Paper Mache Pottery

Made by Jon Keller

I wanted to try making a pottery piece using paper mache ………strictly for decoration , totally non-functional .

The first step was to wrap a balloon with twine that had been saturated with white glue.

Once dry , the next thing I did was to apply paper mache onto the twine.

To make the paper mache I used those cup holders ( the kind that hold 4 cups ) that you can get at most fast food restaurants , and egg cartons ( paper mache ones of course ). I save things like that as part of my crazy art life. You can tear them into small pieces , soak them in water , and they will turn back into paper mache . I do add some extra white glue to the mix.

I applied the paper mache using a butter spreader ( perhaps my favorite , and most useful tool for the types of projects that I do ). The paper mache was applied in small sections . I would do one section , let it dry overnight , and then continue . The reason I did one section at a time is because moisture of the paper mache can spread into the hardened twine and which makes it soft again , which compromises the shape. If you do a little at a time this is not a problem.

When all of the paper mache was fully dry I cut away the top part of the wrapped-in-twine balloon to make the opening of the vase.

I did some sanding and tweaking , and then , using acrylic paint , gave it a southwestern type of semi-primitive paint job.

The paint job , by far , was the most difficult part of this project.