I’ve been having so much fun, lately, making banks. I throw the body of the bank on the potter’s wheel and also throw a rough approximation of the body of the animal that I will use as a finial, in this case a wolfy dog creature which includes a long tail.

When I trim the bank, I have to recess the bottom and create a large hole to accept a cork, so the owner can retrieve all the money they’ve saved. The thrown wolfy dog is trimmed, paddled and molded into shape, and has the legs and ears added. He’s then attached to the top in the place of honor.

I cover the whole piece with a white clay slip. After it has dried somewhat, I scratch in the sgraffito design through this layer of white clay. In this case, its a moonlight revel with leaping hares and a dancing rat. The wolfy dog also gets his sneaky eyes, nose, fearsome teeth and fur using this technique. The bank is fired twice, the last time with a coating of clear glaze with iron oxide added to give it that traditional ochre and brown coloring.