Peace in my Palm
Full disclosure. I am completely addicted to hand crafted ceramics. Now that I have that out in the open, I can tell you about my obsession with slip cast ceramics.
Slip casting is the process of using a mold to pour in liquid (slip) to create beautifully consistent forms. The molds can encompass an entire solid piece (as in a plate) or the mold can be created in such a way that a layer of hardening slip creates the outside of the form while the rest of the liquid is poured off to be reused. This would be the case in something like a vase. The technique is great for porcelain, which is a material that I cannot resist.
I first encountered slip casting when I was about seven years old. In what was a premonition of years to come, I was placed in a ceramics class when it was determined that sports were completely of no interest to me as I could not fathom why anyone would want to run. This kid was not made for soccer (although I did like the fancy shoes and socks).
In my little ceramics class, I remember selecting my mold carefully. It was a kittie (another premonition). I remember pouring in the slip and waiting for what felt like a million years (20 minutes) to pour out the extra slip. I don’t remember much about the drying, but I do remember finishing the piece with a knife. I was a child living on the edge. I suppose we decorated and fired them, but I was way too impressed with all the pouring in and out business and that someone handed me a knife.
Who’d have thunk that my career would take me down the product design and entertaining passion path? (Well, besides my mom.) Here I am, years later with curio cabinets in my Atmospheric Workshop full to the brim with wonderful ceramics, many of them slip cast.
Over a year ago, I was living my best scrolling life and happened upon a recommended post. The photo was of the most beautiful, reductive, and almost confectionary mug. It had the most beautiful satin exterior in a light cream color and the interior glaze that drifted out over the lip was shiny and seemed like it was kissed with brown sugar. This was my first interaction with Carla Sealey and Naked Clay Ceramics.
When you hold one of Carla’s pieces in your hand you can appreciate its fine texture that feels buttery to me. It is a sensation that I love while sipping some tea or having a shot of espresso. Carla’s pieces sit directly across from the spot that I work from for much of the day. I stare at them from time to time. This could be because they are so beautiful or the fact that I have been on a low sugar and low carb eating plan for the last six months and they remind me of a creamy, delicious desert.
Her pieces come in all kinds of formats and sizes. I have a special place in my heart for her teeny tiny vases that are glazed with soft and optimistic colors. Sometimes she has plates or pourers. I’m always checking in to see what is available. Carla also makes a line in dark clay with dreamy gray accents and occasional decorations. I own a few of those as well, but I must admit that my collection is full of the creamy ones.
I also must mention a favorite antique find from my curio cabinet, the little brass teapot. It is small. Its handle is a little wonky, but it is weighty and wonderful. I put it all over the studio to give it new homes in which to hang out. It is a charming accessory, and I don’t know that I will ever let it go. It was important in this mix of Carla’s craft and my own creation that a meaningful object of my own discovery have a home in the branches. I’m sure you shall meet that teapot again.
It brought me a lot of joy to build a concept around Carla and her gorgeous slip cast pieces to celebrate the arrival of autumn and the comfort of lavender and tea. Treat yourself and visit Carla’s site here.