Slip

In pottery slip is in effect liquid clay.   It can be poured into moulds but is more commonly used in coloured form for decoration.  It's different to glaze which melts when fired and can give a waterproof, glossy finish.  Items made with or finished with slip will need a glaze as well to protect them.   

This afternoon one of the most experienced of our community potters held a workshop for some of us to learn about and practice with slip decoration.   We all prepared a few pieces in advance which were allowed to dry out until leather hard.   This makes them strong enough to receive the wet slip without collapsing.  Too dry and the unfired clay can crack when water is absorbed.   Pictured is a shallow bowl I made with a slab of rolled clay placed into a mould.   First this afternoon I painted swipes of various autumnal coloured slip in the centre, blending some into each other.  Then some thin paper leaves, first soaked in water, were laid over the coloured area and a green slip was painted over all.  Once the slip has dried out enough - hairdryer employed in the freezing cold pottery - the paper leaves are teased away.  Sounds simple enough and in a way it is but it took quite a while to get this far.   I added a ribbon of purple slip as a border then the piece will be dried out - at home, warmer - before bisque firing.   I'll show the finished bowl in due course.  I also worked on a dessert bowl using a different technique, of which more another time.

This morning, after a lie in, Jamie and I went out to Bryncrug and visited their tabletop sale.  A friend from work was running the raffle and teased me when I only brought one strip of tickets while Jamie proceeded to buy the next five strips.   In a curious twist of fate, if I had been as generous as Jamie, I would have won the first prize!   Instead that reward fell to Jamie, which was a very happy outcome :-)

Having spent almost five hours at pottery in the end, all that is left is a quiet night in, thawing out!