Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

It was a short leap to go from zesting leather-hard cylinders to zesting freshly thrown ones, and another short leap to start browsing yard sales and cooking-supply stores for other kitchen gadgets th

Due to its low profile, my slab-constructed flower brick is a centerpiece that does not necessarily have to be moved when folks gather around the table. It provides the space needed to see one another

Perhaps you have a creative idea for your next piece, or maybe you’re not sure what you want to do in your next body of work. In either case, what can you do to expand an initial form or generate new

Once you’ve decided what to make, be sure to think through how to get it on the wall securely before it’s bone dry or fired. Sure, a simple hole to catch a nail may work for some pieces, but there are

Slip can be used for surface texture, for color, and for joining pieces together. In this project, I use it for all three, and repurpose a laser spirit level to align the handle vertically.

I have always believed that each of us has a personal tool kit, a set of internal skills, experiences, references, and resources found on our path that evolves as we age. The acts of collecting art as

The illustrations above show the general proportions that work best for teapots and covered dishes. “One can look at proportions in three ways. First, the object itself. All three-dimensional forms ha

I make a variety of bowl forms that perform complementary services. Some are open and graceful forms lending a sense of offering to the center of a table and can serve your fresh-picked summer greens.

Tall pots are not necessarily big pots. Rather, they are forms that are several times higher than they are wide. Throwing high, slender, lightweight pots may seem an impossible task, but the secret of

When I was an undergraduate ceramics student, I learned to throw something called a yo-yo pot. It’s a straight-walled cylinder, that is collared in at the top until completely closed. After leveling t

Creating a pattern with glaze using the techniques that I do takes a bit of planning to make a successfully designed pot, and my process is not without its awkward moments. I don’t always cover the en

Like yoga and meditation, clay has always been a part of my spiritual practice. Creating ceramic vessels allows me to explore my personal striving for emotional and spiritual equilibrium. I explore th

Having grown up on a farm as the youngest child in a large family, I spent my childhood observing nature, playing with my eight older brothers, and daydreaming. Today, I look to my childhood explorati

Whenever I start a large piece, I make sure to have all the clay weighed out and ready, so I don’t have to deal with any inconsistencies later on. The platter demonstrated here is made from two 30-pou

What is a creativity vacation? Rather than a pause on your creativity, it’s an opportunity for expanding and exercising it without the typical day-to-day constraints. It’s an intentional planning of t

Maybe you are among the many potters who are intimidated by math—you’re an artist, you’re intuitive, you naturally see proportion and balance, so who needs math? But since we work with a material that

Have you ever thrown a lovely form to only find later that you have thrown the bottom too thin? If so, you know the feeling of being both frustrated and left with thoughts on how to fix it. Of course,

Here comes spring, just as expected, like an old friend who shows up exactly when you need them. Fortunately, spring has no idea a pandemic lingers, like a chatty aunt who’s overstayed her welcome, an

Wedging is the process of mixing clay by rotating and compressing it in a continuous rocking motion. The purpose is to homogenize the clay and to remove all air bubbles.

I delight in the intimate, sneaky, old-timeyness of a pocket flask. I think about them as having an individual personality, hiding in a purse or back pocket, and it makes me grin.