?
Originally published at Creek Road Pottery
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