A letter of reflection from this semester (05/30/22) :
This semester, I learned an incredible amount about clay and my own interests. I never actually intended on taking ceramics. Infact, I never imagined I would sign up at all, but when s1 was close to ending, my friend convinced me to join her in ceramics for s2, so last minute I switched my elective. In terms of clay, I’ve learned what all goes into making a finished ceramic piece and the time and effort needed to create an art piece in this medium. I’ve never been one for getting all messy, but taking ceramics this semester has shown me how much I actually enjoy working with clay. It’s such a refreshing experience to practice a new method of art for the first time. In particular, I really enjoy wheel throwing, though at many times it’s a love-hate relationship. At first I actually thought it was pretty impossible, centering and pulling up the walls was incredibly tough for me, but after a weeks worth of practice I started to get better and found it to be much more rewarding than slab building. Sometimes I would even come in during my lunch period to throw a mug or trim a previous project. When I create my art, two concepts go into my inspiration: things in nature, and things that can be useful. My favorite thing about nature is how everything is unique, so my ideology is that when I include nature in my art, it adds another layer of depth to the piece. However, it’s also important to me that my pieces can be used. I always find it so rewarding to put a piece of art I made into practice, and ceramics was another beautiful medium to do so. I’m very proud of the work I did this semester, especially being my first time I've ever worked with clay, and I can’t wait to take ceramics again next year. In general, my knowledge of clay was seriously minimal at the start of this semester. Even after watching multiple videos, I was still wedging like I knead bread dough. Reflecting back on it now, I realize how much I’ve learned about sculpting and other elements that go into art. Overall, I’m very grateful for what this class has taught me and the opportunity to work with clay in this fashion.
This is my ceramic rattle project, themed after the Indigo Milk Cap mushroom. To create this project, I first started with a closed pinch pot (creating the semi-sphere cap of the mushroom) where the clay beads were housed. After that, I created the stem (which functions like a handle) by pressing a chunk of clay into a cylinder-like shape using the pads of my hands and fingers which created a more natural look. Once those two pieces were done, I attached the two and began the detailing process. This included using a needle to create spores on the head of the mushroom and various wooden tools to create lines on the stem and gills to make it look more realistic. Once that was done I finished it off with a small hole on the gills for ventilation in the kiln, added my creators mark to the bottom, and set it on the greenware shelf. When it arrived from its first kilning, I close to wax the spore spots on the cap and dip-glaze the entire cap in the glaze Copper Crystals. The stem was then dip-glazed in a simple white color, and that was it. Once it arrived from the second kilning, I was very happy with how it turned out. I like how the Copper Crystals glaze gave it some streaks of teal and green in addition to the blue base, and the way it coated the gills. This project is special to me because it’s my first clay project and it was really refreshing to utilize a new form of art.
This is my textured vessel project, themed after a knitted sweater. I actually got my inspiration from a fellow potter who sat at my table in class who happened to be wearing a knitted sweater while I was brainstorming my first concept sketches. To create the mug, I rolled out a large slab of clay and cut out a large rectangle to make it the proper size for construction. Then I used a mold of a knitted pattern to imprint the sweater design onto the rectangle. Once that was done, I trimmed the slab to be connected edges with a diagonal wire and slip and scored both angled sides, prepping it to be connected into a cylinder. I lifted the piece up and thoroughly connected the two sides, which left me with a nice-sized cylinder with a knitted pattern imprinted on it. I then traced it’s circumference onto another slab of clay for the base. Once that was cut out and attached, the final step was to add a handle, which I hand-squeezed and shaped under a heat lamp. Finally I added my creators mark on the bottom and it went into it’s first kilning. When it came out I was worried that the very fine and detailed imprint would be covered up by normal glaze, so I painted on a light green Celadon glaze (a very thin-coating glaze) and added the wadding. Once it came out of the second kilning, I was super happy with the results. It had a small mishap in the kiln, resulting in a chip and brown spot, but I love the texture it came out with and I currently use it to hold incense sticks since the handle is a bit smaller than intended. The pitcher was a similar process, where I slab-built a typical cup and attached a curvy handle, as well as a spout just using my fingers. The unique touches I added were the carved segments along the entire piece. When I started I wasn't sure what I wanted to achieve, however, I was soon pleased with the texture I was rendering because it reminded me of wood. The glaze I chose for the pitcher wasn't the greatest choice I've made because the pigments spread unevenly across the texture, resulting in a messier look than intended. Overall, I'm still happy with how the set turned out.
These are my sgraffito vessels, a tall vase and a small, shallow bowl. To make the vase, I rolled out a very large slab of clay, trimmed it into a neat rectangle, and finally slipped and scored the sides together, making a tall cylinder. I then traced it’s circumference onto another slab of clay, creating the base, and attached that as well. To achieve the wavy top, I used a wire to cut waves into the top and smoothed out the edges with my fingers and some water. To make the small dish, I threw about a pound of clay on the wheel, shaping it into a bowl and repeated the same process with the wire to create the wavy top. After those two dried to a leather hard stage, I completely covered both works in black slip (excluding the bottom) and let it dry. From there, the design I carved was completely freehanded and uncontrolled. I started by carving waves, which then transitioned to more intricate shapes and patterns. I used a small/fine tool to carve the details and a medium/large tool to take out large areas of black slip. When I was satisfied with both pieces, I set them on the greenware shelf for the bisque kilning. When they came out, I waxed the bottoms, covered them in a clear glaze, added the wadding, and set them off for their second kilning. Seeing the final pieces was incredibly satisfying as they were completely random designs, but they turned out to be beautiful. I’m in love with the contrast of the black and white and I think they look amazing together. These are so far my favorite works of clay, and this pattern has become a signature for me.
These pieces are projects that are unfinished, practice vessels, or just in general, works that deserve an honorable mention, but didn't quite make the spotlight. If you're curious about one of these extras, feel free to send me an email!
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