Burnishing

I spent the morning burnishing a piece of sculpture with a smooth stone. As I worked, I thought about the history of burnishing clay surfaces. Of course there is Maria Martinez and the Native American pottery of the Southwest. Maria Martinez used smooth stones handed down from her grandmother and possibly used by ancestors before. The stones became smoother and smoother with use. Listening to Martinez describing her burnishing in a film from the 70’s, it is evident that she is extremely proud of the effort that she put into burnishing her pottery. My pieces, however, will not be fired. They will not turn black and hard with high temperature and smoke. There is also a history of burnishing clay walls. When I read about the Moroccan tadelakt process, burnishing played a big role.

I wrote about tadeladt in February 07. Tadelakt is a Moroccan technique. After applying a special lime plaster, the craftsman polished the surface with with stones and olive oil soap (sabon beldi). This adds shine and water resistance that makes the treatment suitable for not only walls, but also floors and bathtubs.