this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
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Art project- material/idea question (hexbear.net)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I was thinking of starting a “community-sourced” art project of sorts to try and recreate/preserve the tactile connection to people’s favorite trees. I typically do block/woodcut printing so I thought an impression/pencil rubbing and creating a print or carved replica would be most familiar. But then I was thinking it’d be more natural to just slap some terracotta against the bark and essentially create a cast, and then…? Idk let it dry? (I don’t know anything about clay except digging it up to make sun pots as a child lol).

What do you think? Have you heard of similar work? Any thoughts around mediums/materials with which to experiment?

As far as it being “community sourced” I was thinking of experimenting with it myself first, then doing a “citizen science” sort of project in the community, but maybe larger if possible. Seemed like a potential way to build some connection around seemingly common objects.

I was inspired by an artist that does block prints of local infrastructure he considers significant, a planning activity called “places of the heart”, and a big tree by the bus stop I use- an oak with 2” deep ridges

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

First, I think this sounds wonderful for your community. I’m a ceramist, so I think I can offer some advise. Ceramic is such a beautiful medium, and not enough people get to experience the process. I think you have a concept that will invariably connect people with their local environment through their participation.

As for your idea of casting tree bark with clay, this might be more difficult than you’d expect for a lot of reasons. But by all means try it out simply to experience working with clay. I’d suggest doing a plaster casting of the tree to create a mold, and then a clay slip casting of the plaster mold. This way you will end up with a positive replica of the bark rather than a negative impression. This method will also allow you to make multiple casts from the same mold.

Some things to consider:

  • If the goal is to work with living trees, check with a local arborist to make sure you won’t be harming the trees. I’m not sure what plaster itself would do to a tree, but you’d probably need to screw/nail the mold frame to the tree to do the plaster casting. And taking the mold off might damage the bark too. I would test your process with recently felled trees.
  • Slip casting can be really tricky. While I encourage you to experiment, you might want to reach out to local ceramists to help you. But once you get the process dialed in it’s actually pretty simple.
  • Some trees might not work for this project. Clay slip will fill cavities in the plaster mold. When the clay dries it could be impossible to remove the casting without it breaking. You may end up having to fill cavities with more plaster. This will result in replicas that are not a 100% accurate.
  • Check with a local community college or university for advice and kiln space. This type of project is something is often something they’re looking for.
  • There are lots of clays you could use and lots of ways of finish each piece. So investigate what you want the final product to be like. Ask what colors are you looking for? What texture do you want the ceramic to have? Do you want to glaze them? Reduction fire them? Things like that.

Lots to consider, but this sounds like a lot of fun.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago

I also don't know a lot about clay, like different types and stuff, but I can tell you that it is probably hard to get the clay off without fucking it up. I just can't imagine clay coming off the bark cleanly and maintaining the details.

What if you used food safe silicone? It shouldn't damage the tree and it's very durable, so you could make a mold of the bark with it and then reuse it over and over with all kinds of materials. It picks up a lot of details too, it'll get down into the gaps and everything if you do it right.