Samian wares

With all the 'festivities' going on it has been a little hard to stay focused. However, I am making head way with the Roman 'Dig' pottery for the Abbey Museum.

These are the bowls that I threw on the wheel just over a week ago

for the 'Samian' ware bowls. It has been quiet a slow process with

many stages to get to the finished result.

'Samian' bowls at the leather hard stage

After throwing them on the wheel, there is the turning of the foot and at the 'leatherhard' stage relief motifs are added (in the Roman times clay was pressed into a mould thus creating the motif design...as time is against me I'm improvising!). Then carefully the surface of the clay is burnished with a polished stone to create a smooth surface until it becomes glossy, buffing it as you polish...which at times can take hours depending on the nature of the design.

Once they are dry I can fire them in the kiln.