In the last 18 months I’ve gone back on the wheel... the potter’s wheel. Between my house and office is a JCC with an arts and crafts studio including a very nice ceramics facility. I've always had an interest in pottery - I’ve made about 50 pots / cups / plates combined. But this was more then 20 years ago now! As the kids are leaving (1 has already left) the nest, I have more free time again to rekindle my love of throwing.
I started in the 2016 with the studio’s clay, centering 3 to 5 lbs and making nice little cups / talk cups. These quickly become flower pots. I then grew to non-studio clay, and moved up to centering 5 to 8 lbs. With this clay, I could make 1 gallon bucket sized pots. As the months passed, I started to use other clays and larger vessels. By the summer of 2016, I started using a Terra Cotta, (at cone 6) making unglazed flower pots in classical forms, and in open bell shapes for hanging plants. After the Summer break, I tried to grow the size, by throwing 2 pots and connecting them, (while damp). This worked first time, making my first 15 lbs+ pot. At this point, on a good evening class I could make 3 to 5 items. Also, I would spend a weekend morning and make some more… ( too many ). I need to slow down.
By this point in the fall I started to decorate the pots with thumbed on swooshes, resembling leaves / flower petals. This helped me to decorate the pieces while wet, and reduce glazing, (maybe). I stated with a set of 3 pots, all with rows of swooshes, then a set of 5, with swooshes.
As the Fall progressed, I was able to center more clay, now I was up to 15 lbs, this followed making 2 sets of connectors, each being 25 lbs. I started to buy more clay, some brown, black, white, buff, and more TC to feed my habit. In the spring I finished sets of decorated flower pots for most of my family. I made a set of 3 for my sister-in-law, (she has 1 child), 4 for my brother-in-law, (2 adult children), a set of 5 each for my brother and sister, (their families have 3 children each). For my Sis, I was able to center 25, 30 and 40 lbs. For the 40, I have to do this in 2 parts. The pots are decorated w/ a lattice of swoosh leaves.
In the Fall, I plan to join a high-level studio called Greenwich House Pottery, where I hope my hobby can continue to grow.