Ceramic Arts Daily

Kari Radasch applies the decorative flowers on this plate as a baker would apply fondant to a cake. Yummy!

Clay Fondant

I began working with applique as a decorative technique because I was focused on hand cutting one-of-a-kind decorative tile for the floor of a small entryway on the side of our house. It very quickly took on a life of its own. I began by rolling 1/4-inch slabs and cutting out garden-inspired tile motifs. After amassing boards and boards of tile, I was able to see these objects clearly and understand on a much grander scale how they could be incorporated into my changing work. I loved the sharp edges, the planar nature and linear quality, and that they were at once both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. It seemed like an interesting contradiction to affix these flat “stickers” to a round pot.

Transferring this technique to dishes was straightforward, minus a few minor technical issues. The first was to change the thickness of the applique slab. I needed to go from tile to fondant. This was an easy shift as many years ago I had spent time working in a Berkeley studio that produced thinly rolled, delicate porcelain ornaments. However, once I started slicing the thinly rolled slabs I noticed that the edges were prone to tearing. This left me with shabby edges, and slip or glaze would not break nicely over them. My solution was to shelve my handmade clay and use a commercially produced body to roll my appliqué slabs. This clay has been de-aired, which yields less tearing and has significantly more plasticity, allowing me to roll beautiful slabs and cut perfect stickers. Currently, I use whatever non-grogged earthenware I can find. I have not had any problems with fixing two different clay bodies together-though I always test before making work with a new clay.

The actual decorating process reminds me of drawing. I have my dish and my pre-leather hard appliqué slab ready. I analyze the dish and make decisions about the most dynamic way to engage the space. These decisions are general, vague, gut-feelings, not hard and fast rules. From here I cut a series of shapes and motifs and start by placing them on the dish. I work them like a two-dimensional design problem moving the appliqué here and there. When I feel comfortable with a solution I start attaching: slipping, scoring, and sticking. Finally I let the work dry. (a bit slowly at first) If I am going to have any problems with the appliqué popping off it will be during this stage of the drying. Once the pots are bone dry, I then dunk and pour the dishes in a bath of white slip that has the consistency of 2% milk. After the pots are bisqued, I brush the entire pot in a clear glaze and sponge off the applique. The application of color is made using the same clear base glaze with the addition of Mason Stains. I float a variety of thick frosting-like glazes on the raised surfaces and then glaze fire to cone 03. The final layer is a hand drawn decal, which is made using the laser transfer method. I scan my line drawings into the computer and then print them onto pre-cover coated water slide decal paper. These decals are fired to cone 08.

This post was excerpted from “Kari Radasch and the Sweetness of Discovery,” by Katey Schultz,
in the June/July/August 2009 issue of Ceramics Monthly.
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