Making the Airedales in the Garden Pitcher

First, I threw big full-bellied pitcher in white stoneware. I wanted the shape of the middle of the pot to reflect the full oval quality that you see in tulips and I wanted the pot to recede above the tulips so it would emphasize that the Airedales were in the distance. The next day, I trimmed the pot to make the foot and applied the handle. When dry, the pot was bisqued to cone 08.

I glazed the inside of the pot with a spring-like green glaze and the outside with a white semi-matte. I began to sketch out the placement of the tulips and the positions of the Airedales. I have lots of photos of my dogs digging (a frequent activity for my dogs!) so I used them for reference. I also have a file case full of images I've collected over the years so I can look at pictures of tulips to draw them fairly accurately.

I began painting the tulips with underglazes, then with a sharp tool, I incised the line between the tulips through the glaze down to the surface of the clay. Using black underglaze, I filled in the line. When the pot gets fired, the glaze moves in a bit tightening the line up. I like the line to be bold, sort of a stained glass effect.

When the painting was done, I tuned the pot upside down so I could do a little border on the bottom. I didn't use the strong black outline on the Airedales because I wanted them to recede into the background. The pot is done and ready for firing.