Pottery shapes
ceramics :: posted on October 21st, 2009
Back at the pottery studio again for my weekly class and it is quite a different experience without the pressure of the MFA. The gentle relaxing process of forming a shape on the wheel has got me addicted to churning out all sorts of containers. Above are the incense burners that have become a favourite to make. Lacking conformity in design, as always, they are some sort of relic of history and mutation of the present.
Today the first challenge was a BIG bowl, which I pushed too fast and so it ended up being a medium bowl, then I did a few small to medium bowls like the one above. The first step in the day was to work out what shape I wanted to do. This really helps me as on the drive to the studio it ticks over in the head and the hands seem to get ready to perform the task. Not surprising really, as I see art as an act of breathing out – a steady slow flow through the body of all the gathered thoughts.
But back to the shape – so first thing this morning I checked out a search on the internet for ‘pottery bowls’ which yielded a massive number of pages and a huge number of shapes – very interesting! This shape popped for me and the act began. So much simpler than the years of research that went into the MFA!!! The dark rim on the bowl is a red clay slip brushed on after throwing the bowl.
And the BIG bowl? Well that is now the challenge for next week…
October 22nd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
SQUEEE…
October 24th, 2009 at 6:01 am
K???? L???? Will try to catch up with you at lunchtime again this week – you got me thinking about about the delicate cloud marks…