small geode with purple crystal

The Science

Although the art piece depicts a geode, that does not mean it is 100% accurate. This particular clay figure shows the artist’s creative depiction of what a geode is. Real geodes are formed when air bubbles get trapped while lava is cooling and groundwater seeps into the bubbles. This allows the crystals and minerals to grow on the inside of the rock.  Geodes are often used to show that something might look boring on the outside, but the inside can contain something beautiful.

https://geology.com/articles/geodes/

The Medium

The art piece depicted here is a faux small geode with purple crystals. It is formed from ceramic clay and fired in a kiln. Each crystal was formed in separate pieces of clay and attached to the inside of a hollowed ball. After the first firing it was painted in Tiger’s Eye glaze for the rocky outside and Purple Mint for the inside. After it was glazed, it was fired again to form a glassy, shiny look.

Artist Bio

Tiana Blackmore is currently attending College of The Rockies for the Fine Arts Certificate. She is very interested in art and the creative processes that lead artists to come up with the amazing things they do. After her schooling at COTR is finished, she plans to go to the University of Lethbridge and get a Bachelor of Fine Arts.