This dorodango surprise gift for a friend so I’m very pleased with how well it turned out.

As we have for the last several years, in April my wife and I attended a reunion of friends and families in the Ozark Mountains. The area soil is characterized by a striking red clay formally known as udult ultisol. Ultisols are very low in calcium and high in iron and kaolinite content which results in a rosy color and high malleability. Red clay is found throughout the southeastern United States but I haven’t encountered any near my home in Tennessee so I was pleased to have the opportunity to collect a sample.

I found red clay to be more difficult to prep than soil from previous projects. I like to start a dorodango with dry material so I can completely control the moisture throughout the process. This sample was collected from a wet roadside and allowed to dry naturally in an open bag. I churned the clay by hand every few days to promote drying. This particular clay was also full of tiny roots and rock chips which required lots of sifting to remove.

Formation went smoothly for this dorodango and took eight days. I observed the dorodango for a further week as drying continued and its surface brightened. I believe this is my most successful piece to date thanks to the workability of red clay as well as some of the lessons I’ve been learning along the way. I’m already working on number five and I’ll be posting some process details shortly.