A new platter with a new glaze! Fresh out of the kiln… and I’m LOVING this glaze as it seems to highlight all of the stamped textures & grooved areas so sweetly. Mental note to self… must make more like this!!!

A fun new textured platter with a swirling textured surface. Love how the chattered-slip pattern works so well with the “watery” feeling of the new glaze… pooling & puddling in all the right places!

Time to get my groove on… starting with another groovy & crisp pattern from an MKM Pottery Tools handroller. Starting with a textured slab… with a plan in mind for a new oval vase project! Coming soon… deadlines are approaching!!!

Bringing out my favorite carving tools from DiamondCore Tools for some fun Christmas tree texturing! Nice crisp cuts with sharp tools… perfect for the glaze to pool & puddle in all the right places!!!

After “warming up” with stamping a dinner plate, it was time to tackle a larger platter. A blank canvas… then a couple stamps using my own handmade stamp. Sure I coulda stopped after on ring around the perimeter… but what fun would that be???

Started with a little stamping in the studio tonight. Just adding a little “fun” to a dinner plate demo from class this week! And you know how I love a good spiral.

Just doing a little stamping tonight on a couple demo bowls from last night’s pottery class. We discussed making “larger” bowls… and then we did!!! Sure, I could select them plain… HA!!!

A little swirly fun with thick white slip on a large platter.
Just some rhythmic tapping with a rubber rub through the slip while the platter is still spinning.

After showing my pottery class how to make “bowls-on-purpose,” we switched to doing some fun alterations & surface decoration techniques. I kinda feel like the wheel makes nice round things for you… but then YOU need to do something to it to make it YOURS!!! So I showed them a few things to play with!!!

Bowl #1 – Plain… this is how all of the bowls started out!

Bowl #2 – Four Fluted Edges

Bowl #3 – and if four were nice, maybe Eight Fluted Edges is better?!

Bowl #4 – a One-Inch Flared Flange of a rim

Bowl #5 – and if one-inch was nice… maybe a Three-Inch Flared Flange would be better?!

Bowl #6 – combined a Flared Flange with some Four Fluted Edges

Bowl #7 – two sharp indentations that will eventually be a good place for a Basket Handle.

Bowl #8 – a Split Rim that has been pinched back together in eight places

Bowl #9 – a Split Rim dented in at four places

Bowl #10 – a Split Rim dented in & dented out… four in & four out.

Bowl #11 – a little dragonscaling tool indented on the bottom

After some fun bowl alterations… I also introduced using colored slips as a decorative option. Basically adding a layer of colored clay of a change of color, or for a textural accent inside the bowl. I did my demos with white slip to accentuate the thick slip textures.

Bowl #12 – thick white slip with a Spiral dragged through to reveal the clay body contrast.

Bowl #13 – thick white slip with bands dragged through

Bowl #14 – thick white slip with some decorative Chattering for a cool pattern

Bowl #15 – an ombre’ blend of black & white slips then a finger tip Squiggle through it all.

Here’s a quick glimpse of a little “sumthin-sumthin” going on in Amy Taylor’s world. Just a little scratching, a little doodling, a little sgraffito-ing! Yes, metalsmiths can play with clay too… especially when it comes to collaboration projects for ART IN THE GARDEN!!! More to come… and mark your calendars for September 7th & 8th!!!