A letter of reflection from this semester (05/31/23) :
This semester of ceramics was a very gratifying, yet similarly grating experience. My biggest focus going into this year was to make a few in-depth pieces for family/friends, however, this quickly changed. I was grateful to not have lost my footing over the summer in regards to my overall skill/knowledge of working with clay, but I soon started to question many of my throwing habits, handbuilding abilities, the maneuvers of pulling handles, and most especially, what the perfect size for a mug is, and how to get there. This led me to really crack down on my skills, trying to get better at what I already know and to learn/experiment with new methods of creation. The semester from here on out became less about stunning projects and more about trial and error. To my future in ceramics, this semester has been crucial, but it also means I have less to show for it. Many of the pieces I made this year have been experimental or unplanned. As previously mentioned, one of my biggest struggles this semester has been with proper sizing. For a good 2 months, one of my classmates and I were engaged in a mug-making competition with the sole purpose of creating a perfectly sized vessel that we would actually use regularly. It's safe to say that our standards and understanding of what a mug should look like had comedically warped, and although I choose not to comment on who won, the experience was great practice. My handles, trimming, and overall composition have objectively improved quite a bit, structurally and aesthetically. Looking forward, I'm very excited for next year. There are multiple new methods of construction/types of sculptural art that I observed and dabbled in this year which I'm looking to explore even further next year. After this year, I have a better understanding of what I can do, what I'm especially good at, and my goals for the future. Next year I want to put all the practice I've done to the test and put more effort into detailed, original, and in-depth pieces. My final comments on this year: I am incredibly grateful for everyone who's helped me, encouraged me, or taught me anything throughout the semester. My teacher, classmates, and every ceramicist I've stumbled across on youtube. Thank you, and I can't wait to work with you again next year!
This set of drinkware is very special to me. As my first project, I wanted to make something for some of my closest friends in my Algebra class: Lia, August, Savannah, and most importantly our fearless leader, Mr. Constantelos. I threw all four cups on the wheel and trimmed a rounded foot when each vessel was leather-hard. I then coated them with a colored slip (which i created by mixing other colored slips into my desired shade of sage green, which in the end turned out to be a dark olive green instead) and let it dry. Meanwhile, I threw a slightly larger and wider mug on the wheel, trimmed it when leather-hard, pulled and attached a handle, and covered it in the aforementioned green slip. This left me with 5 vessels ready for sgraffito carving. I decided to go with a simpler version of my sgraffito design from last year, as well as carve abbreviated names into each cup. On the mug I carved "Tea w/ Telos" as appreciation for all the times we would talk drama in his class. After all of the carving was finished, the vessels were bisque fired and then dipped in a clear glaze before they were fired one more. This left me with the finished set, and when I first saw the pieces for the first time with glaze I was really happy with how they turned out! I really like the color of the slip I created because it turned from a pale sage green after bisque firing to a dark olive green with clear glaze. All that was left to do was gift the mugs to my friends and teacher, and their reactions made me really happy (I included pictures of Mr. C, Lia, and myself as well)!
Two very plain yet very clean vessels. To create these lidded jars, I threw 2-3 lbs of stoneware into rounded bowls which slope inwards at the opening. While those were drying, I also threw 2 flat & upside down lids (for minimal trimming later on) using 0.5-1 lb of clay. I then trimmed my jars back on the wheel, making it a point for one of them (the larger of the two) to have sharper, more defined edges as well as a standard foot, while the other jar was rounded and given an inward foot. I also trimmed both vessels at their opening, making the edges more pointed so that the lids could have a sturdier rest on the jars. Once this step was done, I measured the openings and trimmed the lids (now leather-hard) accordingly, also making divots where the openings of the jars would rest so they would fit together nicely (rather than the lids just loosely resting on top). Once everything was trimmed and fit together well, The pieces were fired (with the lids on so that they would shrink proportionally). All that was left to do was decide on what glaze each piece should have, So for the larger jar I used a mustard colored speckle-textured glaze, and used a beautiful green-blue smooth glaze for the rounder, smaller jar. It's also worth noting I made sure to wax the bottom of the lids so that the pieces would look more dynamic when the lids were lifted. After its glaze firing, I was super impressed with how they turned out. Again, even though the pieces are very basic, I was really proud of the overall composition, considering the lids ended up as a perfect fit and the glazes coated the pieces beautifully.
The underglaze illustrations on this bowl are some of my favorite designs I've done on clay. To create this bowl, I threw 1.5 lbs into a basic rounded shape and waited for it to dry. Once leather-hard, I trimmed a standard foot onto the bottom of the piece, added my creators mark, and sent it in for its first firing. After the bowl was out of the kiln, I was brainstorming what I could do with it. I needed to make this incredibly plain bowl into something fit for mother's day, so I decided to experiment with underglaze. Using a small paintbrush, I started depicting small blue flowers on the inside of the bowl, which then led me to add yellow flowers, and then finally green vines (as well as a few accenting dots of color). I thought it looked really nice already, but the outside still needed something. I started by lining the foot with a gradient color ring, fading from yellow-green-blue-green and back to yellow. Finally, I decided to paint on a ring of colored clovers around the top of the bowl, and decided the designs were finished. I dipped the bowl (including the inside of the foot) in clear glaze, added the wadding, and set it in the kiln for it's second firing. Once the bowl was out, I was really happy with how the flowers turned out. The inside was a little less saturated than I would've liked, however, I still really enjoyed the sequence of colors. My teacher also pointed out that the flowers reminded her of a Mexican style of pottery, and even though I hadn't thought about that while creating this piece, I enjoy the resemblance.
This set of dishware is a varied collection of mugs and bowls from all the throwing practice I've done closer to the end of this semester. Though very basic, structurally these pieces are pretty well thrown and are milestones of my general improvement (to me at least). Though these vessels were never intended to end up together and were never graded for the class, the glaze combinations as well as their overall style links them, and I think they deserve a dedicated spot in my portfolio.
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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