Blog Update

This week I finished up my family project. I really like the shapes of my forms but they just seem a little plain.... I was thinking about experimenting with a little slip but I really like the smoothness of them. I probably am contradicting myself. I'm going to woodfire them, that I know for sure. On the topic of the woodfire I am planning on throwing a bunch tomorrow afternoon and this weekend then firing the stuff next week in preparation for the woodfire. I want to make a couple of sets of teabowls.

< woodfire from last year. It's a really cool experience and you should definitely go.

Assemblage/This and that

The assemblage project was kind of outside my comfort zone, something I've never really done before. I was trying to brainstorm ideas for it before I started and I thought about showing time, but then our guest artist, Diane Lou, said to just look for objects you want to use and not to make a set plan beforehand. I tried just finding objects I liked. I ended up using a lot of the stuff I brought because I already liked them when I picked them out.  I really liked how my project turned out but I still think something is missing in the bottom portion....

I was looking up the work of Jeff Oestreich, the guy doing the workshop Amy was talking about in class and I found this big list of potters and I accidentally clicked and this guy named Simon Levin came up. Here's a link to a bunch of his pots: http://www.redlodgeclaycenter.com/lists.php?aid=42&type=artist
I really like this teabowl especially it is the same shape that I really like throwing

He has some really nice looking bowls and I also really like this bottle

Family Project Update

So basically the last week I have gone about half-finishing 3 different projects before deciding I didn't like them and starting on new ones. I think I've maybe got an idea I am sticking to though. I threw some tubes that I amd going to paddle into ovals and attach a bottom too. There are four of them all in different sizes. I really wanna be able to wood fire them but that sounds like it might not be possible.....
Anyway I've been thinking about a concentration and I want to center my projects around tea.... except for the fact that I really don't like making teapots but maybe that's just because I think they are hard but maybe I'll have a chance to improve upon making them....
anyway this is a soda-fired teapot by Emily Murphy that I really liked the form of

Family

For representing my family I am going to throw a series of pots that correspond to and describe a family member. I'm having to experiment with some different forms for this that I have never really tried throwing before so its been interesting. For my brother and mom I am going to have slender vases and my brother's I'm going to do something with texture or slip. For my dad I am going to have something stouter but I'm not sure what yet.
On sort of a side note i really like this piece by Chris Greenwood, who I stumbled upon while looking at more tea-bowls. I think he has a lot of really cool pots. Here's a link http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChrisGreenwood