Finding Wild Clay

While digging a pit for my upcoming pit firing, I stumbled upon wild clay! I scooped some up into a 2-gallon bucket and got to work processing it. First, I added water to the clay to break it down, then began sieving it. I found an old bowl strainer left in the garden and used that for the initial round. It caught most of the larger impurities, but I wanted the clay smoother. So I went inside and grabbed a finer kitchen sieve for a second round of processing. After that, I let the clay settle overnight. The next day, I scooped off the excess water and poured the clay into a pillowcase to drain further. Once it had lost enough moisture, I transferred it to a shallow container to dry out in the sun. After an hour or two, it reached a workable consistency, so I wedged it. The clay wedged well, and I started testing its plasticity. It held up to a simple pinch pot, but when I tried coiling it around my finger, it broke. That told me it needed more refinement. I set it aside for now, eager to see how it behaves once I’m back in the studio.