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

Bowls (week 7)

SIMON LEACH - back to basics - GP bowls !
Simon Leach makes bowls very similar to ours. Note his technique for lifting the bowl off the wheel with his fingers. 450 grams is about 1 pound, and 15 centimeters is about 6 inches, by the way.

Bowlworkingdrawing.pdf
Working drawing of this week's bowl, with dimensions and clay weight (Adobe PDF document)

Cream pitcher (Week 6)

SIMON LEACH - Jarras pequeñas(sm pitchers)
Simon Leach throws a pitcher very similar to ours- in Spanish! ¡Hasta la proxima video clip!

Cream pitcher working drawing & demo notes
Adobe PDF file; Actual size drawing with weights and dimensions to print & bring with you to the studio

-Jay

Plates video and drawing

SIMON LEACH - throwing a plate
Simon Leach throws a plate. Bowly!


SmallPlate.pdf
Actual-size working drawing with measurements and demo notes for a small plate

Shop for (and sell) pots online

Here are two places online where you can see what other people are making and how much they're charging for it:

Etsy is a website where hobbyists and professionals alike can offer work for sale online. There's very wide range of quality, styles and prices for pots here. Also some jewelry and non-functional items. Etsy now has "Shop Alchemy" where you can request custom items (click on "shop" under "seller info" for a particular item you like; from click "request custom item").

Akar features higher-end work by well-respected ceramic artists and potters.

Jay Wiese's ceramics

Jay Wiese's ceramics

Here's a set of photos of my recent work (Flickr.com)

(2/27/09 update: I've made these photos public so you shouldn't have to log in to see them. 2/27/09)