When I first started taking pottery classes, I was amazed that my instructor could so easily convert a lump of mud into a functional shape. (Sort of like
this.) He really made it seem as if it was no effort. Then when I tried it, I realized that it required the use of all sorts of muscles that I hadn't previously had to 'work'!
Here are some pictures of the first few things I made. I cannot tell you the joy of pulling something out of the kiln and realizing that you can use it for...something. I have the most rudimentary 'pencil holder' sitting on my desk at work, and I couldn't love it more.
This bowl is quite small. It holds about 4 ounces. I was experimenting with the colors of glazes here...dropping them onto the piece and making designs. It's a very 'natural' look, but my look is very natural. This worked well for me. I have had the intention to make along this vein, but haven't yet.
This was the first piece that I glazed. those two colors, the white and red, were produced from the same chemical compounds. The glaze I used, shino, produces different colors depending on the thickness with which it's applied to a pot. A very thin coating produces the orange-red color, and a thick coat produces the white. The glaze experiment was a success. My instructor's feedback on the form involved a comment something like, 'Wow. That's quite a man-handled handle." Oh,
Howard.
