JOAN TAYLER: A Survey of Vessel Construction Techniques

For the last couple of decades, Joan has been making functional things from polymer clay. She has written one tutorial on the subject of vessels and welcomes this opportunity to share some of the successful methods and help people avoid some of the mistakes she’s made. Using slides and live demonstrations, Joan will show up to five alternative ways to make vessels from polymer clay:

Vessel and bottle forms to mold the clay, then removing the clay and reconstructing the clay into its final form.
Slump molds that continue the design process after curing.
Using temporary forms to create a shape
Trapping air
Hollow forms made from flat components

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Joan has lived most of her life in British Columbia except for eight years in Tokyo. Her stay in Japan influenced her taste in design. She works mainly in polymer clay, which combines the three dimensionality of clay with the colours of paint. She likes to make small objects that can be enjoyed in the palm of your hand. Her goal is to present polymer clay as a professional art material. Joan often describes polymer clay as three dimensional paint that can be mixed and blended to create a palette of colours comparable to oils or water colours. She enjoys making small things that can be kept or given, to bring a little joy to the person holding them.