Genie Sue Weppner's Handbuilt vessel, cone-10 Soldate 60 clay, textured with hand-drawn craft-foam patterns, commercial and studio glazes, raku fired.

I love the dynamic effects that glazes make when flowing over texture. I wanted to create my own textures and designs rather than using prefabricated texture tools. I have since discovered craft foam, and I learned to draw on it with a ballpoint pen, which leaves permanent indentations. The organic fluidity of the line drawings I create in craft foam opened a whole new world of designs and patterns for me to create. When I run the craft foam through a slab roller over the clay, it leaves a raised impression of the design. The craft foam can be used repeatedly, allowing me to repeat the design on many forms using many different glazing techniques. This new method of making texture led me to experiment with multiple forms of firing. I love the challenge that raku presents when trying to control the many colors raku glazes can become.

1 Craft foam sheets with patterns drawn on them. Press firmly with a pen to create indentions. 2 Roll out clay on a slab roller. Place the craft foam on top of the clay and roll it again, transferring the pattern to the clay.

3 Create templates, then cut out the pieces from the printed clay needed to assemble the pot to be made. 4 Assemble the pot from the cut-out pieces. I add a thrown spout at the top and some hand-rolled handle shapes.

5 Completed leather-hard piece showing the hand-drawn texture. Allow the pieces to slowly dry, then bisque fire it. 6 Brush on 3 coats of raku glazes, using the raised pattern outline as a guide. I use commercial and my own glazes.

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Topics: Ceramic Artists, Functional Pottery, Ceramic Decorating Techniques, Handbuilding Techniques
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