Illustrated is a freshly white slipped bottle
vase that was thrown round and then paddled as to present two flat panel sides.
The paddling is done prior to adding the slip and when the pot has been first
tooled and then set up to just the right firmness, I paddle the sides and then
use an old credit card as a rib to define the edges of the panels. The slip is
applied both on the wheel and by brushing slip on the sides to give the pot a
good, even coat. The broad panels serve to break up the continuity of the form
as well as giving two flat expanses that beg to be decorated in one fashion or
another, the possibilities are nearly endless. Over time I have figured out how
to streamline the process and to date, the only thing that gets in my way is
having the patience to wait for exactly the right time to alter the form. At
this point of my life, I doubt the waiting will get any easier even if the
technique has.
"Patience is a minor form of despair,
disguised as a virtue." Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913)
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