Registration for Reitz Union leisure courses opens Monday, August 23 at 10 AM

Hi,

If you enjoyed our pottery class this summer, I hope you'll consider enrolling in one of the classes we'll be offering at the Arts & Crafts Center studios this Fall. I'll be teaching  Making Pottery on the Potter's Wheel, which is designed for both beginners as well as those with some experience. Experienced students will work on bigger, taller, and more complex shapes like serving bowls, pitchers, and lidded pots.


Registration opens Monday, August 23 at 10 AM.

Hope to see you there!

-Jay

Places to see handmade pottery in the wild

Please take the opportunity to visit the Artisan's Guild Gallery. Several local potters exhibit their work there, including some ACC teachers. The Artisans Guild Gallery is located in Millhopper Square Shopping Center, between Leonardo's and Alternatives.

Here are two places online where you can see what other potters are making:

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.

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

Simon Leach and his brother John both have online sales galleries (Simon is in Spain, John is in the UK):

Simon Leach Ceramics

John Leach's Muchelney Pottery

Cheers,
Jay

P.S. I'll have some new work up soon on my Etsy store and on my Flickr site

Resources for further study

I hope you enjoyed our (very) brief introduction to making pots on the potters wheel, and that you'll consider continuing your study and practice:

Take another class
Next semester, I'll be offering a 10-week "Making Pots on the Potters Wheel" course for both new and returning pottery students. Returning students can use the class as a refresher or work on larger, taller, & more complex pots (pitchers, bowl sets, plates, etc.)

I definitely encourage you to take a class with another teacher- you'll gain an entirely new perspective on making pots.

Registration for Fall leisure courses begins August 23.

Paint your own Paint-your own at Reitz Union Arts & Crafts Center (There is no membership or hourly fee required to paint the pre-formed bisque pieces. The pottery pieces are priced to include glazes that you can paint on the pots and the firing of the pieces.)

Do-Art is a local privately-owned studio that also offers paint-your own pottery ($9 studio fee for adults; http://www.doart.com)

Books, magazines & videos: Most of these are available either at the Architecture & Fine Arts Library (www.uflib.ufl.edu/afa/) or at the Headquarters branch of the Alachua County Library System in downtown Gainesville (http://acld.lib.fl.us/)

Ceramics Monthly http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramics-monthly/
Monthly magazine about ceramic art and pottery.


Studio Potter http://www.studiopotter.org/
Quarterly not-for profit journal exploring the aesthetics and philosohpy of making pottery by hand. Each issue focuses on a particualr issue. Next issue (Jan 2010) is about money.


Thrown Pottery Techniques Revealed: The Secrets of Perfect Throwing Shown in Unique Cutaway Photography by Mary Chappelhow
http://www.amazon.com/Thrown-Pottery-Techniques-Revealed-Photography/dp/087349346X
"This comprehensive guide takes the mystery out of throwing clay by revealing in step-by-step demonstrations precisely what is happening at each point in the throwing process. With clear photography, instructive text and unique cutaway photographs, potters will easily learn throwing techniques and how to make beautiful objects."

Pottery Form by Daniel Rhodes
http://www.amazon.com/Pottery-Form-Daniel-Rhodes/dp/048643513X
"This well-illustrated book by a professional potter and teacher offers practical information about the processes of pottery making as well as insights into the meaning, history, and spirit of pottery forms. 177 striking photographs reveal the craft's subtleties and mysterious beauty."

Cheers,
Jay

Ceramics Start to Finish week 4: bud vases

For your 2-hour practice this week, throw 8 of whatever shape you're working on. Keep the best 2 for glazing & firing.

If you're working on bud vases, you'll need 1/2-pound of clay for each vase, so wedge & knead a 4 pound piece of clay, then cut it into 8 equal pieces.

SIMON LEACH - throwing a small bud vase

Next week (our last class), we'll take a quick look at teapots. This will be your last chance to get hands-on assistance from me, so please think hard about what you'd like to get help with.

Next Friday (August 6, 2010) is the last day of the semester; the ACC studios will be closed for the following 2 weeks (August 7-15), so please have your wet work done by then. According to Mary Ann, you can come in after the studios reopen on Monday, August 16 to glaze or pick up finished work.

Cheers,
Jay

Ceramics: Start to Finish- notes on glazing

Below is a PDF document with some notes on glazing your pots. Remember to wax the bottom!:

Notes on glazing

-Jay

Ceramics: Start to finish week 3 (mugs & handles)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/divemasterking2000/ / CC BY 2.0

For your 2-hour practice this week, pull 8 handles for practice, then add handles to 2 mugs from last week. If you don't have mugs yet, please throw 8 mugs and keep 2.

If you like, you can try pulling your handles directly from the pot (the way Simon Leach does it), or you can pull them separately and attach them later the way I demonstrated in class.

SIMON LEACH - handling of the mugs
Video of Simon Leach pulling handles for mugs

SIMON LEACH- Weighing up & throwing mugs
Simon Leach throws mugs


Next week, we'll review handles and also take a look at our 3rd shape, bud vases.

Cheers!

Ceramics Start to Finish, week 2: throwing & finishing bowls

Hi folks,

For your two-hour practice session this week, make at least eight pots (mugs or bowls). Keep the best two and recycle the others.

Tips: Drying and finishing your pots

• cut the piece off as soon as the water has dried from the surface of the bat
• Let piece stiffen on the bat
• As soon as the piece is stiff enough to handle without distortion, flip it over so the bottom can dry
• Dry slowly; wrap in plastic to keep moist (newspaper square top and bottom)
• Remember to label your piece with your name and the date while it's on the shelf
  
• When piece is leatherhard (about the hardness of cheddar cheese)
• Clean up the bottom edge with a metal rib
• Roll the bottom edge on a smooth surface
• Write your name and the date on the bottom
  
• Put the piece back on the class shelf (unwrapped) until it is bone dry
  
• When piece is bone dry:
• clean up rough spots with a metal rib or fettling knife and a damp sponge
• put the piece on the "to bisque" shelf for bisque firing
  

Next class we'll talk about:

• glazing and decorating
• softening clay
• reclaiming clay 
• handles for mugs

Cheers,
Jay