Photos

In the village of Intercourse, PA, master potter Ned Foltz sits in front of the Village Pottery store and scratches a design into the surface of a bowl before a final glaze and firing.

The technique is called sgraffito. After firing dark-red clay, a lighter clay covering (called a slip) is applied to the top of the fired piece. Before the clay dries, the artist scratches a design through the slip, so you can see the dark clay beneath. Then, a final glaze is applied, and the piece is fired again to set the design.

I could have taken the picture from the other side, but I was interested in the strength in his hands and his concentration, and felt if I approached him from the other side, it would be more intrusive.

The image is presented as taken. I just cropped it, adjusted the levels a little, and sharpened and resized it before uploading.