Process
Ceramic Decals
Most of my work is thrown on the potter's wheel, while some is hand formed using slabs. I mix my own cone six glazes and fire everything in two electric kilns at my home studio. The most distinctive aspect of my work and what I get the most questions about are the ceramic decals that decorate my pieces.
The name "Ceramic Decals" is a bit of a misnomer as they are not stickers, but transfers, printed with china paint. They are fired on in a third firing on top of the glaze and are permanently adhered to the surface.
I use mostly vintage ceramic decals. Collecting these has become something of an obsession as they are mostly dead stock, and once they are gone, that's it. I also have black line decals custom printed for me from images of medieval woodcuts, 16th-18th century illustrations, and scientific diagrams.
Once a hugely popular hobby, now outdated and out of favor, these "decals" range from charming to downright hideous. They elicit a nostalgia which is comforting on one hand and jarring on the other. Printed in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, many depict saccharine images of previous times, and ceramic decorating styles which makes using them a sort of hall of mirrors. To me they reference women's work and women's leisure, (relatively) recent history of ceramics and decoration, midcentury popular culture, ideas about domesticity, and many other juicy topics.
Creating compositions by clipping and collaging, I happily recycle these kitsch elements to create something new by applying them to my handmade pieces.
