getting started
The image below shows my first three successful throws on my wheel, in various stages of drying. All were produced from an unidentified Laguna cone 10 clay that I bought, along with a simple set of throwing tools, at the local art shop in Sedona (they didn't bother to record the name or description of the clay beyond the firing temperature; I guess they didn't think it important!). These have all since been fired and finished. I don't keep many of my throws because I have a unhelpful tendency to rest on my laurels--- I find I'm less likely to pursue art forms further if I can simply point to something relatively good that I've done and say to myself, "Well, I've done that; why go further?" As I recall, the outer two became glazing experiments and were given away; I gave the bowl to my sister to replenish her household's practical stoneware.
Over many years, I've come and gone from pottery, usually taking a class at random then not touching clay again for years. Here are some throws from the past....
I've always liked the look of this small, round bowl, mostly because of the color in the glaze. I made this in LA in the early 1990s. I think it's from B-mix:
Below is a photo of a bowl thrown about the same time as the one above (it's very heavy, being too thick at the base, and would make a great mortar--- I should make a pestle to go with it!); I threw the mug in 2000 while taking a wheel class in Sedona. I use it for my shaving soap.
In order to learn from my mistakes, I decided to scrap this bowl after footing it. The cross-section shows how much clay I was leaving in the base. Getting the bottom thickness right is difficult--- it's hard to know just how thick the clay is without poking it and I hate doing that for fear of compromising the throw. I'm getting better, slowly:
This image shows two views of a B-mix bowl I threw (about the time of this original post) for my brother. He commissioned two serving bowls from me. I was very pleased with the shape of this one but it was compromised in the glazing (too much glaze on the outside, which slumped onto the kiln shelf in firing; I did some corrective grinding, but it was taking forever so I gave up):
I kept this butterbell and, up until my recent move, used it daily. Though the outside glazing didn't come out the way I'd hoped (Laguna's Amethyst Matte, which I think I rubbed too thin), I fell in love with the interior glaze, Robin's Egg. The lid/butter holder's exterior is a clear glaze, allowing the coloration of the clay, Speckled Buff, to show through:
I waited a bit too long to try to put a handle on this small B-mix creamer--- the clay was too dry....
...but I got to this one in time. I glazed this in and out in Robin's Egg and gave it to a friend who told me she's using it as a pencil stand (crikey!):
I was quite pleased with this pitcher, assembled from two throws. It turned out to be much smaller, dry, than I'd envisioned. It's walls are a bit too thick and it's a slow learning curve to gauge how much weight in clay will produce how big a throw. (Look for the glazed end product in a later post.):
Over many years, I've come and gone from pottery, usually taking a class at random then not touching clay again for years. Here are some throws from the past....
I've always liked the look of this small, round bowl, mostly because of the color in the glaze. I made this in LA in the early 1990s. I think it's from B-mix:
Below is a photo of a bowl thrown about the same time as the one above (it's very heavy, being too thick at the base, and would make a great mortar--- I should make a pestle to go with it!); I threw the mug in 2000 while taking a wheel class in Sedona. I use it for my shaving soap.
In order to learn from my mistakes, I decided to scrap this bowl after footing it. The cross-section shows how much clay I was leaving in the base. Getting the bottom thickness right is difficult--- it's hard to know just how thick the clay is without poking it and I hate doing that for fear of compromising the throw. I'm getting better, slowly:
This image shows two views of a B-mix bowl I threw (about the time of this original post) for my brother. He commissioned two serving bowls from me. I was very pleased with the shape of this one but it was compromised in the glazing (too much glaze on the outside, which slumped onto the kiln shelf in firing; I did some corrective grinding, but it was taking forever so I gave up):
I kept this butterbell and, up until my recent move, used it daily. Though the outside glazing didn't come out the way I'd hoped (Laguna's Amethyst Matte, which I think I rubbed too thin), I fell in love with the interior glaze, Robin's Egg. The lid/butter holder's exterior is a clear glaze, allowing the coloration of the clay, Speckled Buff, to show through:
I waited a bit too long to try to put a handle on this small B-mix creamer--- the clay was too dry....
...but I got to this one in time. I glazed this in and out in Robin's Egg and gave it to a friend who told me she's using it as a pencil stand (crikey!):
I was quite pleased with this pitcher, assembled from two throws. It turned out to be much smaller, dry, than I'd envisioned. It's walls are a bit too thick and it's a slow learning curve to gauge how much weight in clay will produce how big a throw. (Look for the glazed end product in a later post.):
Labels: B-mix, bowls, butterbell, cross-section, Laguna, pitcher, Robin's Egg, shaving mug
2 Comments:
Hi! Your thrown pots are lovely. It is definitely a joy to work with clay (or mud as some call it) :)
Thank you for the compliment. There is a joy in clay that I don't find anywhere else. It is truly like magic, giving shape to the shapeless, form to formlessness.
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