Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

Years ago it never occurred to me that those persistent cracks pestering my porcelain could actually be a good thing.

The majolica watercolor technique is very similar to painting a watercolor on paper.

The plate is one of my favorite forms. It’s the stalwart workhorse of the kitchen and a key player on the daily tablescape.

So, I find myself evolving and trying to loosen up my less-is-more lifestyle mantra. After all, there has always been power in numbers. However, there’s a difference between mere clutter and objects that make up a pattern.

Drawings adapted from woodturningcad.co.uk.

I decided to make an appetizer tray and after a few tries, I came up with this paddle-shaped cheeseboard. The tray is very simple, but there are a few tricks that will help you as you experiment with your own forms.

Salt and pepper shakers are found in almost everyone’s kitchen. Along with the utilitarian function, an interesting salt and pepper set can also serve as a focal point on a table.

David Scott Smith has done hundreds of glaze tests in his converted wood kiln. Below he has shared several of the successful recipes and images of the tests with us.

Low-temperature wood firing in a broken, old electric kiln began as a project to help my students, but I have found the results so exciting that it has become a focus of my professional practice.

My work is exclusively handbuilt using slabs, sprig molds, and pinching techniques. Many of my forms, including the chocolate pot (a porcelain or metal container designed to serve hot chocolate), are inspired by French Limoges pottery.

To create a physical connection from the vessel to the place that inspired it, I incorporate found materials such as sand and clay into the sculpted rims. Experimentation through exploration is where life happens.

When I make cake stands, I like to work in multiples to encourage experimentation and risk taking. The added benefit: I have several combinations of tops and bases from which to choose.

Imagery plays a very important part in all these applications. So it was there that my journey with low-fire clays and the use of molds began.

There are advantages to having a separate credit card solely for business purposes. Business credit cards enable you to make big buys like studio furniture, equipment, or raw materials.

A wine bucket needs to hold one bottle of wine and enough ice for chilling.

In an effort to produce a functional ceramic object that’s more earth friendly, I started combining vintage recycled kitchen tools with “candy-coated” earthenware handles.

Vintage textile prints and cast glassware are my primary inspirations. After failing to throw pots similar to the ones that inspired me, I began collecting glassware, melamine, and plastic in various shapes to make molds from.

So, as you read this issue, think back on what you did during the in-between time. You may be inspired to create new forms in a whole different way.

Excerpted from Functional Pottery: Forms and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose by Robin Hopper.

I have a number of clay friends who have chickens, which made me consider the egg itself when designing my egg cups.