Signatures on Clay - Owning the Work We Do

Signing Clay with Stamps and Writing With a Pin Tool

Just recently I've been involved in two conversations about how creative work gets signed.  One was from a new customer who was concerned that the sculpture she purchased wasn't signed - it was.  Another was during an encaustic workshop where the conversation was "how and where do we sign encaustic pieces."  Encaustics are done with layers of wax painted on a firm base so traditional signatures don't work as easily!

There's a school of thought in pottery that says your work should be so distinctive that signing is unnecessary.   I suppose there's some merit to that, but my experience has taught me that folks LIKE having the "mark" of the artist whose hands created the piece actually ON the piece.  Besides, when I was a child and was madly painting and drawing, my father told me to ALWAYS sign my name on what I did and I listened to my father!

I thought you might like to see the process I use for signing my pieces, so here we go!  Anyone who's been around me or followed my work knows I LOVE making stamps - stamps for prints and paintings, for fabric and, yes, for CLAY!  So, of course, I make stamps to sign my clay work. 

Signature Stamps

I generally use my initials for clay work - these stamps above are my current stamps.  The beginning of each year I make a new stamp with my initials and the last two digits of the year.  Other stamps simply have my initials.  They two on the left are my "philosophy" stamps - I think of them something like traditional Asian seals or "chops."  They are symbolic of my beliefs about life and who we ARE in that life. They're most likely to be used on dishes that will become a part of the flow of someone else's life.

First Step of the Stamp Making Process

 

 

The impression I want the stamp to make is first drawn into a lump of clay.  Then other clay is pressed into this impression once the first step is dry.  A handle is added, any corrections made and the new stamp is dried and fired.

Impressions from the "Chop" Stamps

Most pieces are stamped on the bottoms or for things such as bells - on the inside.  If a sculpture is too squash-prone, it is usually stamped near the tail of the animal.  Sometimes those stamps get a bit of glaze in them and the signature is not quite so obvious.  Every once in a while, I sign my name using a pin tool.  Sometimes in the workshop, my mind hits a speed bump and I don't get the stamp signature on the piece.  Usually I catch it later and that piece is signed with a permanent marker.

Stamp on the Bottom of a Dish

So that's the story.  I'm a believer in leaving our mark on the work we put out into the world.  It's how we own what we do and connect with folks who are interested in living with something we've made.
How do YOU sign your work??