In the kiln with the plates painted by the others I had work of my own – some mugs, 7 jug birds, plates and sample ‘cookies’ of the new underglazes I bought at Seattle Pottery Supply. The mugs are finished with terra sigillata on the outside and the plates and birds are painted when leather hard with my coloured slips.

These 3 plates are quickly decorated using a stencil I cut from newspaper. I paint the plate first, apply the dampened stencil, paint another colour slip over it, perhaps sponge here and there and then lift off the stencil. The process leaves a good crisp edge to the design.