Hand Built Pottery & Vibrant Slip Decoration with Dee Barnes

This intensive two-day course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to hand building with a specific focus on the slab technique. The course will also emphasize colourful surface decoration using stains with slip, allowing students to create vibrant and unique pottery pieces.

Master the Slab Technique: Students will learn how to roll, cut, and assemble clay slabs to create pottery forms.

Explore Shaping and Moulding: Students will develop skills in shaping and moulding clay slabs into pots and other forms.

Apply Colourful Surface Techniques: Students will experiment with various methods for decorating pottery surfaces using colourful underglazes, slips, and other decorative techniques.

Complete and Finish Pottery: Students will understand the processes of drying, bisque firing, and glazing.

Course Breakdown

Day 1: Fundamentals of Slab Construction and Basic Surface Techniques

AM – During the morning on the first day, Dee will provide an introduction to different types of clay suitable for hand-building and give demonstrations in slab rolling and cutting techniques. Students will practice rolling out slabs, create simple forms using slab construction and learn about joining techniques and seam blending.

PM – Students will apply the techniques learned in the morning to create basic pottery forms and start to build their pieces. Dee will guide the group as a whole and give individual support.

Day 2: Advanced Slab Techniques and Colourful Surface Decoration

AM – During the morning of the second day Dee will introduce colourful surface techniques. Students will receive an overview of underglazes, slips, and other colourful decoration methods and Dee will give demonstrations in application techniques.

PM – Students will start to practice applying colourful surface techniques to their pottery forms. Students will experiment with different methods to achieve their desired effects. At the end of the day Dee will lead a Final Critique and Course Wrap-Up.

By the end of this two-day intensive course, students will have acquired essential skills in pottery hand-building using the slab technique and will be able to create and decorate colorful, unique pottery pieces. This course serves as a foundation for further exploration and practice in pottery.

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