So we have finished the first portion of the course--bowls. We had to make 7 successful bowls, each being 3-4" tall and 6-7" in diameter with planar changes. I had a time with the planar changes. I decided to place mine just below the rim, creating a lip (the curve at the very top of the bowl). I honestly prefer the lip at the top of the bowl rather than a drastic planar change in the belly.
It was really difficult to get back into throwing after winter break. I felt like I was learning how to do it all over again, which was not a good feeling. Learning how to use the wheel the first time around was the most frustrating thing I have ever attempted in my life. Centering the clay and actually having control of it is definitely a skill. It's something learned. It's different from many other forms of art, in my opinion. No one is going to immediately have the ability to throw a pot. You have to be able to work the clay and the wheel simultaneously...while making sure your hands are braced and your elbows sturdy on your knees. You want to make sure everything is in synch, or else you're NOT going to be able to center that ball of clay.
Centering is the most difficult part about learning how to throw. Centering doesn't intimidate me anymore like it used to. Now I'm more afraid of stretching the clay out too far. Seeing a pot in progress flop over because the walls got too thin is the saddest sight to me. But it's something I need to work on.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy pottery so much. I feel like there's always something to improve on. And there's always new possibilities to create something larger, more dynamic, more functional, etc. etc. etc. The list goes on.
As of right now, we have moved on to the vase portion of the course (next will be cups/saucers, then pitchers, then finally free-form). I have to make 5 vases that need to be 3-4" in width at the base and 10" tall with varying sized necks and distinct planar changes in the body of the pot. I've made about 7 vases, but none of them meet the height requirement. My tallest is 8.5" and the rest are around 6". This is not good because they are definitely due in 4 days. I'm going to go to the studio in a little bit today, after I finish my other homework. So, hopefully I'll be able to pull it off.
Anyways, back to the bowls. I have been waiting for over a month for some of these babies to make their way out of the kiln and into my anxiously awaiting hands. And it actually happened a few days ago! I took some pictures of my work because I was really proud of how much better I've gotten.
Here they all are!
This is a set of five that pretty much all have the same shape that I glazed all the same.
This is a closer shot of one of the bowls from the set above.
(Funny story: I used ferg white on the outside, and THOUGHT I was using sb celadon on the inside. Sb celadon is a greenish glaze. As you can see that's not what happened here. The bucket was labeled wrong and I ended up using a mystery glaze that even my teacher has no clue about. It looks kind of cool, I guess. Some parts are shiny and even look wet, while majority of the glaze is a matte reddish brown. It reminds me of rust, which I think ironically goes nicely with the ferg white on the outside.)
I really like the shape of this bowl. It is another from the set above. I think it looks like a fishbowl, but I've also heard it looks like something from Mario Kart. Whatever that means.
Ugh. THESE bowls. They were the first two I made this semester. Meaning that they are my worst skill-wise. But the glaze turned out so badass that everyone likes these the best.
Here's another set. I really like the glaze on this. I think it turned out really successful, which made me realize I need to try out more glazing possibilities. I usually just stick with ferg white and one other glaze. But here, I used 3.
Overall, I'm really happy with how this project turned out:)
