Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

As someone who loves to make pasta from scratch, I find it very rewarding and surprisingly simple. And of course, being a potter, I am equally interested in how a well-designed plate can enhance the fresh-made-pasta experience.

Screens are one of the most popular and versatile ways to transfer an image onto a surface. They’re also one of the simplest ways to duplicate designs or patterns that are too detailed to cut as an open stencil.

Use the molds in an inverted manner to make curvilinear forms that were both functional and sculptural at the same time. This was the beginning of my wall-clock series.

This kind of thinking led to me making a whole lot of conventional pots, until my contrary nature kicked in and I asked myself what would happen if I did the opposite of what the clay seemed to ask for.

Successfully designing and illustrating on clay can be both creatively and technically challenging. While I want my work to be visually engaging, real success comes when I can establish an emotional connection with my audience.

Soon I started to draw influence from crochet and metal weaving patterns, the structured geometry bringing strength to the delicate nature of ceramics.

Handbuilding projects from the archive.

Handbuilding projects from the archive.

Handbuilding projects from the archive.

Because two hours likely isn’t enough time to complete most clay work, it can be helpful to prepare your space, equipment, and clay in advance to help make the most of your creative time.

If you are just starting out, there are several types of tools that you will need while glazing and some others that are nice to have. In this section, I’ve grouped them by category and indicated the ones I think are most important.

The potters featured in this issue spent years mastering form and developing style.

Architecture and pottery have much in common. Architecture is the art of enclosing space. Pottery is, in essence, miniature architecture, displacing and enclosing space by the development of three-dimensional forms.

When I’m in a studio slump, I focus on working on a form or vessel that will be instantly useful in my home.

To understand glaze faults, you must understand that while many ceramic artists deeply dislike unstable glaze surfaces and are distressed when pieces with such surfaces come from their kilns, many others seek out these characteristics.

Don’t feel limited with regards to what your extruder can add to your studio. Custom dies can make a big difference, and they are easy to make.

My tripod vessels are a signature form that I have developed over many years. I first became interested in the tripod when seeing Pre-Columbian ceramics at the Denver Art Museum.

I create pieces for the countertop, and pots that allow for a vast range of function. Citrus juicers are one of the few forms I make with just one intended use in mind.

A handmade ceramic box or stand with storage compartments can be a special place to store keepsakes—objects with sentimental value or that have a sense of preciousness.

Serving trays, platters, and other forms can start to take on painterly and sculptural qualities when hung, enabling the interactions we have with them to be quite different than when they are on the table and involved with food and service.