My Pinterest collections include pots, birds and jugs of course, but also patterns, painted plates and Mid-Century designs. I particularly like the work of Sonia Delaunay and her circular patterned abstract paintings and angular shapes on fabric and clothing designs. So I suppose it is no surprise that one night, after making some more slab dishes and plates for the Raiders in my bisqued moulds, I had a very clear dream of the design I’d put on a large Pope’s Hat plate, if I should choose to make one.

Over the years I’ve used the big heavy wheel-thrown form to help in the fabrication of this distinctive plate form several times, but not recently at all. The shape resembles the domed hat with a large flat rim that popes and cardinals used to wear. Italian Renaissance maiolica Istoriato painters used this large platter design often and I enjoyed replicating the shape for a Ceramic Art History seminar course assignment when I was a student.

But I didn’t paint a story on my PH plate this time. I chose to place layers of my slip colours in a radiating pattern around the wide rim, painting pale blue in the middle and in odd spots elsewhere. I’m fascinated by the movement of the coloured shapes, falling back and jumping forward and floating in the middle.

There are of course lots of other things I ‘should’ have been making but I was delighted to find that the total concentration I used to enjoy when I spent days on a painting years ago, is still there. I know my materials.. the clay and my own favourite slips so well that the shapes just appeared on the plate’s leather-hard surface on a happy, rainy afternoon, once I had spent a day or two fabricating the plate and attaching the foot.

To avoid warping or slumping as the plate dried I was able to leave it in the form until it was dry. Then I applied terra sigillata to the underside. I enjoy the comfortable feel, the fine colour and the contrast to the clear glaze that terra sig gives me.

On Sunday I took the finished plate out of the glaze kiln and was pleased that the shape stayed level and the colours sing! I posted a little video and some snapshots of it on Instagram and Facebook and am happy to find that my ‘friends’ seem to enjoy my dream plate. One friend is hoping I’ll let it go, and when I asked him to tell me why he likes it he kindly told me (and I quote him with permission)..

The design and colours sprang out at me immediately in two ways: the first was reminiscent of a neo-retro 50s style à la Jack Shadbolt, the second reminded me of another of my favourite painters, Piet Mondrian, in his cubism period. But all in all, the overall impression I got was simple, peaceful beauty, but very fun at the same time. 

Well, that made my day! Oddly, a paper I wrote compared the careers and work of Delaunay and Mondrian, plus I’m a great fan of Shadbolt. Others described the piece as psychedelic or kaleidoscopic. OK too!

Now I could use some help coming up with a title for the piece. Something alliterative.. an adjective for a plate. Come on folks.  particular, patterned, preposterous..

I plan to keep it in my studio until Port Moody’s Solstice Shuffle on the evening of June 22nd so you can come for a visit then. Now to get making new jugbirds for a Crafthouse YVR order, but I plan to post a couple more blogs on clay-related events I’ve attended recently too.