Slab work

Slab construction is a relatively new obsession in my work. Having done a little bit back in the nineties, I reacquainted myself with the techniques while teaching in 2023. I love the rhythm of the construction after that of wheel work. The pace of slab construction is very different and I love its almost architectural nature. I use a lot of paper cut-out patterns to design pieces, laying the patterns onto the slabs and cutting out the clay shapes and fitting them together, sometime twisting and distorting the shapes. A lot of the patterns are based on classical forms but with distorted proportions. I use coloured slip as the ground for carving various patterns on the faceted surfaces of the constructed forms. I work in a variety of scales from large scale to miniature.