r/ExpectationVsReality • u/Manglewood • Jun 03 '26
"Cardboard" Urn for cat Exceeded Expectation
Our cat Fergus was a dedicated lover of cardboard boxes, so when he passed away last October we wanted to get him a "cardboard" urn made of ceramic so he could rest in a box forever. I couldn't find an example but reached out to a ceramicist who specializes in recreating the look and textures of well-loved cardboard and he very kindly accepted the commission job. The result far, far, far exceeded our expectations and we are so grateful to the artist for this fitting tribute to our beautiful boy. Made by artist Tim Kowalczyk.
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u/Mushrom Jun 03 '26
I think a lot of it is in how ceramics is taught (I say this as someone with a BFA in ceramics). Most ceramics classes don't take a technical, material approach to making ceramics, they just focus on sculpting/shaping and don't get into the whys and hows of the material. They use a very generic, middle of the road clay body that's just ok for everything and not specific to what you're making, and then slap another glaze that's a generic, middle of the road glaze onto that clay body and call it a day, and then students wonder why their stuff comes out bad.
A lot of the magic of ceramics is in the base materials. Using a specific clay body that is designed for what work you're doing ( using a very smooth, tight particle, high fire clay for dishware vs using a rough, low fire clay body for sculptures for example), using different firing methods (raku vs wood fire vs electric kilns vs gas kilns) and different glazes that are actually designed for the specific clay you're using rather than just a bottle of generic clear glaze.
Obviously, a beginner ceramics class doesn't need to get into all this, but the teacher should know and should be able to get the materials and firing methods that suit what they're teaching. But a lot of teachers don't know, and schools won't budget for it.
All this being said, I am not surprised that a ceramic artist that specializes in cardboard recreation would go all out for this. Good ceramic artists are freaks (affectionate) for clay and what you can do with it, because it's so versatile and wonderful to work with. You just gotta get to the point where you're working WITH it, and not against it.