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My
pottery is all hand made. It is either wheel thrown or slab molded. Although some of my equipment is
modern (I use an electric wheel and kiln) I use a variety of traditional decorating techniques - sgraffito, slip trailing,
feathering and marbling. Examples of all of these decorating techniques are commonly found in early American pottery.
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This is
an example of sgraffito, meaning "to
scratch". A partially dried pot is covered with "slip" (liquid clay) of a different color. A design is scratched through
the "slip" to reveal the color of the clay beneath. I highlight many of these pots with cobalt (which produces
blue), copper (which produces green) and manganese (which produces shades of tan to black).
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Here is an example of the slip trailing technique. Slip (liquid clay) of different colors is poured or trailed
onto a freshly made pot to create a design.
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Another decorating technique that is commonly
found in early American pottery is feathering. To feather, a
slab of clay is covered with a colored slip (liquid clay). Lines of different colored slips are then trailed across
the slab. The tip of a feather is then dragged perpendicular through the lines of slip. After the slab has
partially dried it is placed over a plaster mold to be formed.
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Marbling is very similar to feathering. A slab
of clay is covered with a colored slip. Instead of trailing lines on the base slip as you would do to feather,
you trail different colored slips in random shapes. Then, holding the slab on a board, the board is tilted
in various directions so the liquid slips move and form a marbled design.
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