You might not realize how easy it is to find clay near you. Clay is one of the most abundant things on our planet, and you can find, dig, and use wild clay for pottery. Remember to always get permission to explore someone else’s property, and to collect samples. Don’t go where you’re not allowed, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t be greedy, and leave no trace.

benshane.com

IG: @tinkerandthink

In this video, come along with me as I look for wild clay in a new place—Madrid, Spain! I wanted to go find some wild clay. It’s a great way to learn about where you are and connect with the people and the land.

I start by searching the internet for geological surveys. These provide fascinating and detailed maps and explanations of what kinds of minerals and rocks are under our feet. They’re the best way I know to narrow down your initial search, because they will show what areas have clay, and even what characteristics that clay has.

Once I’ve found an area that has plenty of clay on a geological map, I search that area on Google Earth. I look for any signs of exposed clay, looking especially at road cuts, river banks, and construction areas. This helps me refine the area I’ll search, because larger clay deposits are visible when exposed. Since I’m not doing any real excavating, and I just want a couple of samples from the surface, this is an important step.

I took a bus out of the city and started poking around by the river. I found loads of different clay—all red, sandy, micaceous clay. If I had to guess, I’d guess these will be good low-temperature raku and pit-fire clays. Tune in for the next episode of this series, where I refine the slay samples I found and start testing them to figure out how to get the most out of them.

📸@liedini

00:00 - Research
04:49 - Field Sample #1
05:34 - Tip #1: Cracks
05:51 - Clay Sample #2
08:21 - Tip #2: Clay Burnishes
09:24 - Clay Sample #3
10:20 - Clay Sample #4
10:28 - Tip #3: Unique Colors
11:48 - Clay Sample #5: River
12:05 - Tip #4: Plasticity Tests