terra-cotta

It seems strangely appropriate to me that terra cotta is so overlooked, and is often used to imitate other materials. Clay comes from humble origins, and acts humbly, not taking the credit for how much it really does. Clay very often seems to be underestimated or understated. People use it everyday and rarely pay any attention to what it is. For having such wide spread use, and versatility, you would think that clay would receive more attention, more consideration. Not only can clay look like clay, it can look like a million other surfaces, materials, and textures. Further more, in many situations, like architecture, it is more functional than say, marble, or granite. Covering a building with terra cotta tiles is infinitely easier, and cheaper, than using marble. Maybe, where the appreciation of clay is lost on the general public however, is in its efforts to look like other things. Maybe it does this too well, and the knowledge of what the material actually is, is lost. Also I think that the effort involved in making ceramics is not really understood by those who have never tried it. To make a piece to exact specifications is hard, and to make thousands of pieces to decorate a building seems crazy, but obviously worth the effort in the end.