B&W

As much as I seem to complain working in terra cotta, there are few other clays that have the same feeling or sensibility in the wedging, throwing or trimming. It is a singularly unique clay and the range of firing allows wonderful opportunities in relation to brilliant color development and rich slip work. During my cycles dedicated to terra cotta, a large portion of the work ends up being black & white slipware. Though based on a historic tradition and even design devices, I am constantly trying to incorporate the "now" into the pots and hope that comes through in the finished pottery. Illustrated is a larger teapot and a larger platter decorated in black and white slips. The teapot is decorated in an all over slashes repeat pattern and the platter with repeated spiral designs. The spiral is one of my favorite devices and probably one of the oldest designs on earth representing a wide array of symbolic meanings among almost all cultures on Earth. I am not sure that there can be a more simple design that is imbued with such an infinity number of possible interpretations.