Clay goes through several phases in the pot making process; greenware, bisque ware, and finally glazed. Glazes serve a few different purposes. my favorite is that it acts to color and decorate the surface of your ceramic vessel. But if this piece is to be used for food, it must be glazed to protect it […]
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My students, Ryan and Reese, recently moved. Their mom had a large print on stretched canvas that just didn’t work in the new house, and asked if we could do anything with it. By gosh, by golly…YES we can. This old print is getting a new lease on life as an Abstract painting. The girls […]
Up to this point in my ceramic journey, my focus has been to be able to just sit down at the wheel and THROW a body of clay into “something”. I feel I have accomplished that goal. My symboitic relationship with the clay thus far has been the clay allowing me to practice my basic skills, […]
This challenge was to throw several CUPS and then attach HANDLES to them. An average size cup takes from 1lb to 1 1/2lbs of clay. I prepared to throw 4 cups, a nice set I thought. However, the clay had thoughts of its own, and only 2 survived the process. There are generally […]
As with any job or recreational activity, you must have the right tools, and you and those tools must be properly prepared. The same holds true when working with clay. Whether handbuilding or throwing on the wheel, the clay must first be prepared. This preparation is called “wedging”. Wedging has many benefits for […]
Clay is a wonderful, tactile medium that can be manipulated into nearly any shape and form you can imagine. These 3 basic handbuilding techniques don’t require any special equiment or tools. And if you are using air-dry clay, there’s no kiln necessary to fire the clay. Which makes it perfect for home use […]
Everyone LOVES working in clay, children and adults alike. Clay is an amazing tactile medium that offers so many possibilities. I remember my first experience with a modeling material was Play-doh. It had a certain smell and taste (yes, we all tasted it) and it squished nicely between my fingers. Play-doh has […]
Today’s objective was to throw several vessels that were the same shape and size. Any “potter” who produces for commerial sale needs to be able to do this. I’ve gotten pretty good at throwing successfully every try, however the pots and bowls took shapes on their own. I had little control of the outcome. Today […]
Opps !! Seems when you start to throw larger chunks of clay ( up from 1lb. to 2 1/2lbs.), you apparently have to learn to “center” and “pull” the clay all over again. As flexible as clay is… it’s not very forgiving if you mess up the basics. But all is not lost. This wonky […]
In the case of this ceramic bowl, glaze and a wax resist technique took a BLOOPER to something of INTEREST. The Chinese character translates to “Skye”, a most beloved fur baby of many years ago.