This week in my SURFACE DECORATIONS class, we tackled the fun crackled slip effect using sodium silicate. This was my second demo piece… the first didn’t work out so well… not enough slip, plus I rushed the drying a bit. Not so crackly. So we all “learned” together… and this second one was so much better!!!

After my class demo, the students tried their version of crackled slip as well… throwing in some colored slip too! Some multiple colors & some bowl shapes! The excitement happens when you “bulge” the pot out from the inside – and the expanding of the clay makes the “quick-dried” slip crackled as the clay expands! So much fun!!!

One last class demo plate, one last stamped & textured rim… for now! I’m “fairly sure” there will be more at some point soon!!!

Another side plate with a textured perimeter…
a gentle spiral and a ring of pointed stamps!

A bigger plate with a bigger flanged rim just screams out for MORE STAMPING!!! One handmade stamp pressed into the clay one by one… by one… by one…

Just for kicks, and to mix it up from all-plates all-the-time…
I did a quick demo bowl in class that also needed some stamping!

A smaller side plate with concentric circles…
and a perimeter of stamped impressions!

This week in two of my pottery classes I demo’d how to make plates… and then after class I “just had to” do a little stamping in my studio! I mean… how could I possibly leave them plain?!!!

And for those of you who just want to see a lot of mugs… here you go… individual shots of the latest batch! What better way to celebrate another MUGSHOT MONDAY than with a lot of mugs?!

Celebrating with LOTS of mugs… my new “wheelthrown-handbuilt-combo” mugs with some fun textures all around! Drying now… as they’ve all been dipped in some soda flashing slips. So when they finally get fired in my next soda kiln, they should get some fun colors & dramatic flashing effects!

After my quick stamping demo, my SURFACE DECORATION students set-off to start stamping their own pieces & the bowls I gave them. So much fun to see them getting their groove on… and adding grooves & textures into the clay! So much fun for all of us… as MORE IS MORE!