I use a technique involving slip-covered newsprint to transfer my drawings onto clay, blending my interests in drawing, printmaking, painting, and ceramics. I begin by screen printing my illustrations with underglaze “ink” onto newsprint, then fill the imagery with colored slips, working from foreground to background. The paper is pressed onto the clay surface, creating a one-time monoprint transfer.

As the paper is removed, fragments of the image, folds, and wrinkles are left behind, giving the work a weathered quality against the red clay. I’m drawn to the spontaneity of these imperfections and the way they reveal traces of the making process.

My work combines graphic surfaces with exposed red clay. While some pieces are slab built, I’ve recently shifted more toward slip casting. All decoration is applied during the greenware stage while the clay is still wet. After the first firing, each piece is wet-sanded to smooth the surface and remove any loose slip before glaze is poured or brushed onto select areas, leaving portions of the clay bare.

To learn more, please check out the article "Drawn and Transferred," originally published in Pottery Making Illustrated, September/October 2018. http://potterymaking.org. Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission.

I also teach online workshops on my process which are downloadable to be enjoyed at your learning speed.

Additional links to some my favorite tools.