The other plates in my latest firing were by Eric Metcalfe and new visitor to my studio, Ciara Phillips, and one piece each from Philippe Raphanel and Mina Totino. The previous kiln was so full that I didn’t get plates by the last two in so they’ve had to wait quite a while.

Eric’s new plates are the boldest I’ve ever seen him do! He says these are a tip of the hat to ‘Dazzle Art’.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Ciara had not painted on plates before but she brought her print-making sensibility to the project. Her two are the pot, creature and face on a pink coupe plate and masking tape and brush-dabs on blue and green on a rimmed oval plate. So confident!

Philippe’s platter is the same huge round one that Renée likes to use. She has brought out thrift shop plates and a metal lamp-shade for me to use as forms for these slab plates. Philippe says he was thinking about something Moroccan as he applied subtle shades of blue and green underglaze, splooshes of wax resist and further lines of black and white. I think it’s splendid!

Mina has kept her square dish quieter in this case, with cream and white but with green on the underside. I know she serves food in all her ware, so I imagine she has a delicious plan for this new one.

I wonder what the next group of ‘Raiders’ will do?