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“Meditation, Dream III,” 5.5, in. (13 cm) in height, stoneware with white slip.
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October 24, 2007
Expressive Slip Drawings
by Phil Rogers | Read Comments (4)
In Monday’s Ceramic
Arts Daily, we looked at Choi Sung-Jae’s approach to revitalizing
traditional Korean ceramics. Today, you’ll read about Choi’s process for
decorating his pieces using white slip.MoldingDecoratingFiringMOLDINGMany of Choi’s pieces are press molded. He makes
the large molds from slab-constructed originals. This technique, although time
consuming and physically demanding, allows him to repeat a shape exactly and,
in turn, to play with variations in the decoration on the same shapes. He is a
fine thrower and, as in "Meditation, Dawn V," he displays the nonchalant throwing
style of his Punchong forebearers, although the form of this particular piece
owes much to the Ongii potters.
DECORATING
I have watched Choi decorate, and it is a wonder
to behold. After coating the leather-hard clay with a liberal thickness of
silica rich white slip, he crouches to be at eye level and pauses. The slip
must be caught at just the right moment: too wet and it will run; too dry and
his finger won’t penetrate to the iron rich body beneath. After a few moments
of thought and consideration, he explodes into a frenzy of quick, darting
movements and the scene appears, as if by magic. Of course he has done this
many times before, and the masterful confidence born from experience is
obvious. His fingers are his primary tools, but he will make marks with frayed
rope, cloth and rounded wooden sticks. His trademark duck is always done with a
thumb and thumbnail.
FIRINGChoi fires his works at a relatively low
temperature, for a stoneware potter. There are two advantages in this that help
him achieve the effects he desires. One is that the thin walls of the molded
pieces remain flat during the firing. At a higher temperature there would be
the tendency to warp or slump. Secondly, the contrast between the white slip
and the body underneath remains at its most effective.
FOR MORE INFORMATIONSee a term you weren’t quite sure of? Then visit
the Ceramic Arts Daily
Glossary. To see more of Choi’s work, visit
www.puckergallery.com/choi.html.