Techniques are of great importance to potters. Chosen carefully and used well they not only play a large part in defining the work but also allow a language of expression to grow as a consequence. While the ceramics of William Plumptre are recognisable for their effective use of particular techniques, many of which have a long and distinguished history, for him it is much more than a skilful working of process. Technique is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Japanese Jomon pottery (the name means 'cord pattern'), which dates from 12,000BC - some of the earliest known pottery - carries a distinctive pattern made by impressing twisted rope into the soft clay. The technique requires deliberation, it is fairly slow but the results are often spirited, and the decoration is closely integrated with the form. The inlay technique is equally deliberate, with nothing gestural about it. The slip must be of the right consistency to fill the indentations, and there is a period of waiting for it to harden before it can be scraped back to reveal a series of precisely defined marks. Inlay allows for the possibility of strong, clear patterning emerging through a thick coating of glaze. White and black inlaid patterns were used to great effect by the Koreans in the twelfth century under celadon glazes, the design showing clearly through because of the density of the slip.
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