slab saucers

I made a batch of plates from rolled out slabs of clay and they just came out of their glaze firing,

there were three main sizes, and one odd larger one

I always work in multiples.  i'm not sure why but Very rarely do I ever make just one of something.

the smallest dishes are only about 3" x 4"

they all have mishima decoration, but the undersides are colored:

oh yes, there is one that is a bit different...

the next size up are these little "pushed slab" plates,

they are made bu pushing the slab down onto a large foam piece with a wooden shape so that the sides come up around the shape,  they are about 4" x 6"

the day I decorated these things I had a limited number of underglazes on hand, so they are a bit muted.

and then there are these square ones:

they are about six inches square

again with the mishima and screen printing, 

Also, I went to the studio yesterday and glazed up these mugs,

it will be fun to see them done, I've had a lot of fun making them

more and more

more handbuilding and more decoration.... I got back to the Clay Spot a few days ago and had some fun with Helios, 

Yesterday I spent four hours decorating the pieces I made, and then another hour today, 

decorating is time intensive!

Along with the silkscreening that I usually add, I did a bit of mishima on most all of the pieces, 

the stechnique is not complicated.  First, you incise a line into leatherhard clay

then, paint underglaze or slip so that it fills in the line,

In the past, I've mixed a bit of white clay into the black underglaze to produce a charcoal color, but this time I went for the whole black

After it sets up a bit you need to remove the excess color, just leaving the part that fills in the line

you can sometimes scrape off some of the underglaze with a metal rib, and you can also use a damp sponge, dampening and wiping, and cleaning the sponge over and over to wipe off more of the streaks

I was working on five small dishes, six squarish plates about five inches wide and three darted cups

some have just mishima, and others have screenprinting as well

I painted the undersides today and added some slip decoretion, but forgot to take any photos,

I also made another eight cups today, so I need to decorate them tomorrow!   

I got a few things glazed that I made last time I was here in march, so it will be fun to see them come out of the kiln.  I've had a bit of trouble figuring out how thick to apply the glaze-- too thick and it looks cloudy over dark colored underglaze, and too thin leads to roughness on the rims.  Hope I get it right this time!

december 2014

this is one of my favorite places anywhere,  The Clay Spot! 

i went for a few hours on Monday to construct some bowls, and then again Wednesday to decorate,

There are six bowls and two plates. i used a variiety of screen prints, some mishima and a bit of slip trailing.  It has been so long since I did any clay that The decorating didnt really all come together the way it sometimes does.  however, it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the process a lot.

The clay is Helios porcelain so the final colors should be quite clear and the clay body a beautiful white.    we'll see... 

But sometimes plates

The other thing I like to make is little slab plates, 

We have a stack of them in use, and I like them for snacks,

This week I intended to make a small matching set

But I seem to have forgotten my goal partway through the decorating phase

Here the undersides do match..

Also made a couple of vases, 

This one I think the decoration is a bit off, it's too small scale or something

The pinkish areas were also too flat, so I scratched them a bit.  Also, perhaps I needed another color in it, 

Mostly Mugs

It seems that mugs are what I like to make.

When I say I like to make, that means getting them to the decorated stage, not necessarily to the glazed and finished stage

I like to use underglaze, and I like to do slip trailing,

I like to work in small groups, and use one color one day and use another color on another day

Although mostly the mugs I make  are about 4 inches tall, the other day I tried some taller ones, the ones decorated in pink, above.  The walls are quite thin and seem like they might be a bit fragile.  But I like the way they feel.

At the Art Institute

This is a pot I saw at the Art Institute in Chicago, 

It is quite large, about 20 inches high, by a contemporary Korean potter, I think.  Sorry I didn't take a photo of the information card.

Also, this is an an American Indian pot with a woven pattern decoration, 

It too was quite large.  

Both pots are very graceful, and have nice "lift" from their bases, 

Slowpoke

I have been so slow in making new work, 

These are some small slab plates that I started in September and glazed in December.  

I left spaces to put flower decals, so I hope to do that in the next few weeks,

These are some mugs I made at the same time.  The front one is handbuilt, the others are thrown.

These lovely dishes were made by my son and his girlfriend in September when Lisa ( at the Clay Spot in Savannah) gave them an introduction to throwing!  She is such a good teacher!  

The colors all coordinate so well!  And the gorgeous textile was a Christmas gift from Dierdre.  It is an Indian cloth covered in rows of stitching!