| Clay | A soft, moist, earthy material used to create artworks such as sculptures and pottery. |
| Ceramics | Pots or other articles made from clay hardened by heat. |
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| Coil | A rope-like shaped piece of clay. |
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| Firing | The process of baking ceramics in a kiln or furnace. |
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| Greenware | Clay objects that have been shaped, but not yet fired in a kiln. |
| Glaze | A coating of glass which is fused to the surface of a clay body during firing. |
| Kiln | The furnace in which clay is fired to harden it. |
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| Leatherhard | The state in which clay has lost moisture due to evaporation, but has not yet completely hardened. It is no longer plastic. |
| Pinch-pot | A simple clay “pot” which is created by pinching a ball of clay into the proper shape. |
| Subtractive | The process of removing material from an artwork |
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| Slab | An even flat piece of clay. |
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| Slip | Clay diluted with water (creating a creamy texture) that can be used for joining pieces of clay. |
| Score | The process of scratching the surface of a piece of clay to better join it to another piece (often with slip). |
| Wedge | A technique in which clay is thoroughly kneaded to remove air pockets. |