Ken Adams

Well, almost! Porcelain slip (with added 20% 'binding' matrix) was first applied to a partially inflated balloon with a palette knife. Upon further initial inflation the slip was then sprayed with blue Mason stain, but only very lightly. The slip was then agitated on the ballon's surface using the pallete knife, and then the balloon was deflated and re-flated 6 times (= 6 cycles, it's true, not quite infinity!) There was about two minutes drying time between each cycle (the time it took to take photos for my notebook), which resulted in the slip becoming increasingly thick in the process (with a tendency to stick to itself). The final deflation to an almost empty balloon produced the particulalry bubbly texture, and extra thin sections of porcelain flaked off during this final step, creating the vessel's coraline aesthetic. The vessel was fired upright, so it is not perfectly circular around the rim - given such highly perforated walls, this is hardly surprising!