Kiln Opening!

We were very pleased with the way the Antique Iron fired! We got the full range of brown, red, green, and even a touch of blue. The only disappointment was that several of the pieces have spots where the glaze did not take, which was likely due to me stacking waxed pots before dipping them. Lesson learned: no stacking after waxing!

Class Update

My Wednesday night class with Julie Olson has been getting my creative juices flowing and reminding me of tricks of the craft. So far, getting back into throwing is not unlike getting back on a bike after not riding for awhile. My hands seem to know what to do, and I love it.

Julie has demonstrated three-pull cylinders, handles, mixing bowls, batter bowls, pasta bowls and plates. My favorite has been the wide-rimmed pasta bowls. It makes so much sense to have a place to rest the bread instead of trying to chase the sauce away during the meal! The biggest encouragement from Julie has been to detach myself enough from my work so that if it isn't good I can let it go. I've often tried to save pieces from cracks and blips only to waste precious time and energy. The time would better be spent starting over and improving my skills.

I'm in the process of applying to a couple of shows for the fall and winter and have been thinking through the preparations such as how many pieces I need to prepare, what I'd like to sell, and how it should be marketed. I have no business experience, but I enjoy throwing and like the idea of a show or two to motivate me. I also need to start thinking about Christmas and wedding gifts. Why buy when I can make?

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!