I am moving in a new direction this month. I've discovered sgraffito, which means "to scratch". It's a time honored method used in ceramics to make designs on the clay surface. Before the first firing, a colored slip (made of colorant and clay in a creamy state) is painted over the surface of the plate. Then I carefully carve a design thru that thin layer of slip to reveal the white clay beneath. The piece goes thru its first firing and then is dipped in a contrasting color of glaze, which makes the design "pop" out thru the slip color. Check back regularly! I will be adding more sgraffito pieces to my site as they come out of the kiln. The month of October started off with an "oops!" and an "ouch!" I missed seeing a curb one evening and rolled my ankle. Nothing broken, but a bad sprain nonetheless. And I had to learn how to use those vile instruments of torture.... crutches. Since driving was out of the picture for a while, my dear fellow potters came to my rescue and transported me to the studio so I could still 'play in the mud'. Thank you all!
"Everybody has an angle." This quote means different things to different people. Such as, everyone has a way of getting what they want. Or.... Everyone has a way of presenting themselves. But I wanted to use the word "angle" in it's mathematical sense. And I wanted to see what kind of ceramic piece I could make using a 90 degree angle. This pitcher vase has that 90 degree angle. I think it makes the piece look like it is moving, going in a certain direction. There is a life to it. To quote Dr. Frankenstein, "It...is...ALIVE!!" The inspiration for this plate came from a trip to Maui last summer. I fell in love with the sea turtles there and was so surprised when one casually swam past me in chest deep water! I decided to recreate that encounter by making my sea turtle using nerikomi. This is a process where different colors of clay are layered and compressed into a shape, in this case, a triangle. Then very thin pieces are sliced off and incorporated into the plate bottom. To achieve the sea green colors, I dipped the plate in two different glazes. The interaction of the two glazes produced the wonderful sea green/blue of the water and sandy bottom of the Maui ocean. |
AuthorMims Ellis, Miriam Ellis, handbuilding potter Archives
February 2024
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