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You are here: Home > Resources > Glossary > Definitions - S Definitions - S   S/N   Saddle Stitching   Saggar   Salt Glaze   Sand Casting   Sandblasting   Sashiko   Saturation   Scavo   Scouring   Scraping   Screen-print   Sculpture   Scumbling   Secondary Color   Secondary Market   Seed   Selenium   Selvage   Sepia   Serigraph   Sfumato   Sgraffito   Shade   Shaft   Shaker   Shape   Shard   Shed   Sheen   Sheer   Shot   Shrinkage   Shuttle   Sigillata   Silhouette   Silica   Siligraphy   Silkscreen Printing   Silver   Silver Gelatin   Silver Process Print   Simultaneous Contrast   Sisal   Site Specific Art   Size or Sizing   Sketch   Slab   Sling Casting   Slip   Slip Tenon   Slip Trailing   Slumped Glass   Slurry   Soda Firing   Solder   Solid Casting   Soluble   Space   Spalted   Spinning   Spit Bite   Spline   Split   Sprues   Squeegee   Stain   Stained Glass   Stakes   Stamping   Steam Bend   Steel   Stencil   Sterling Silver   Still Life   Stippling   Stone Lithography   Stone Sculptures   Stoneware   Storyboard   Stretched Canvas   Stretching   Stringer   Stucco   Study   Stylized   Subtractive Color Mixture   Subtractive Sculpture   Sugar Lift   Summer and Winter   Surrealism   Symbolism   Symmetrical   Synthetic S/N This symbol is used to indicate that a limited edition print has been signed and numbered by the artist himself/herself. Saddle Stitching A two-handed stitching technique using a needle at both ends of a single thread. It produces a uniform stitch on both sides of the leather. Saggar 1. Refractory container or fire-clay box in which pottery is stocked during firing for protection from direct flame; can be used routinely in wood-burning kilns. 2. A container for holding fuming materials such as metal oxides, chemical salts, and organic substances, that will act on the ware in the saggar during the fire. Salt Glaze A glaze created during high-temperature firings. Sodium, usually in the form of rock salt, is introduced into the fully heated kiln and forms a clear coating on the clay, often with an orange-peel texture. Also referred to as Salt Firing Traditionally, rocksalt is thrown into the fire at the maturing temperature of the clay until an orange-peel textured clear glaze appears; contemporarily, any sodium put into a kiln at any temperature, or during a post-firing after a work has already been fired once; salt is deleterious to kiln bricks. Sand Casting An ancient and still widely used casting method in which moistened sand is packed against a model to make a mold. Sandblasting A method of etching the surface of a material by spraying it with compressed air and sand. Sashiko A traditional Japanese plain-stitch embroidery used as a decorative strengthener or for warmth, stitching two or more layers of cloth together in a form of quilting. Saturation The purity or intensity of a hue or color on a scale from bright (full saturation) to dull (low saturation) chromatic purity. The degree of difference from the achromatic light-source color of the same brightness. Scavo A technique developed in Italy for giving glass the antiquated, dug-up appearance of archeological artifacts. (Scavo means “unearthed.”) A special powder mixture is sprinkled on the surface of the glass and set into the glass by multiple firings. Scouring A thorough cleaning that removes dirt and oils from fabrics. Fabrics are always scoured before dyeing. Scraping The use of a serrated edge to decorate dry clay. Screen-print A printmaking technique in which stencils are applied to fabric stretched across a frame. Paint or ink is forced with a squeegee through the unblocked portions of the screen onto paper or other surface beneath.  (serigraphy) Sculpture A three-dimensional form modeled, carved, or assembled. Scumbling The technique of partially obscuring a work’s precision of line or brilliance of color by applying a semi-opaque layer of paint atop the underpainting. Also refers to the act of rubbing the surface of a work to smear lines and soften the image. Secondary Color A hue created by combining two primary colors, as yellow and blue mixed together yield green. In pigment the secondary colors are orange, green, and violet. Secondary Market The market that exists for artwork once owned by a private individual. Seed A tiny bubble in a piece of glass. Selenium A single bath toner used to change black-and-white prints in the developing stage. Selenium tones range from pure black to purple-black to a deep red. Selvage The lengthwise or warp wise edge of a woven fabric; the point at which the weft binds the warp to form a finished edge. Sepia Sepia is a reddish-brown pigment, produced from the ink of octopus and cuttlefish that is used in watercolor and ink drawing. In photography some toning processes produce a sepia-tone print, often to give the impression of a very old photograph. Warm, reddish-brown pigment produced from octopus or cuttlefish ink, used in watercolor and drawing ink. Serigraph A form of print making which utilizes stencils attached to porous screens that support delicate areas of the cut design. Most often issued in signed and numbered editions.Serigraphy is a color stencil printing process in which a special paint is forced through a fine screen onto the paper beneath. Areas that do not print are blocked with photo sensitive emulsion that has been exposed with high intensity arc lights. A squeegee is pulled from back to front, producing a direct transfer of the image from screen to paper. A separate stencil is required for each color and one hundred colors or more may be necessary to achieve the desired effect. A serigraph, also referred to as a screen print, differs from other graphics in that its color is made up of paint films rather than