Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

This issue focuses on tools and the artists who rely on them to further their practice.

My goal is to create pottery that emulates these traits. I love creating decorated functional objects that people can appreciate for both their appearance and function.

I liked the form despite its flaws and decided to revisit this old piece, letting its basic form serve as the central, repeated element in the new series.

I realized that fragility doesn’t mean you’re weak. On the contrary, when you take something considered fragile and support it in the right way (or structure it, in the case of clay), it can be stronger than you ever believed.

Handbuilding with porcelain? It is hard. But not that hard if you give your material the attention it demands.

Packed inside a toolbox are the essential tools needed to create small objects.

Many types of planters can be made from clay that is not vitrified, and they can be glazed or not.

Intriguing and unpredictable patterns emerge when you incise and stretch a clay slab that’s covered with colored slip.

My forms have evolved, my motifs have changed, and my firing styles have shifted, but I always find myself returning to using wax on my pots; both because the results are clean and crisp, and because I enjoy the process of applying it to the pot.

I am inspired when I see a texture, pattern, color combination, or form in a new light. Everything has the potential to inspire, but it’s exciting to discover new inspiration during our routine, everyday adventures.

All text excerpted from Lili Krakowski’s article, which originally appeared in the Summer 1998 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated. Drawings adapted by Robin Ouellette.

In this issue, we celebrate wheel throwing and all the future planning that it requires.

Drawing influence from old enameled camping percolators, the tall brown insulated diner coffee pots from my childhood, and a traditional Arabic coffee pot that lives in my home.

Informed by the color palette often used in ‘90s cartoons, the curves in the ergonomic design of an athletic shoe, and a structure reminiscent of Memphis Group architecture.

I recently discovered several remnant pieces of wood molding in my garage. I was intrigued by the concave and convex curves and ridges on the profile. It sparked my curiosity. What if a clay bowl were grooved along the rim with this profile?

To create a ceramic frame, wall tile, or a plate or platter with a decorative molded edge, I use a pottery trimming tool like a router for woodworking.

I remember the first piece I wood fired. It had a wood ash and iron-saturated glaze interaction that amazed me.