A new Clay from New Mexico Clay WES (Clay description by James Marshal)

White Earthenware Sculpture is a tough, resilient, and forgiving low fire, cone 04, white earthenware clay body. Excellent for all hand building techniques and ideally suited for the construction of large sculptural forms, it also works quite well for small and medium sized work. Plasticity increases with water content, while rigidity and reduced shrinkage and warpage with slabwork is accomplished through a dryer mix. Particle size allows for easy rewetting, low warping, and quick drying. Due to its high talc content glaze fit for commercial low fire glazes is good. Surface tooling and carving are easily executed and smoothing with ribs results in a very smooth, tight surface.
Kiln shrinkage tests: at cone o4 WES is shrinking about 7 percent. I put a flat slab in to check on warpage, the slab was straight when it went in and it moved ever so slightly, but I surmise that the slab did some moving due to the making of it, ie rolling the slab.