Swirling Keys
In this new instrument making adventure, I will be making clay bars with slip marbling! Glaze can alter the sound of ceramics dramatically, so I am trying this slip marbling instead so the bars can have a visual story to them, without compromising their sound. My teacher Brigitte Fiorille is as always, such an amazing help and guiding me through the process.
Day 1: JANUARY 22, 2026
SLAB: 2 B + 1 A thickness (about 6 pounds of clay)
I rolled out a very think slab of white clay. Then it was placed on wood with canvas on top and wrapped with 2 pieces of plastic.
Day 2: January 29, 2026
Marbling
Day 2 was dedicated to marbling. The slab was the perfect dryness, a soft leather hard (enough to make a little imprint if you pressed on the clay, but you would have to press with pressure).
The slab was placed on a tray with some glossy newspaper underneath it.
Then we used blue and white slip to do the marbling The slip was in a dish detergent squeeze bottle, which made it very easy to spread the slip around. The slip must be applied very quickly, as it begins to set immediately. The dryness of the clay is very important for this reason also: the dryer the clay, the faster the slip sets and the less it will move around for the marbling.
In this session I was also marbling another thinner slab that was a hard leather hard. We applied a bit of water with a sponge on top to allow the slip to move a bit more.
When applying the slip, the blue was applied first. You must put a generous amount on or else it won’t swirl together very well. Cover the entire slab quickly, going up and down vertically. Use a brush to help spread a little if necessary. Then very quickly apply the white slip in horizontal lines, also being generous with the amount. The hold the sides with your thumbs (pressure not on top of the clay pushing down, but holding the sides, see photo below). Move the tray around, watching how the slips are swirling together and let you eye guide you in how you move. Tapping the tray lightly on a table also helps the slips move around. Go slow and take your time. You can also shake it once in a while.
The blue slip is a bit hard to see, but if you look closely, you can see that the soft leather hard slab marbled much nicer than the hard leather hard slab. I also put much more slip on the soft leather hard piece, which helps mobilize the slips.
soft leather hard slab
hard leather hard slab
The slabs have to be left out to dry a bit before covering.
Check back next week to continue this journey!