Sirocco Curly Reflections Light Blue and White

Curly Sirocco was molded from red clay, once dry it was fired for about 10 hours at a temperature of about 1000 degrees Centigrade. The sculpture that comes out of the kiln has taken on the classic “terracotta” color and is called a “cookie,” precisely because of the color it gets after the first firing. It is at this stage that the brush glaze is applied Each coat of glaze was carefully applied to precisely form the shape of the shirt and cover all the hair. Ceramic glazes can be given by dipping, spraying, sprinkling and brushing. Curly Sirocco was painted with a brush, a technique that requires experience and sensitivity because the ceramic glaze, which contains water, is quickly absorbed by the cookie and experience is needed to give the right amount and achieve the desired effect. A blue-gray glaze was used for Sirocco’s curly hair, which has iridescent effects that lighten the final effect.

Curly Sirocco, like all the pieces in the series, is signed, one-of-a-kind, and tells of the pleasure of wind in the hair. As the poet Alda Merini writes, “No one combs my hair as well as the wind.”