We dug the clay out of a hillside near the Ruskin Dam in Haney, BC. The chunks of clay were hammered into fragments, dried on trays, slaked in buckets, then sieved, removing a lot of seashells (!) and rocks. Barium, local sand and some fireclays were added to remove the salts and open up the clay body.
While the trays of clay fragments were drying out, I transferred buckets of sieved slurry to large open bisque bowls for de-hydrating before wedging and throwing. Haney is a beautiful smooth rich dense clay, fired to cone 03. Hand making clay is also an arduous and laborious process.
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1. Hillside by road in Haney where we dug the clay -
2. Hammered chunks of clay -
3. Buckets of slaking clay -
4. Slurry drying in bisque bowls -
5. Wheel and Haney clay
