A thoughtful process
I often feel that a photo doesn't always convey just how handmade my work is. My everyday range such as mugs, milk jugs etc don't take vey long to make but the bigger pieces like honeysuckle jugs and cow parsley jugs have quite a lengthy process.
So I thought I would take the time to explain my working process of creating and decorating the large Cow Parsley Jug.
Preparing & Cutting the Clay
From a 12.5kg bag of clay I take a slice, thickness depends on what I am about to make.
Besides my kiln the most important piece of equipment I have is my slab roller. The clay is placed between thick linen cloth sheets, then the rolling process begins by passing the clay through the roller gradually getting it thinner down to the thickness that I require. Once achieved the cloth is removed and the clay is transferred to drying boards and compressed, this is done with a Potters rib and extremely important as this helps to prevent warping and cracking. I will now cut out the clay using a template that I have made and the clay is left covered overnight to firm up.
Using the cut shapes I create the jug from four pieces.
Make a cone for the body of the jug
Make the collar and spout and fit onto jug base
Put the base on
Attach the handle
Decoration
This is when the hours tick away and the jug becomes an original piece of work. I use three different techniques on this jug.
Scrafitto Scribing detail/design onto clay using fine tools
Relief Adding extra clay to make shapes and adding depth/dimension to work
Slip trailing Using liquid clay through a fine nozzle to draw designs/detail on work
Firstly I add relief stems arranged around the base of the jug so I roughly know how the main flowers will sit. I will then scraffito in basic cow parsley shapes to fill the background to look like spent flowers with seed heads. Back to the relief stems I will start to build up the flower heads with a combination of slip trailing and scraffito to add plenty of depth. Once I am happy with the main stems I will start the lengthy process of cutting out the mini blossoms that make up the flower heads(I have a cutter for this, thankfully) Once I have cut out a hundred or so these will get placed individually by a paint brush loaded with slip gently pressed into place, the heads will start to take shape. I like to add scattered blossoms and dots of clay and other marks to give the impression that petals are falling off and that there is a gentle breeze blowing giving movement. Nature is not rigid, so my pots aren't .
Drying & Firing
Once all the decoration is finished the jug is then cleaned up where needed, it is sprayed and placed in a polythene bag for up to a week so that the moisture can even out. It is checked a few times to make sure all the blossoms are well attached then covered again, more loosely so that it can breathe and start to dry but not dry out too quick.
These bigger pieces are allowed to take about two weeks to dry nice and slowly. This helps to prevent warping and cracking in the kiln. Once most of the moisture has gone I will remove the bag and let it finish with an air dry until completely dry. This process can take up two to three weeks depending on the piece. If a piece goes in the kiln and it's not dry it will most likely explode and that means many hours of work lost.
Once dry it goes into the kiln for it's first firing the bisque fire. This gets it ready for the glaze application. My firings bisque and glaze both take about 24 hours from heat up to cool enough to take out. I don't rush it and it works for me.
Glazing & Firing
This particular jug is finished with one of favourite very reliable glazes. Firstly it is poured into the inside then constantly turning and pouring out at the same time. Not always very easy when the jug has lots of sticky out vulnerable pieces. The jug is still quite fragile at this point and when it's full of glaze you can soon snap the handle off ! On the outside I will paint it with Cobalt oxide, let it dry then sponge off as much as I think is needed then the glaze that I used on the inside is used in brush on form on the spout and down the sides a bit which I allow to run to give the desired affect that I like . I will glaze most of the handle as this strengthens it. The jug is now ready for it's glaze firing. It is left to dry for 24 hours or longer if needed. Then it is back in the kiln for the last time.
If I use Gold lustre, the piece will have a third firing at a lower temperature.
The order times I have quoted are approximate and these are all dependant on the piece being made, weather and busy/quiet times.
‘Make what you want to make’
When I first started potting someone said to me 'Make what you want to make'
This is what I do I make what I want to make and I love making what I make.
There is always an idea just around the corner!