Guernica

The students were to recreate Pablo Picasso’s painting at full scale in three dimensions using clay. Students from beginner, intermediate and advanced ceramics classes drew tiles at random and each student set to work re-creating their little section of Guernica. The composition for each tile was predetermined so the students challenged themselves within that format to throw forms and alter them, to score and slip various shapes onto the tile, to coil build and to carve into the tiles creating interesting textures. Over 100 students, faculty and staff participated in this project.

For all of my Guernica tiles I used half a bag of sculpture raku, wedged them, and then flattened them out. After getting it to the right size and thickness I sliced off any excess clay and carved some light lines crisscrossing into the back of the slab so that it can be installed onto the wall later on. Each tile was from a different piece of the mural so after making them look like the image I drew I added different textures to each one by sculpting out body parts, poking/ carving in patterns to make them more fun to look at.

Doing this painting as 3-D will bring the piece alive. I enjoyed being a part of this project and loved the techniques I used. I utilized my ability to throw, to cut and manipulate the thrown pieces. I added texture and dug into the tile while carving out other areas. Having only two basic colors pushes your limit in glazing, but having a background in painting, I am hoping it has added more 3-D characteristics.