potter files: a summer of ceramics (part I)

I got back to ceramics this summer after three months in India. (That's two summers for me this year.) Returning to the potter's wheel after a gap is like riding a bike - you don't forget. You are wobbly at first but you get into the groove pretty quick.

I glazed my pots a bit differently this time. In addition to the dipping or dunking method I also brushed on the glaze for a more painterly effect. Another technique I used involved adding a layer of wax resist on the first layer of glaze and then scraping off the wax roughly before adding the second layer of glaze. The result is what I call the broken wall effect. I like the gritty effect of this technique.
Below are some of the tea cups, mugs, wine glasses, pitchers and bowls I made. Thanks to getsane for the beautiful photographs.

The second part of the summer output will be up soon. Also look out for a series of posts about an internship program I have been selected for. More about that tomorrow. Until then enjoy!

 

potter files: it's time for tea

My work in the ceramics studio continues. Today I'd like to show you work from the class I took in the fall. The highlight of the session was a ceramic Project Runway. Each class took up a project - some worked on pitchers, others on goblets. My class took up teapots.

For a beginners' class we're pretty gutsy because teapots are complicated even though they look harmless. You start with main body of the teapot. Then you make the spout, which is an ultra thin cylinder with a wide base. To attach the spout, you remove its base, poke holes into the body of the pot and then join the two in way that the mouth of the spout is higher than the pot. Next, you make the handle and attach it. Finally you make the lid, which is a pretty daunting task too. Post bisque, glaze, kiln and prayers, your teapot is ready. I must mention that the teapot I made works.

In addition to the teapot project, I made largish jars with lids and some not so large ones too. Also I made some open bowl/ jar/ pot things. I tried to improve my centering, something I will continue working on. I also worked on bringing up the clay to create a cylinder. I'm getting better, bit by bit. Sometimes you forget something basic and start all over. That's just how it is. But the hurting back and the frustration over the pot that collapsed on you are temporary. One by one out come forms, even if not perfect, and the joy you feel is like the blue sky after seven days of rain.
On this happy note I give you the class of fall 2014! 

potter files: the results are in (part 2)

As promised, here is the second installment of the ceramic bowls and pots. In the first part of this post, I spoke of surprises. This time I welcome you to enjoy the snowy landscape inside the first bowl and the sun burst which overflows from the second bowl. Then there is the gentle blue snow in the third bowl and the undulating hills inside bowl four. Lastly, there are the two pots, tiny but lovely.

I mentioned in part 1 that I was taking the class at Columbia Art Center again. It's been a very productive session. We are in week eight now and I have made teapots, bowls, plates, mugs and jars. Photos of those soon. Until then, enjoy!

potter files: the results are in (part 1)

Yes, the results are in. Or rather, they're out ... of the kiln. The pots and bowls have turned out really beautiful. Each one is full of surprises - the colour gradation and freckles on the mustard coloured vase; the lovely gash on the red one; the blue ring on the base of the bowl with the leaf; the marks on the lidded jar; the way the the lid and the base of the same jar coloured differently. But then happy accidents are very much a part of ceramics. Many variables come together to give you a final output. The glaze moves when it is fired, so it will interact with the contour of the bisqueware and the application of wax and additional layers of glaze. The placement of your piece in the kiln, the size of the piece sitting next to yours, the exposure to heat etc. also influence how your vase will turn out. You have to be prepared to be surprised. (ha ha..)

By the end of class I made quite a few things, so I am dividing this post into two parts. The second post with the rest of the ceramic pieces will be up soon.

Did I mention that I'm taking this class with Donna Lansman at Columbia Art Center again? This time we are starting with tea pots. This means we'll turn cylinders into the body of the pot, and we will learn to make the lid, the handle and of course the spout. Exciting stuff.

potter files - learning the language of clay

Columbia Art Center (CAC), where I have been volunteering for the last ten months, offers a number of ceramics classes. These classes range from beginner to advanced levels, and are taught by experienced ceramic artists. The ceramics studio is huge. It has a line of potter's wheels, a glazing room, kilns - the works (see images below). Since ceramics has always held my attention, I decided to take the introduction to wheel throwing class.

My teacher for this class is Donna Lansman. I have enjoyed learning a new skill with Donna, who is a fun person to work with and a teacher with immense patience. For the last six weeks she has been teaching my class the language of clay. We have learned to wedge, center, pull and collar, and make a host of things. I have made bowls and cylinders, vases, sealed jars and other objects.

Working on the wheel is fun. To watch the block of clay emerge as a form is mesmerising. Nothing short of magical. But learning to work with clay has also meant that many pieces have fallen apart along the way. Sometimes I went in too deep, sometimes uneven pressure while pulling up the clay created thin spots. At times the clay was not centered, which made the piece lopsided and unstable. I am sure that with time, patience and lots of practice the pots and bowls I make will be centered, strong and even.

For now here are a few bowls and pots I made. Soon these pieces will be glazed. Then they will be off to the kiln for firing. Stay tuned for the final output.

potter's wheels and a ceramic artist at work

glaze swatches