After summer camp today, I had one more leatherhard bowl in the studio to carve. So I did a quick sgraffito session with my favorite carving tool from DiamondCore Tools… carving through the layer of white slip to reveal a design & the clay body contrast!!!

After kayaking today, I made a quick stop into the studio to carve another sgraffito bowl… one of last Tuesday night’s demo bowls. It took awhile for it to dry to leatherhard after adding a layer of wet slip in the interior. But I knew it would be ready today… so I did a quick sgraffito session with my favorite carving tool from DiamondCore Tools !!!

As easy as 1, 2, 3… one row, two rows, three!!! Did a little platter stamping today. All of the surface decoration, texture & pattern was done with just one of my handmade stamps.

Pressed in one by one… by one… by one…

A little stamping fun after camp today. Tackling my class demo bowls from Tuesday night. Making my “not-so-basic bowls” even better… as you know, MORE IS MORE!!!

So here are my “not-so-basic bowls” from Tuesday night’s beginner class demo. Again, altering all of my bowls with some quick twists, flicks & slips! Trying to do something to them to make them more fun & more unique. My students really seemed to enjoy the demo… as I saw the “light bulb” go off for many of them as I demo’d. I don’t expect them to “copy” me… but hopefully employ some of the techniques… but twist them somehow to make it their own!

And I’m sure you’ve already guessed… and yes, I will be doing even more to them up in my studio over the next day or two. There might just be a bit of stamping here there… allegedly…

So here are all of my class demo bowls. Keep in mind they all started out as very simple round bowls. Nothing special. Nothing col. Just plain & round… and then I PLAYED with them!!!

Bowl #1 – Two simple fluted twists opposite each other.

Bowl #2 – Eight fluted twists evenly space around the bowl.

Bowl #3 – A simple flared-out flange about an inch wide.

Bowl #4 – Another flared out flange… twice as wide!!!

Bowl #5 – Combined fluting & flared out flange.

Bowl #6 – A split rim treatment… then dented inwards at two places opposite each other. This one we decided to keep like this… knowing that I can add an over-the-top handle to turn it into a “basket bowl.”

Bowl #7 – Another split rim… and then pinched together in eight places.

Bowl #8 – Split rim – dented inwards at four places.

Bowl #9 – Split rim dented inwards & outwards!

Bowl #10 – Sliced through the sides, and then pulled-in & overlapped.

And then it was time to introduce thick slip as a surface decoration option! I like to use white so it’s there for texture so the glaze can pool & puddle over it… and not a dramatic color “forced” onto the bowl.

Bowl #11 – Just one splatter paintbrush stroke of thick white slip… kind of a joke, but then I actually started to like it.

Bowl #12 – A layer of thick white slip with the rounded end of a tool dragged through while the wheel was spinning.

Bowl #13 – Thick white slip banded… setting up a canvas area for sgraffito carving later.

Bowl #14 – Thick white slip with a chattering effect… my favorite technique!!!

Bowl #15 – An ombre’ blend of white to green slip… also waiting for some sgraffito carving to come…

Bowl #16 – Another ombre’ blend of white to green slips… and then a spiral from a a tool dragged through while the wheel was spinning.

And for now… all of these bowls are up in my studio under plastic for the night.
As there’s most likely going to be some stamping & detailing coming soon…

Painting some accents of colored flashing slip…
around the top rim & on each stamped impression!

Working towards filling a soda kiln in the next couple weeks…

For the final class of my SURFACE DECORATION class, we pulled together all of the glazed bowls we had gotten back from the kiln. A couple weeks prior, I had challenged them all to try a different technique on a little slip of paper. It was fun to watch how each student approached their glazing challenge… but even more fun to see all of the final results!!!

After making a tons of textured & color-slipped slabs last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we set out to make some cool handbuilt bowls with strips & layers pressed together. Several of us have been impressed & inspired by the work of Stephen Biggerstaff… so this was our attempt at making some small pieces in his style. It was a great “team building” class with everyone working & experimenting together! A lot of fun for all of us!!!

Last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we played with texture & color while making a crazy amount of colorful slabs. Many of the textures were made with my collection of MKM Pottery Tools handrollers… which my students love every time I bring them out to share!!!

A little stamping fun in the studio. Turning a plain platter into something a bit more special. All done with one handmade clay stamp pressed in one by one… by one… by one… by one…