Seventh-grade students were anxious to do some sculpting this year so we worked on building an abstract form. Abstraction focuses on using the elements of art, without the necessity of producing the exact likeness of an object.

Students could choose to work on the sculpture inside a plastic bag or with their eyes closed to really focus on manipulating the form. No part of the clay body could be thicker than their thumb to prevent breakage when firing the clay in the kiln.

After the bisque fire, students chose one glaze or a limited palette of color to finish the surface.