printing ink stains. This technique is extremely versatile, and can create effects similar to oil color and transparent washes, as well as gouache and pastel. Sfumato From the Italian work for “smoke,” a technique of painting in thin glazes to achieve a hazy, cloudy atmosphere, often to represent objects or landscape meant to be perceived as distant from the picture plane. Sgraffito A decorative process. A line is scratched through a layer of slip or glaze before firing to expose the clay underneath. From the Italian, meaning literally “to scratch.” Shade Any hue in the color spectrum with a particular amount of black added. Shaft The internationally used term for the frame that supports a group of heddles on the loom (also called a harness in the United States). A group of shafts working together is called a harness. Shaker Relating to or constituting a style produced by Shakers that is distinctively simple, unornamented, functional and finely crafted. Shape A two-dimensional area having identifiable boundaries, created by lines, color, or value changes, or some combination of these; broadly, form. Shard A fragment of fired pottery. Also called "sherd". Shed The space between raised or lowered warp yarns through which the loaded shuttle is passed. A shed is created by raising or lowering one or more shafts. Sheen A dull gleam on a surface, less bright than gloss. Sheer Very thin or transparent. Shot One pass or row of weft through a shed; also called a “pick.” Shrinkage Contraction of clays or bodies in drying and firing, caused by the loss of physical and chemical water and the achieving of molecular density. Shuttle A tool on which the weft is wrapped so that it can be passed through a shed in the warp. Sigillata See “terra sigillata.” Silhouette The outer shape of an object.  An outline, often filled in with color. Silica Oxide of silicon; found abundantly in nature as quartz, sand and flint; the essential oxide in ceramics. Siligraphy A water-less planographic printmaking process based on the repellence of ink and silicone. Designs are drawn or painted with water-soluble art materials onto ground glass. The surface is then coated with silicone, covering the non-printing areas of the image and leaving the exposed areas to be coated in ink applied with a roller. The print is then made by pressing paper against the inked drawing. Silkscreen Printing A stencil process of printmaking in which an image is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. Also called serigraphy and screen-printing. Andy Warhol and Robert Raushenberg used silkscreens as a means of applying paint to canvases. Also, a print made by this method, sometimes called a screenprint. Silver An element known for its purity, malleability and bright shine. Because pure silver is relatively soft, it is usually alloyed with a small amount of copper to make sterling. Silver Gelatin A photographic process that uses silver halide crystals suspended within the photographic emulsion. The most popular type of black-and-white photograph produced today. Silver Process Print Generic term for several photographic processes, including silver bromo-chloride, silver chloro-bromide, velox, gaslight paper process/print and silver bromide. The most popular of these silver processes is silver bromide, which refers to photographic emulsions that use a gelatin emulsion of silver bromide as a halogen. Simultaneous Contrast The tendency of complementary colors to seem brighter and more intense when placed side by side. Sisal A natural, durable fiber that is frequently used in rugs. Site Specific Art Any work made for a certain place, which cannot be separated or exhibited apart from its intended environment. Size or Sizing Any of several substances made from glue, wax, or clay, used as a filler for porous material such as paper, canvas or other cloth, or wall surfaces. Used to protect the surface from the deteriorating effects of paint, particularly oil paint. Sketch A preliminary drawing of a composition. Slab Flat piece of clay from which shapes can be fabricated. Sling Casting A low-tech method of creating the centrifugal force needed to create precise castings in some metals. Slip A mixture of clay and water used to cast pots, apply surface decoration or cement separately formed parts. Slip Tenon A piece of wood used to connect two pieces of wood together. The two pieces of wood being joined each have an opening (mortise), and one half of the slip tenon fits into each opening, thus joining the pieces together. Slip Trailing A surface decoration technique in which the ceramist uses a nozzle to apply slip to the ware. Slumped Glass Preformed glass, such as sheet glass or blown glass rondelles, that has been reheated and shaped in a mold. Slurry Thick suspension of one or more ceramic materials in water. Soda Firing To glaze raw clay with vapors from soda ash or bicarbonate of soda introduced into fuel kiln during firing. Solder An alloy of specific melting point and surface tension used to join metals. Solid Casting Casting liquid clay into the void created by two or more pieces of a mold; the thickness of the shape can vary. Soluble Capable of being dissolved in liquid. Space In painting, space may by defined as the distances between shapes on a flat surface and the illusion of three-dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. Also refers to a physical site where art is displayed for viewing. Spalted Wood that contains areas of natural decay, giving it distinctive markings. Spalted wood is used for its decorative effect. Spinning 1. The process of shaping a sheet metal disk by turning it with pressure against a form. 2. Spinning in textiles is the process of creating yarn (or thread, rope, cable) from various raw fiber materials. Spit Bite