Big Tall Thing I made at the clay studio class

I made this vessel in October, 2019, at my clay studio class.

To construct it I rolled out a large slab and stenciled random designs using underglaze. I made the stencils by cutting magazine papers, wetting them, and laying them on the clay, then painting underglaze over them.

I layered several colors and different shapes to make the design.

Then I squared up the clay into a large rectangle, formed it into a cylinder, put a bottom on it, and added the snaggletooth decoration at the join.

The vessel was bisque fired. Then I dip glazed it – gloss black for the inside and clear on the outside. Here it is, several views. It’s hard to get the full effect of the colors due to reflections, but I think these photos give the idea.

Standard clay #112, various underglazes and glazes, fired at cone 6.

14 thoughts on “Big Tall Thing I made at the clay studio class”

agnesashe December 12, 2019 at 7:10 am

Oh I think this is really gorgeous. The rich tones of the glazes, the pattern details and the dynamic shape all make for a wholly satisfying piece. 😍

Claudia McGill Post authorDecember 12, 2019 at 9:43 am

Thank you. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ve used this cylinder technique before but not with this kind of coloring technique and I think I have learned something about shaping new vessels also with this piece. Looking forward to more.

memadtwo December 12, 2019 at 7:12 am

I like the interplay of shapes. (K)

Claudia McGill Post authorDecember 12, 2019 at 9:42 am

Thank you. I will do more of these. I learned a lot on this piece about how to handle the materials and organize the colors and shapes with stenciling, that was new to me.

Diane December 12, 2019 at 8:03 am

Claudia this is a really handsome piece. I live the colors and the depth of the design.

Claudia McGill Post authorDecember 12, 2019 at 9:41 am

Thank you. I will make more of these. It’s a familiar shape to me but the decoration style is new and fun to do.

Diane December 12, 2019 at 8:21 am

I mean love, not live.

Laura (PA Pict) December 12, 2019 at 3:27 pm

This is lovely, Claudia. It’s very mid-century modern in its vibe.

Claudia McGill Post authorDecember 12, 2019 at 4:31 pm

Thank you. I was worried about it as I made it but it turned out better than I thought. I am looking forward to trying more of these, especially this method of surface decoration.