The first glaze kiln of 2015 was a nice one. Each kiln now seems to contain vessels that point the way in new directions. Some are really worth pursuing. For example, these thrown-stretched-slumped vessels are conjuring up a whole line's worth of ideas.
Here is the plate/bowl with simple line drawings in black on ivory.
Now here's the same sort of thing, thrown and stretched and slumped, only bigger and with a bit of extra edge manipulation, and a completely different glaze treatment:
Here is another type of very shallow bowl, only made from a rolled out slab instead of being thrown on the wheel first. It is stretched like the ones above and, like them, slumped into a form I made (and showed you in this blog last time):
Because they were made from slabs, they have no well defined rim like I leave on thrown plates or bowls, so they're pretty even in thickness. They feel thin and light, minimalist. The glazing is simple and utilitarian, easy for me to put on and therefore making it easy for me to do more of should I be asked. Different beginning, same treatment otherwise; another branch to explore, like the side branches off a river when I am kayaking.
I intend to keep following and exploring this whole line of slumped dishes in its varied permutations and see if it keeps being satisfying. So far, so good. Following and exploring a line of thought and process is what potters do, which you know if you're a potter but you might not otherwise.
This exploration seems bound to branch down simultaneous, different paths for a while. I can make these thrown vs slab, with or without rim manipulations, with or without handles, with either brushwork or colored glazes. Who knows what variations I can add, given experimentation?
In other news (still interrelated because of the black and white line brushwork) here's a deep plate/shallow bowl, with a bit of Art Deco design inspired by summer (I hear we're having snow tomorrow but in the studio I can dream of summer):
Here's a thrown plate (the one above is also thrown) with more of that black on ivory brushwork:
I wanted the back to be interesting, too:
These are decorated using brushes made from deer and squirrel hair by a Northern New Jersey brushmaker named Mitch Nottingham. The brushes almost seem to make the marks themselves. While I am decorating this way, childhood summers sort of take over my whole attitude. I spent a whole lot of time outdoors looking at the way plants and animals moved, and that flows through the brushes while I work. It's very engrossing and relaxing.