The magic salty dough. “Samara Lefthander – 2008”
Материал из Wiki.
Волшебное соленое тесто. "Самарский Левша-2008"
A master class of Svetlana Anatolyevna Gerasimova
English version Gerasimova Svetlana Anatolyevna “The Samara Lefthander – 2008”
History
It is not known who the first had the idea to model something uneatable from the dough, it might be a naughty child, who had sculptured a ridiculous animal from bread at dinner…
Very long ago, in good old times, people started to mould grain flat cakes from flour and water and to burn them on the heated stones. Then in Babylon there were stoves for bread, the first loaves came up to take place of grain flat cakes. About 5 thousand years ago ancient Egyptians knew many recipes of the dough and baked already 30 various kinds of bread.
Ancient Incas molded figures of people and animals from the dough, and then brought them as victims to gods. In Europe in ancient times figured bread from yeast dough was made only by hands, without any other instruments.
In the Middle Ages Italy was famous for wonderful masters, the read artists who baked magnificent figured breads and merchants from all over Europe bought them in order to sell expensively in the native lands. At that time there were also wooden baking dishes for figured bread. Nowadays such forms are used for baking cakes on Christmas. They baked not only bread, but also decorative products, and lest mice should bite them, they added much salt into the dough.
In China since XVII century, they made puppets from the dough. In the Himalayas they use wooden forms for making sacrificial cult figures from barley flour. These figures from the dough replace people and animals that were sacrificed in old times. One of the national crafts of Ecuador is creating hand-made articles from the brightly painted dough. And if before a figure from the dough had a symbolical or mystical sense now skilful men would make for you anything you like.
In Scandinavia figures are made of the ears linked into sheaves; and in the west of Spain grain wreaths are brought to an altar on celebrations in honour of the God’s Mother.
In Greece they traditionally bake magnificent grain wreaths decorated with a beautiful ornament. In Eastern Europe products from the dough are not painted. The typical brown colour of bread is considered especially beautiful.
In Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia pictures from the dough are very popular.
In Russia the history of figures from the dough comes from old times when New Year was celebrated in September, 1st. It was usual to give multi-coloured figures from the salty dough as presents. They were symbols of wealth in a family, that’s why they got the name of “Chklebosole” (hospitable person).
The art of work with the salty dough was lost during both world wars as there was not enough material. The revival of this national craft began at the end of the XX century, and now it is very popular. Though creating hand-made articles from the dough is a very ancient tradition, nowadays everything that is made by hands is highly appreciated. Last years the salty dough became a very popular material for molding: it is very elastic, it can be processed, products from it are durable, and work with the salty dough gives pleasure and joy to children and adults.
 Mushrooms |
 A basket with strawberries |
 A bouquet of wild flowers |
 Grapes |
 A round dance |
 Hedgehogs on a walk |
 A swineherd |
 A New Year tree |
 A holiday in a village |
 Nature gifts |
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Team works with pupils of the 2nd form “A”
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 We invite to tea drinking |
 Apple-tree garden |
The articles of Ekaterina Gordeyeva, a pupil of the 11 form “B”.
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 Motherland |
 An Oriental cherry and an oak. |
 A bouquet of roses |
 A bouquet in the vase. |
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Technology
Gradually we add water into the flour and get the dough mixed up so that it become plastic and do not stick to hands
While working with the dough we use material which is at hand in the house: scarps of wood-fiber flags, old vinyl records, wire, buttons, spoons, plugs, the toothpicks, all possible varnishes, graters and hair dryers. For painting hand-made articles from the dough mainly gouache, brushes with soft pile and sponges are used. For painting suits, eyes and faces we use cereals (wheat, buckwheat, sunflower seeds).
Svetlana Anatolyevna Gerasimova has her own secrets of work with the dough. For example, in order to fix a big article on a rough surface of a wood fiber flag she uses polishing (flour + polyvinyl acetate glue + a brush). The dough from flour and polyvinyl acetate glue is distributed on the surface of the wood fiber flag filling roughness and making a smooth surface for a hand-made article.
Different ways of manufacturing and regular drying with the hair dryer are used to create various flowers:
A poppy – first cutting one part of a dough stripe with scissors then a zigzag laying out on a basis. The way from “the centre to edge”;
A rose – petals on one to another. The way “from the edge to the centre”;
Lilies – three variants of a flower: “The opened flower”, “The wrapped up leaf” and “The semi opened flower”. The way of partial imposing out of petals;
Irises – the way of imposing by layers (petals, pestles, petals);
Cornflowers – cutting of one part of a dough stripe by scissors with zigzag laying out on a basis;
Forget-me-not – two ways of carrying out (on a basis and on an additional plane with further shifting on a basis). The way of cutting edges of mini-petals with a knife;
making leaves:
On an additional plane leaves of various sizes and forms (leaves of a rose, a lily, a poppy, a cornflower) with the following carrying on a basis are made. The way of supporting a leaf by a finger when drying (camber creation).
Just recently there was one more way of making volume figures, where after getting dry volume filled with other material (salt, newspaper) is cleaned away, thereby a volume figure is facilitated and the means (flour, salt) are saved.
The literature:
1. Grushko E.A., Medvedeva J.M. The dictionary of Slavic Mythology. – N.Novgorod: “Russian merchant”, “Brother Slavs”, 1995. – 368 pgs.
2. Kiskalt I. The salty dough/ The Lane with it. – M.: nuclear heating plant – PRESS the BOOK, 2003. – 144 pgs.
3. Hananova I. The salty dough. – M.: nuclear heating plant – PRESS the BOOK, 2006.
4. Chayanova O.V. The needlework alphabet of the salty dough. – M.: Eksmo, 2008. – 144 pgs
English version Gerasimova Svetlana Anatolyevna “The Samara Lefthander – 2008”
