In this article, the author describes how her art class students were able to create, in just four class periods, clay relief plaques depicting nature. A lesson on texture speeds up the completion of such a project. Seeing that clay is a natural material with its own unique texture, it seemed fitting that the final product should depict a variety of textures created by using any number of tools available--from pencil and garlic press to carving tools and lace. Prior to beginning the class, some short exercises on creating and identifying various types of textures and a texture guessing game was given to the students. Then the project started out with a review of clay vocabulary and techniques. After considerable discussion on the project's details and how to apply color, the students were pleased with the results and amazed that their plaques were finished in less than a week. The finished projects were so sophisticated that when the plaques were displayed using inexpensive plate holders, many students received offers to buy their work.