Colored Porcelain Sgraffito Waves Plate

Dennis's Wheel-thrown and Hand Drawn and Carved "Waves" Sgraffito Plate Measures:

4-1/8" wide x 3/8" high.

This sgraffito plate can also be used as a catch all plate, watch plate, or you can use it to serve a couple of bon bons.

Pinkish beige colored porcelain wheel-thrown plate with carved waves, sky and sun.
Dennis was inspired by the ocean waves, and wanted to add the sky and sun to his waves design.
He has also designed and hand crafted a similar shallow bowl, utilizing this same theme.

Dennis has also hand-crafted a similar shallow bowl.

I have written a blog post about the inspiration and technique used for this plate.

(Please refer to "How It's Made" section by scrolling down).

Wheel thrown and hand glazed by Dennis.
Colored Standard 365 Porcelain Clay.
Glazed with dinnerware safe, lead free glazes
Dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.
Kiln fired to cone 6 (2232 degrees Fahrenheit)
Dennis's initials with happy face carved on the bottom.

How It's Made

This plate was created on the potter's wheel using colored porcelain clay, and a carving technique called sgraffito.

Sgraffito is an Italian word meaning - "to scratch". This colored porcelain clay technique is the opposite of mishima.
A layer of slip (wet clay) is applied to the surface of the pottery, while the vessel is leather hard. (not wet and not yet bone dry).
A design is carved into the wet slip using a metal ball tool. This etching reveals the colored porcelain clay underneath the colored slip, that the pottery is wheel-thrown or hand built with. 
When creating a sgraffito piece of pottery, the design is not flush to the surface, as it is with mishima. The colored slip is slightly raised, and the etched design does not get filled in.

All of our pottery is wheel-thrown and/or handbuilt in our North Carolina home studio.