Learning Curves

Even though this article by outdoor adventurer and author Mark Jenkins is about mountain climbing, karate, and and cross county skiing, it nicely sums up the right way to approach making pots on the wheel:

Learning Curves

From page 5:

Here's a rule I try to remember: Rushing is almost always wrong. Rushing robs you of the charm of the moment. To rush is to have your mind always out ahead of your body, which is so unnatural that stupid mistakes are inevitable. The opposite of hurrying is not slow, but swift. To be swift you must be efficient. Efficiency in the outdoors is a form of mindfulness. It's about focus and having the knowledge and ability to make the right moves—and that requires experience, which, alas, takes time.

Bowls, Week one: wedging, kneading & centering

Hi folks,

First class was a bit overwhelming, eh? Don't worry, it gets easier- as long as you practice! For your 2 hours of practice time this week, please attempt to center 8 1-pound balls of clay by next class.

Remember to wedge and knead your clay- you can either knead each 1-pound piece by itself, or you can knead all 4 pounds at once before dividing into 4 pieces.

Below are some resources to help get you going:

A closer look at kneading
Video of English potter Simon Leach on how to knead your clay using the spiral method. This is a bit different from the method we practiced in class, but the general principle is the same.

Wot kneading again!
Video of English potter Simon Leach kneading from a different angle.

Tips on centering
Video of English potter Simon Leach on how to center your clay

demo notes wedging.20080912.pdf
Step-by-step notes on how to wedge and knead your clay (Adobe PDF).

Here's a video of Simon Leach making a bowl from beginning to end:
SIMON LEACH - Close up - GP bowl !!

Cheers,
Jay