After making the 16"-17" Seder plates on the potter's wheel, and trimming the Seder plate feet, It was decoration time.
First, a light coat of white underglaze on the leather-hard plates.
Then, a sheer, pale orange brushing of underglaze.
Once that's been thinly distributed on the surface, I put down a template that will help me space the brushed decoration and start drawing with a fine brush and black underglaze.
With the shankbone (z'roa, symbol of the Paschal lamb) drawn, I draw the egg (symbol of the holiday offering in the Temple in Jerusalem).
Then comes the drawing of horseradish root (bitter herb, symbol of suffering of the people in slavery in Egypt).
Charoset (my choice, since there are many different recipes for this food) is represented here by the bricks and mortar made and built into cities in Egypt. (My family recipe for this is 1 apple, 10 walnuts and sweet red wine to mix.)
(I added a trowel of mortar later...)
Parsley to symbolize spring, (which gets dipped into saltwater at the Seder to represent tears,) and a romaine lettuce leaf which many people use in lieu of eating that impossibly sharp horseradish, complete the Seder plate drawings.
It's not done yet! A wash of several subtle underglaze colors over the images, and a slip-trailed border of light blue underglaze, and the plates are ready to dry and fire in the kiln.
(This is another from this batch, similar but not exactly the same.)
I think this design has staying power. More matzah plates coming up, too!