elevating earthenware
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PotteryMaking Illustrated | September/October 2010 17
n interest in creating a sense o value through
decoration, along with the ability o that dec-
oration to crat meaning led me to work with
earthenware. This might seem contradictory,
as earthenware has common and utilitarian associa-tions, but the choice is based very much on the history
o the material.
The perceived value o earthenware has shited through-
out time. As a variety o techniques were explored, the
level o decoration and experimentation increased. Major
aesthetic breakthroughs occurred in the wake o the at-
tempt to mimic porcelain. By covering earthenware clay
with white slips or glazes, the objects also beneted rom
associations that porcelain had in the culture.
My work, slipped and decorated earthenware with fo-
ral patterns, refects the cultural landscape o my home
state o Virginia, and ollows the tradition o material
transormation. My approach to mark-making and pat-
terning displays a stylization that is similar to the olk arts
o the region.
Making Templates and MoldsI begin by making a template in the shape and patterno the rim o the platter, creating the template using tar-
paper. Tarpaper, available at home centers, can be used
repeatedly because its impervious to water. Cut the in-
terior section o the template at both ends or easy regis-
tration on the orm (gure 1).
Next, create a slump mold rom stacked layers o closed-
cell oam (the kind used or home insulation). The thick-
ness o the mold depends on the depth o the recessed area
required in the nished piece. Id suggest making the mold
at least 3 inches thick or strength. Mark the outline o the
template onto the top o the stack. Individual sheets can
A
Dogwood Oval Platter, 201/2 in. (52 cm), earthenware, painted slips, sgrato, and glaze, red to cone 3.
by Ben Carter
Elevating
Earthenware
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be secured together using double sided tape. To create the
recess in the slump mold, measure 11/2 inches in towards
the center rom the two long ends and the two middle
lobes o the outline and make a mark at each spot. Draw
an oval connecting the dots, then use a serrated knie to
cut out the shape.
Use the tarpaper template to aid in creating small cloth
orms that sit on the rim o the oam mold (gure 2). The
cloth orms are comprised o eight semi-circular sections
that orm a wavy rim or the platter. Make each cloth ormusing two pieces o canvas sewn together and lled with
heavy grog or any material with a larger mesh size than
your abric. Pin the thinnest edge or point o the cloth orm
to the oam using T-pins (see gure 3).
Making a PlatterCut a 3/16-inch thick slab using the tarpaper template.
Bevel or soten the edges o the slab and use a sot rubber
rib to compress each side o the slab in both directions.
Place the slab onto the stacked cloth and oam orms so
that the slab edge lines up with the outside edges o the
cloth orm. Work the slab into the orm using a sot rib
and working both rom end to end and side to side (g-
ure 3). The advantage o this orm is the ability to bend
the slab on more than one axis, so take time to work the
clay down into the curves o the cloth.
Let the slab rm up to a leather-hard consistency. Place
a bundle o sot padding and the section o blue oam that
was removed earlier into the platters interior. Sandwich
the orm-platter-padding-oam stack between your hands
and careully fip the whole piece over (gure 4). Make
sure the rim rests parallel to your work surace and is el-
evated a ew inches above it.Extrude, handbuild, or throw a ring to orm the oot.
Curve the wall o the oot into a slight C shape with
the curve faring away rom the center o the piece. Try to
match the volume o the oot to the volume o the rim. Al-
low the oot to set up to the same leather-hard consistency
as the piece beore attaching it by slipping and scoring
(gure 5).
Slipping and SketchingAter the oot has set up and can hold up the rest o the
platter without slumping, fip it over again and removeall the padding and oam. Smooth out any marks made
by the oam during the fip. Apply a base coat o white
slip, about the consistency o skim milk, to the bottom
and rim o the piece. Apply the slip by pouring it into
smaller pieces and spraying larger ones. You can also
paint the slip on using a brush. Allow the piece to dry be-
tween coats. Brush the interior surace o the orm with
colored slip, about the consistency o yogurt (gure 6).Note: When slipping greenware pieces, its very impor-
tant not to load the piece with too much moisture.
Once all the slip coats have dried, sketch a pattern or
design onto the interior o the piece with a dull pencil
(gure 7). Sketch lightly so the composition can be easily
painted over i desired.
Brush colored slips, the consistency o pudding, into the
drawn pattern (gure 8). Create gestural movement with
your brush and the thicker slip by making quick direct
strokes. Work rom dark to light colors, allowing the dark
slip to show behind the lighter slip and ultimately creatingtranslucency and depth.
Use the sgrato technique, scratching through the lay-
ers o slip to expose the clay body underneath. When red,
this dark line provides contrast to the lighter colored slips.
I less contrast is desired, you may scratch through only
Sgrafto TechniquesMetal stamps and rollers create a nicecontrast to hand-drawn sgrato lines
(top). Cooking stamps used to cut on-
dant icing make sharp crisp lines and a
rolling tracer tool used in sewing cre-
ates sequential dotted lines that reer-
ence quilt stitching (bottom).
