FW: Rollin'

I set out to make some latte bowls, but had a memory of rolling the rim on some bowls a few years ago. I went there, again, and really enjoyed it. I will do some sort of design on the rim and leave the interior plain.

Warm-ups

After supper and some pony rides around the living room with Lillian I headed up to get my groove back after my funky afternoon at the wheel. I decided to slow things down and use my treadle wheel to make some test pots, little 3/4 # pots to use as tests in the next kiln load. Ahhh...this will get me warmed up for the bigger pots I will try to make in the next week.


I find it interesting that these tiny pots present a different set of challenges despite their small stature. First of all my hands are big, so centering is done with just one hand, no problem. Then from there on I have to be very gentle to avoid trashing the pot with the slightest clumsy move. It's all fingertip's with these. My tendency was to over-do the throwing and make very thin walls. SO I trashed a few doing this yet ended up with a couple of boards of decent little jars. Proportions are a little odd at this scale, too. In the morning, I'll review with fresh eyes and maybe cull some. I already see some dogs by looking at the pictures I took.

But some I like a lot! Maybe I'll put handles on some!

Keep This to Yourself

Just between you and me, it's been one of 'those' afternoons!

;-)

repeat

#1 cylinder
Sam Taylor, circa 2003

To end the day I made a few cylinders! One of the most basic shapes to a potter, the cylinder is usually just the starting point for more "well-rounded" pots. My favorite cylinder of all time is one I use pretty much every day. It holds a bunch of wooden spoons next to our stove. My buddy Sam Taylor made it and it holds a kind of mystery for me. I ask myself, "how can such a simple shape be so profound and functional!? It seems that all of my favorite pots have this question as part of their mysterious attraction.

From time to time, I take a stab at the cylinder! My results were OK. What came to mind during my after supper session was the other important concept of repetition and pottery. As an art student back in the heady days of post-modernism and Alphabet City, ideas were king and the output was secondary to my big ideas. That attitude never really jibed with the satisfaction and the organic process of discovery that is so central to the way I make pots. That is, making the same pot, over and over, in a series.

first ones, l to r

Here is a lineup and an evolution that in just a few pots I settled into, more or less. I started with slightly tapered vases and ended with a very different proportion and shape (at least in my eyes).

last set, l to r

There were a bunch more, I just wanted to use these as illustration of the way the proportions changed every so slightly. Working in a series lets me update each one as I go along. It gives room to tweek or just get it right. The first ones I made this afternoon were larger, about 4 lbs. The above were made with +/- 2 lbs. of clay.
Another design element that came to mind during their making was "Are the forms clear? Do they read as cups or vases? I made them to be vases and one of the things I tried was to taper the vase more so that it wouldn't be easy to handle and was more clearly to be used as a vase. Their weight is heavier that I would expect from a cup or any pot to be picked up casually. Maybe that will help mark out the functionality of these shapes.

I'm sure there are more thoughts in my head that have just escaped because of the hour.

Hopes and dreams...

Speaking of which I think it's time I did a little dreaming in the prone position!

z z z z z z .

Waiting for Handles

Sloppy?

slipped plates
click on image to enlarge

Sometimes, in the course of working, things don't go as planned or the pots aren't as money as they could be. Sometimes the "not caring" after one of these pots leads to more daring maneuvers. Sometimes those maneuvers pay off and leads to other creative paths. The other thing about ceramics is the time lapse of cause and effect. What may "feel" good, often may not work technically. The materials change so much in the process that experience and careful observation have to come into play. Aha, empiricism. Can you "see" the one that's not like the others. I didn't center that one on the banding wheel before I scratched through the slip. But I liked it and went for it. What had I to lose? After all, as Cynthia Bringle might say, "It's just clay." So I try things and wait for the kiln's final say and go from there.

Working within the pottery's restraints requires faith.

If you're a potter, what do you think about the nature of experience and the creative moment? If you're not a potter, how does the nature of risk and discovery effect your work?

Back to it!

Plates (rerun)

I've trimmed and cut a mess of plates. In case you haven't seen them before here are a couple of videos that I'll rerun now.

Spleth Cups

My friend Tom Spleth has just launched a new web site just for his beautiful cups. Check them out and get a couple or three!

Mixing the Dirt

I've been playing with the "Big One" the last couple of days. It's a circa mid 1960's Paoli clay mixer. I'm still trying to figure out how it's best use is.

click on images to enlarge so you can see my
fancy hose shut off feature

I started by scrubbing the interior and rinsing. There was a fair amount of rusty bits in there. Then I dumped the red dirt of varying wetness/dryness.

crushing the dirt into smaller pieces

On top of the dirt I put in the rest of the dry materials.


The mixer goes "forward" and "backward" and I used this feature to keep the mix in the main mixing section. Yesterday I mixed a small batch of red dirt clay and today mixed up a big batch of the sandy version.

the sand station in the distance.
the sun and wind helped dry out
the sand which helped in sieving it.

We have a huge pile of sand left over from Stacey's paving project and it adds a bit more texture to the clay. I tested it out last firing as well as doing a calcium test with some muriatic acid. However, it contains some material that is too large. To get the little stones out I dried the sand and shook it through my sieve. I know, it does seem like a lot of trouble...but nothing but the best! (keepin' it local)
;-)

Here's the recipe. If you have a local red clay, fire in a wood kiln to about cone 9 1/2 and use salt, then you may get close.

45% red dirt (15 mesh)
35% fireclay (35 mesh)
4% ball clay
3% XX Sagger
13% g200 feldspar

i sent the clay through the machine
twice to get the consistency right!

stacked pugs

closeup

I'll use this clay for my white slip and wax resist work as well as my alkaline glaze.

Now it's off to the shop for some after supper pottery!

That's it for now.

The Official Blog of Chris Cooley: October 20th Art Show

Check ou this Redskin potter!
here