Pottery Putterings

Hello world!

I have not posted much on here in the last several months in regards to pottery. I believe the last thing I posted was that we had just installed a new wheel in our studio. The past several months have been a dance of two partners: joy and frustration.

I have been overjoyed at the proximity of creating with clay. It is amazing to be able to go out to our front porch and spend time creating with clay. I have a whole list of different shapes I want to develop and have been able to make several of them 'successfully.' For me, success is usually not measured only by having a finished product. For me, success is when I have fun, work peacefully, know when to take breaks and learn from the experience. Some of the pieces I have been working on have been: 'French' butter dishes aka butterbells, a pinch pot (to left), a bowl with a handle, a garlic jar (below right) and a honey jar. See pictures for some of the unfired pieces. We are hoping to do a firing in early February.

The frustration has come from a 'handful' of things. I am still having difficulties with my wrists and hands. This definitely affects my ability to throw pottery. So far I have been taking it very easy and throwing only small pieces every once and a while. I go see a specialist tomorrow and hope to get some answers and direction. It has also been frustrating balancing family, work and pottery. Also, the fact that it is winter has been challenging as well.

Overall, it is really wonderful to have the ability to create. The studio is very much a shared space and I am excited for the possibilities that this space holds. I will be posting soon to let you know how the first firing goes. We are going to be mixing on our glazes from the raw ingredients and I will let you know how that goes as well.

Some of the books I have been looking at for inspiration and learning are: Val Cushing's Handbook, The Potter's Manual by Kenneth Clark, and Wheel-Thrown Pottery by Bill Van Gilder.

Stay tuned!