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 […]
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.
Take the ORDINARY to EXTRAORDINARY !! Just picked up the rest of my finished ceramic pieces from my summer class. I’m telling you, just like I did with the kids and their clay pieces, surface decoration and glaze can make all the difference. On this bowl I used colored slips and a scraffito technique. With […]