What makes these creations unique is the hand artistry and the type of potter’s clay you use. Slab pots can be produced using soft slabs and stiff slabs. You can roll out the slabs by hand or use machines to roll out the slabs. Today, slab pots and slab-building techniques are experiencing a renewed popularity. Modern potters and ceramic sculptors have embraced the slab, creating works using both soft slabs and stiff, leather-hard slabs. Slab rollers are large pieces of equipment that enable potters to roll large slabs to uniform thicknesses rapidly. Or, for a more organic approach, slabs can be formed by tossing the clay onto a hard surface at an angle. The resulting slabs are not uniform in thickness and can give a handmade feel to a piece. Stiff slab shapes can be merged with other leather-hard clay components, such as stiffened slump-molded slabs, thrown components, or pinched components. For example, a soft slab may be slumped into the opening of the stiff slab pot as part of creating a lid for the pot. Another example is making a series of rings and adding them to the pot’s bottom to serve as feet. The possibilities are nearly endless. If you have not made a slab pot before, give it a try, and let your creativity guide you.
