Day 1 Back at the Wheel

Today wasn't as rocky as I was expecting. I managed to squeeze in enough time in between grocery shopping and feeding Daniel lunch to throw two pieces. The first is a small mug; the second is a serving dish. I'm not sure yet if the leaf fits, but it was fun to play.

Working Form

I took two classes from Julie Olson while at the NCSU Crafts Center. This artist is full of great ideas and is amazing at challenging students to pursue excellence. The first time we threw something decent looking, she'd have us slice it in two to look at the evenness and irregularity of the cross section to help us find our weak points.

Once piece of advice she gave me was to develop a working form - a shape from which all pieces were to be derived. The vase to the left might be my favorite piece so far. I love the glazing (thanks to the magic of gas firing at the Crafts Center), but the shape is what counts. The base is spherical and the middle is rounded almost like a pregnant belly. I can picture the bottom third developing into a nice bowl, the bottom two thirds being a great start for a pitcher and the top third being inverted to form an interesting cup or serving dish. It could be thrown and split vertically to serve as a start for an oblong serving dish. There are endless possibilities.

The challenge for me now is to get enough practice at the wheel where my skills return and I am able to throw this shape consistently enough to where it feels like second nature. Julie told me that a potter has to throw the same thing about a hundred times to reach that point. Whew!

Hello Wheel

It has been a very long time since I have thrown a pot. I believe November 2007 was about the time my belly got too big to bend over the wheel, and soon after I spent most of my time breastfeeding and changing diapers. I've made several attempts to throw again, but nothing has really stuck. Daniel seems to finally be at a stage where I could potentially get back on the wheel and let him play in the room with me. This week I am going to attempt to still work my regular job during his naps and try to put in a couple hours with him in the afternoons or mornings, depending on what the week allows. There are two shows I may apply for this fall/winter: The Handmade Market and Rock and Shop. This would give me some good motivation to get back into a hobby I seriously loved.