From

Creating textured handles

by Annie Chrietzberg

Slab to Grab
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heres a viable alternative to the drudgery and messiness of pulling handlesmaking them from slabs. I think slab handles are especially pleasing when impressed with a texture because it adds an extra visualas well as tactilezing. Furthermore, theres Above: Crooner no waiting for slab handles to Ewer, a combinaset up since they can be made tion of thrown pieces and texand attached right after a cup is tured slabs, trimmed. I slip, score, then slip, red to cone 7 and score through the slip again, in oxidation. to create an interface where the At right: Ewer handle joins the cup. Then I set and Me, Down by the nished cup in a plastic the Sea, service box overnight. for olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I rst experimented with slab combination of handles while an undergraduthrown pieces ate, encouraged to try as many and textured different ways to make handles slabs, red to by my professor, John Brough cone 7 oxidation. Miller. Back in 97, when I saw Lana Wilson make handles from a thin slab that she then folded over, they really began to make sense. The extra volume created within the slab when folded creates the perfect weight in regards to the thickness of the handle in relationship to the overall balance of the cup. Ive never had a problem with air being trapped within the handle, in part because the seam created by the

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I use a Chinese mallet to pound out slabs. This mallet is rounded on one side for roughing out the slab, and at on the other side for nishing.

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Use the mallet or a roller to get the slab perfectly even, then sponge off.

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Try anything and everything for texture! This is a piece of rusty tin I found.

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Align the slab with the texture. If clay sticks to your texture tool, clean off and dust lightly with corn starch.

fold is an informal one. Theres no need to slip and score that seam, just let one side rest atop the other. The seam can be put on the inside of the handle, or used as part of the design on the outside. A vent hole can be addedjust put it in an inconspicuous place and knock off any sharpness created before ring! I make cups in litters of a dozen or so. When I change the form of a cup, Ill change the shape of the handle, and also the texture. Every texture bends a different way. Just roll out a slab, then cut it into even strips, impress with different textures, and youll see what I mean. I have many different texture tools. The fan or ower texture is a piece of rusted tin I found back in the early 16
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90s on an abandoned farm. I also, like other textural potters, use retired batik blocksmy favorite blocks were found at a street market in London. These blocks can surprise you, as the negative space often takes on volume and dominates the texture. I also cut apart corrugated craft paper and tape it back together to make corrugations that meet in dynamic angles. Start with a small piece of clay and make a thin, strong slab (I use a Chinese clay mallet to pound out the slab). Create a template that works with the texture youre going to use as well as the size of the cups youve thrown. Align the template to the pattern in the texture and cut the sides with the tip of the knife pointing it in to reduce the amount of clay where it overlaps once

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Roll the slab into the texture form applying even pressure. Texture on slab.

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Create a template for the handle based on the shape and form of your piece, as well as the texture.

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Cut the top and bottom of the handle with the knife held perpendicular to the clay, and cut the sides at an angle to reduce bulk at the overlap.

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Carefully lift slab scraps away from handle.
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Set the slab pattern side down on a soft surface. I use foam pads for this.

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Start to fold one side into the center (remember to clean your ngertips!).

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Roll in the second side and create an overlap. This is an informal seamno slip is needed.

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Shape the handle then trim to t the form. Score and slip the handle and the form, then apply the handle. It takes a bit of practice to learn the touch that will put the handle into place and attach it without with out disrupting the texture start with a robust texture and work your way to a ner one.

you roll in the sides of the handle. Make sure you keep both the area youre working on and your hands free of crumbs, otherwise theyll embed themselves in, and disrupt your texture. Crumbs tend to become even more visible when you start to shape your handle.
Annie Chrietzberg has been involved in pottery since 1991 when she took her rst ceramics class from Larry Felty. She received a BFA in ceramics from Texas Womans University in 1996 and MA in 2001. After some time on a narrowboat in England, she returned to the states in 2003. She is currently renovating an urban building in the RiNo Arts district in Denver with Jonathan Kaplan to create a gallery.

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