Good thing clay doesnt require verbal communication

Not a lot will keep me away from the pottery studio. OK that's a little bit of a lie... ultra-cold weather and sickness will do the trick. Yesterday I had a fever and so I didnt make it in. However, the advantage of not working is that I could still go to my wine-tasting without feeling guilty! Today my fever wasnt as bad but, somehow, my vocal chords got covered in junk. I sound like a 70-year-old man who has been smoking Marlboros since age 13.

So I was able to make it to my studio tonight for my class. I missed the first class of the session last week due to my going-away-party for work, so this was the first time many of the people in that class met me. And they must have been looking behind me to see the trail of ciggies.

Amber and Blue Tall Pitcher

white clay; amber celedon glaze with noxema blue detailing; 9" tall, 4.5" diameter, 7.5" wide including detailing

Purchased for the collection of Anonymous

This was a renewed attempt at a pitcher, since I have learned how to throw taller pieces and make better handles. I love the way the amber glaze looks against the throw-lines (circles of valleys/ridges in the clay) and shows the texture.

However, there are many problems with this piece which I shall be happy to point out, in chronological order of occurance:


1. The piece had a hole in the bottom. Somehow when I put the ball of clay on the wheel, there was an air hole, and when I pulled the clay up and down the air pocket got bigger. Then when I drilled in with my fingers, my finger hit the wheel head. So it was a pitcher with no bottom. See, thing is, I have this pesky habit of wanting my pottery to be functional. So I had to slap on a thin layer of clay to the bottom afterwards.

2. I wanted a certain shape to the bottom part, so I could only trim a certain amount of clay away. I didnt throw the bottom thin enough, so in the end it was very thick. The whole thing now weighs a LOT. I mean, really heavy. If it were filled with liquid it would be not-so-fun. and I like my pitchers to be fun :(

3. The handle... while better than many I have made, it still has a lot of imperfections that show through the glaze. It is a little too far out from the piece, which makes holding it a LITTLE awkward. and it goes straight from the bend to the bottom attachment, instead of sloping inward with another bend. So it looks kind of stiff.

4. And last, but not least: the blue on the bottom is WAY too contrasty with the amber. There is actually amber on top of the blue, which I thought would make things blend really well... but it just looks like a blue slob of paint on the bottom. Gross.

Wow, I just realized, I'm such an artist, criticizing everything I make. How proud I'd make my parents!