: Isculpt - Viewing Profile

I'm preparing for an indoor show, and I need to come up with better lighting than I've had in the past. I thought my lighting was adequate until I set up my booth and found that, compared to other booths, mine looked like the black hole of Calcutta. I don't have shiny surfaces on my work, so I don't need blinding lights, but I do need to make the booth bright enough for potential buyers to SEE the work. I've searched the archives for this topic, and although I'm sure it's been covered, I can't find anything by typing in "lighting for indoor craft shows" in the Search box. Any suggestions on lighting for a 10x10 booth or for finding a post covering this topic?
thanks, Jayne

I've seen clay sculptures with a pitted surface that I admire. I've read of things you can press into a clay surface to gain that look of antiquity, like rice or broken spaghetti. Can anyone suggest other materials that will burn out, but leave a more random, jagged appearance? I've read of people using dried clay bits, but would those fall out in the firing and leave pitted areas or would they simply stay in place? Jayne

I want to sketch some small symbols into a leather-hard sculpture, but I need to be able to remove them if I don't like the placement. I can't use a pencil because it leaves an impression in the roughened texture of the clay. Is there something else that can be used?

I just received this email from PotterBarter: a potter's studio and gallery (with living quarters) for sale in Puerto Rico where it is currently 86 degrees. No, I'm not helping them sell the place, but it's great eye candy, especially for any potter who's grown weary of winter! And the studio is the cleanest workspace I've ever seen. Heck, my kitchen has never been this clean! If you'd like a 5-minute escape to the tropics, click on the link and look at the slide show. As for me, I'm gonna go clean my studio now (and maybe my kitchen), and then I'm gonna turn up the thermostat.
Jayne

I recently pit fired a bisqued earthenware sculpture and was disappointed to find when the fire had died down that the sculpture had broken in 6 places. The folks at the clay store suggested I try raku clay. Is it just the addition of grog that makes the raku clay stronger, or is there more to it than that? I asked if the raku clay was easy to use for handbuilding and sculpting and was told that it is. That seems too good to be true: I mean, if it handles as well as earthenwares, why doesn't everyone just use it instead and ensure less cracking and breaking? Are there quirks and tricks to working with raku clay?