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PotteryMaking Illustrated | September/October 2010 19
Create a tarpaper template o the platter outline.Make a stacked oam slump mold. Cut an opening inthe oam 1 inches in rom the templates edge.
Use the tarpaper template to create a cloth moldthat sits on the rim o the oam mold. Pin the clothmold to the oam stack using T-pins.
1 2
Roll out a slab and trim it to the size o the tarpapertemplate. Place it so that the clay edge lines up withthe edges o the cloth. Rib the slab into the mold.
Sandwich the removed oval section o blue oam,the cloth, and the platter (still in the slump mold)between your hands, then fip the piece.
3 4
Be sure the rim sits parallel to and several inchesabove the table. Add a oot to the bottom o thepiece and allow it to rm up.
Apply a white base coat o slip to the bottom andthe rim. Apply a thick, colored slip to the interiorusing a sot bristle brush.
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Sketch a design or moti onto the interior with adull pencil. Press lightly so that you dont scratchthrough to the clay below.
Brush lighter colored slips into the patterns. Useone coat or a translucent eect and multiple coatsor more opacity.
Achieve a thicker sgrato line on soter clay witha dull pencil, and a thinner, more detailed sgratoline on harder clay with a needle tool.
7 8
9
the top layer o slip to expose the bottom layer. This
line, whether high or low contrast, deep or shallow,
works to sharpen the edges o the brush marks.
The timing o the sgrato work aects the line
quality. The moisture level o the clay should
match the size o the tool. Start with the widest
tools when the clay is a sot leather hard. As the
pot dries, ner lines can be made with ner, sharper
tools. For wide lines, use a chopstick that has been
sanded to a dull point or a dull pencil. For small
lines, use X-Acto blades and needle tools (gure 9).
Drying, Glazing, & FiringWhen all the sgrato decoration is nished, allow
the piece to dry slowly under a loosely wrapped
layer o dry cleaner plastic. Dry larger pieces, like
platters, or about a week beore bisque ring
them. As the piece is drying, apply two coats o
red terra sigillata to the oot to enhance the color
and shine. Tip: For a deep maroon terra sigillata,
add 1 tsp. o crocus martis per cup o liquid. Bur-
nishing ater each layer o terra sigillata helps create
a lustrous shine.
Since pieces longer than twelve inches in any di-
rection have a greater chance o cracking during the
bisque re, lightly sprinkle the kiln shel with ne sand
and place the piece on top o the sand. The sand acts
as a shock absorber and allows or horizontal move-
ment, reducing the stress on the platter. Allow ample
space above the piece to promote even heat distribu-
tion, which helps avoid cracking in low, wide pieces.
Ater bisque ring, apply a transparent amberglaze over the interior o the platter. Apply a satin
glaze to the rim and underside o the platter to pro-
vide contrast with the high gloss o the interior.
Glaze re the piece to the appropriate temperature
or your glaze. n
Benjamin Carter is a studio potter producing hand-builtand thrown earthenware ceramics. He received an MFA inceramics rom the University o Florida and currently livesin Shanghai where he is working or the Pottery WorkshopShanghai, http://potteryworkshop.org. His work can be seenonline atwww.carterpottery.com.
My work, slipped and deco-rated earthenware with foral pat-
terns, refects the cultural land-
scape o my home state o Virginia,
and ollows the tradition o mate-
rial transormation. Ben Carter
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Tarpaper Embossing TechniquesUse this technique to create subtle relie patterns on objects that are fat or slightly convex. I a deeper
relie is desired, you may double up tarpaper or back it with any fexible material. This process is not
suitable or delicate work that is ragile and is best used on soter, leather-hard clay.
Cut a template rom tarpaper using an X-Acto blade or scissors. Place the template on the piece and use
a sot, rubber brayer to make an impression. Peel back the template to expose the relie print. Again the
pattern now reads as both texture and image.
Resist Printing TechniquesThis technique is perect or making textural pattern onround, leather-hard pieces. I use Tyveka woven plas-
tic product oten used to make envelopesto make my
stencils or this process. Its durable, easy to cut, and
wont break down ater the initial rst uses.
Cut shapes and patterns out o the Tyvek material and
slightly wet the back o each stencil. Immediately stick
them to a leather-hard clay surace. The water should
create a slight suction that holds the templates in place.
Wipe away any excess water around the templates using
a sponge.Using a large, sot-bristle brush, cover the entire sur-
ace with a thick slip. Make the slip rom the same reci-
pe as your clay body but do not mix in any grog. Allow
the slip and the clay surace to equalize in water content
(wait or the surace to lose its sheen) then peel back the
edge o template to reveal the resisted pattern. The relie
pattern now reads as both texture and image. You can
pour a thin slip over the texture to highlight the edge
quality i you wish.
Stick the damp stencil on the clay. Cover theentire surace with a thick slip.
Remove the stencils. The relie pattern nowreads as both texture and image.
Place a template onto the clay androll over it with a brayer.
The relie pattern now reads asboth texture and image.
Peel back the template to exposethe relie print.