I thought that this process would be more flexible and less time intensive than using paper stencils. It has flexibility, being that new designs can easily be created, but the process (as it currently stands) doesn’t have the ability to adjust on the fly while being applied.
Second, it still takes time to lay down the design on paper using the underglazes and slips. The haptic quality of the surface just appears to be the result of a quick process (and in relative way, it’s very quick), it turns out, it’s not really any quicker.
A single cup will generally take a 1/2 hour to an hour to slip and apply a surface design.
There’s the option of using screen printing to set up the base lines of a design on the paper and speeding up the process… it’s a possibility, it helps solve some of the time issue…
… but I’m not sure if the predictability of a silkscreen is something that would keep my attention. I’m not even sure it’s something that I would value beyond doing it just to experience the process.
This is just the front end of diving into this process. This is all brand new. I’m open to branching off and exploring, but I’m also trying to maintain focus and use the limited amount of time I get in the studio to move ideas forward rather than chase new rabbits. It’s easy for me to enjoy the whimsy of drawing each design from scratch and it’s the whimsy that shows. I can only hope that others enjoy it as well.
Zygote Blum 