Although hand-painting was Thorley’s primary interest, he also used silk-screen techniques. As seen here, Thorley worked out the design on paper and then applied it to a thin sheet of silk in a wooden frame. He laid the silk on the surface of an object and applied a layer of colored glaze on top. The glaze only seeped through the silk where the pattern had not been applied, a technique much like resist printing or stenciling. On occasion Thorley would silk screen the outline then hand-paint the details using the printed design as a guide. Examples of these printing processes are visible on many of Thorley’s flower bricks.
Flower Brick, 1950-70
Earthenware
Lent by John and Joyce McKnight
Courtesy of the Thorley Papers,
Swem Library, College of William and Mary
Silk Screen, 1950-60
Silk and wood
Both courtesy of the Thorley Papers,
Swem Library, College of William and Mary
