For some time now my fellow potters have been suggesting that they’d like to have a tile-painting session with me. The problem is that a workshop involves transporting lots of tiles, slips and other equipment to our meeting venue. So, at the June meeting I invited any interested members to join me on a summer week-day for an afternoon of playing with slips, right here, in my studio.
I used my tile cutter to prepare some 30 earthenware tiles and left them to stiffen but not dry. Then yesterday seven members came here at one o’clock, I gave them a fairly brief demonstration of the various ways to apply my brightly coloured slips to the leather-hard tiles (and a couple of plates). I showed them how to paint the slip, how to use newspaper stencils, do spongeing, slip-trailing and finally sgraffito. For even more intense colour there is the option of using underglaze for red, orange and purple, but over the slips, never under.
There was, as usual in these workshops, a contented silence as each person started on her design. It was a pleasurable afternoon with lots of information sharing and we’ve wound up with some interesting designs.
I think that after I’ve dried them (and kept them as flat as possible with occasional turning), bisqued them, dipped them in my clear glaze and fired them to cone 04, the artists will be happy with the intensity of colours. Not many potters are using earthenware and slips these days but I still find that the ease of application and the resulting boldness of the colours makes the process worthwhile.
Now to finish painting my current flock of birds to fill the kiln. To my visitors: Eliza, Kay, Joyce, Linda, Barbara, Brigitta and Christine, I’ll phone or email you as soon as the tiles are all finished. And, if you don’t mind, I’ll post photos of them all again then.
And for those who were away and might like to have a go at tile-painting with slips, well, I might do this again next summer!
August 25th 2014
Here is a photo of the finished tiles. TriCity Potters, you can pick up yours any time!
What fun. I really like the tiles. Thanks for sharing the images and the story.
I have been working with Darby clay, the kind Mary Fox and Katrina Chaytor use. I have only used scraffito and underglaze, speciality glazes such as Lana Wilson’s Chartreuse which shivered like 50 below, as well as copper based raku, all in oxidation.
I’ll be playing and experimenting more after I’m done teaching in my studio and finish ∆5 commissions.