Beginning Throwing Week 1 practice

Hi folks,

For your 2 hours of practice time this week, please attempt to center 8 1-pound balls of clay by next class:

• Wedge all of your clay
• Weight out 4 lbs of wedged clay & knead it;
• Divide kneaded clay into into 4 1-lb balls;
• Center each ball of clay; spend no more than 10 minutes per piece. You may try to shape it into a bowl if you like;
• When you've centered all 4 pieces of clay, wedge them back up with the rest of your clay and repeat this whole process 1 more time

If a piece collapses on the wheel, cut it off and start again with a fresh ball of clay; don't try to rework the collapsed piece.

Please refer to the last blog post for notes and videos on wedging, kneading, & centering.

If you kept a piece you made during class, unwrap it during your practice time so it has a chance to dry a bit. Remember to wrap it back up, label it with your name, and put it back on the shelf before you leave.

Next class, we'll look at the rest of the throwing process, and how to finish a bowl.

Cheers!
Jay

Ceramics: Start to Finish - first class (5 PM Thursday, July 8)

Hi Folks,

Here's what we'll be doing for the first Ceramics Start to Finish class:

• Waivers & name tags
• What we'll be making: Bowls, mugs & bud vases
• Get clay & rent a locker
• Wedging & kneading demo & practice
• Centering demo & practice
• Practice session sign-up

Also, if you can, please bring a small towel with you to class.

Here are some resources that might help get you going. Please take a look before class if you get a chance:

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
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 !!

See you Thursday evening!
Jay

Register for Intermediate Wheelthrowing Monday Jan. 11 at 10 AM

Hi,

This Spring I will be teaching an intermediate throwing course on Tuesdays from 5-7 PM. During This 7-week leisure course, we'll review the shapes we made in Beginning Wheelthrowing (bowls & mugs), plus a few more besides (tentatively, bud vases, big bowls, plates, & pitchers)

Hope to see you there!

-Jay

Pottery course descriptions posted! Registration opens Jan. 11 at 10 AM

Hi Folks,

Mark your calendars: Registration for Fall leisure classes will open Monday, January 11^th and classes will start on Tuesday, January 19^th, after the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

I will be teaching Beginning Throwing Thursdays 5-7 PM for those new to making pots on the wheel, and an intermediate throwing course Tuesdays 5-7 PM for those who have already taken Beginning Wheelthrowing or equivalent.

Both courses are 7 weeks long and end just before spring break.

Cheers,
Jay

Artisan's Guild Gallery

Before you leave Gainesville for the holidays, make sure you check out the Artisans' Guild Galley. I stopped by a few weeks ago, and they were packed to the rafters with some great handcrafted items. At least two Arts and Crafts Center teachers (Feral Wilcox and Mary Ann Bonner) have work on display there.

The Artisans' Guild Gallery is located Millhopper Square between Leonardo's Pizza and Alternatives.

They will be having their annual holiday open house Sunday, November 29, 12 noon to 5 PM.

Pottery books and periodicals

I moonlight as a librarian, so I'd be remiss if I didn't post something about my favorite pottery books and magazines. Most of these items are available at the Architecture and Fine Arts Library on the UF campus.

Pottery form by Dainel Rhodes
Rather poetic book on making pots. This is one of the first books I picked up when I started to make pots on the wheel, and I found it very inspiring as a beginner- still holds up, even 15 years later.

Thrown pottery techniques revealed : the secrets of perfect throwing shown in unique cutaway photography by Mary Chappelhow
Very well illustrated book how-to book. Very thorough treatment of technique; Ms. Chappelhow gives something like 6 different ways to center the clay. Photos show cut-away shots of hand positions while throwing.

Studio potter
This is the academic journal of studio pottery. Each issue is dedicated to a particular issue of concern to studio potters. Published quarterly.

Ceramics monthly
Glossy monthly magazine for anyone interested in pottery, and ceramic art. Lots of ads, but they're sometimes the best part.

Ann Lindell & Jay Wiese holiday sale

Ann Lindell and I will be hosting a Holiday show and sale of our work at Ann's home studio on Dec. 6
11:00a – 3:00p.

6305 NW 37 Drive, Gainesville (Mile Run)

Ann is the head of the Architecture & Fine Arts Library at UF and has earned a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Washington University in St. Louis.