Functional Pottery Archives

Functional Pottery

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If you are an aspiring or experienced studio potter, or just a fan of handmade functional pottery, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find loads of articles on making and appreciating functional pottery.

Handmade pottery requires conscious decision making about design, form, surface integration, materials, and techniques at every step in the process. Whether you enjoy coil building, slab work or throwing on the potter’s wheel, you’ll find a wealth of information on pottery techniques; from forming to finishing. The projects are presented in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step format and the artists explain the “how to” just as much as the reasons behind their design decisions. The photos pretty much duplicate what you’d expect to see at a pottery workshop or a demonstration — all the key steps are included.

And, if you haven’t already, be sure to head on over to the freebie section of the site to download your free copy of Contemporary Functional Pottery: A Discussion of Handmade Pottery by 11 Working Potters. It is a great learning tool for those interested in ceramics and pottery!

If you are a functional pottery aficionado, you’ll discover hundreds and hundreds of beautiful full-color images of the best handmade pottery being made today. And you’ll hear the stories behind those pots and the potters who make them. You’ll find out why Lorna Meaden combines elegant ornamentation with more jovial elements in her handmade pottery. In our archives, you’ll also learn why Gay Smith thinks it is just as important for handmade pottery to function well when NOT in use as when it is in use! And you’ll pick up advice on good pottery design from the late ceramics master Robin Hopper.

So take a tour through these pages, get inspired, and then get to your studio and make some functional pottery of your own!

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