Drawing on inspiration from both
the astrological symbol for Pieces and the Asian yin-yang device, the opposing
fish design found its way on to a large serving bowl. Using black, grey and white
slip, I roughed out the design over the black slip using ink, sponged on grey
slip and then trailed the white to bring the design to life. The clay used is
terra cotta and I must admit that I am
very influenced by old English slipware in my work, but where possible I add whatever
modern quirks that are possible. Though I
am usually confine myself to black or white slip, over the years I have
also used a variety of colors, including; red iron, leaf green, turquoise, bright yellow, blue and a red
created out of a German imported stain. Slip work is immediate, there is no
time to be cautious, there is no going back if you make mistakes, it is the risk-reward
aspect of making slip ware, together with its connection to a technique that is
nearly two millennium old that makes it both enjoyable and rewarding.
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