The 27 inch square plate series started in 2006 at Kenney’s ceramic studio in Kailua, Hawaii. This larger format was developed to make a larger area for the surface designs and to integrate the form with the geometric imagery employed. Technically, the large size is more difficult to make and fire than the smaller sizes. Kenney’s original visual language developed for the smaller plates is further abstracted to accommodate the larger surface area.
All of Douglas Kenney’s ceramic art is made by hand from start to finish by the artist. These square plates on this site are currently for sale unless otherwise noted. They are located at the San Diego area studio. There are some more 27 inch square plates that are not on this site.
This ongoing series of work is created on a wheel with slabs of clay decorated with clay slips and powder in the wet state. Each slab is then placed on plaster mold and a wheel thrown foot is joined to the back of the slab. A square template with a round hole in the middle is placed on the back of the plate, while on the plate mold, and then cut to make the square shape. After careful drying each piece is bisque fired in an electric kiln. Next, the bisque ware is washed thoroughly with water, allowed to dry, and then colored clay slips are brushed, splashed or sprayed to make the final surface decoration. Clear glaze is applied and fired to Orton cone 5 (approximately 2200 F). All of these plates are cabled with marine grade stainless cable and fittings for wall display. The cable can be slid around the foot 360 degrees for a different hanging orientation if desired.
