Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

  • In the Studio: Grant Writing Tips
    As artists and arts organizations, some projects and work we create can be done with our own funding, and others require financial support from outside sources. Sometimes the additional funding simply
  • In the Studio: Low-Stakes Creativity
    The thought with this practice is that students will try new things if their grades will not be negatively impacted in a dramatic way should they fail, in contrast to the consequences of failing a qui
  • Editor's Note: Building the Field
    Several times a year I have the opportunity to step out into the field and meet subscribers, teachers, students, studio professionals, and part-time hobbyists.
  • Pottery Illustrated: Anatomy of a Bowl
    The right side of each drawing shows the exterior form of the bowl, while the left side displays a cross section revealing the structure of the wall, rim, and foot.
  • In the Potter's Kitchen: Making an Oil Cruet
    My dad starting buying olive oil in a very large glass jar from a local market. He wanted me to make something so he could keep a small amount of the oil on the counter—ready for cooking and dressing
  • Out of Round: Hona Leigh Knudsen's Altered Vase
    I began making a thrown and altered vase about five years ago, after seeing many variations of an oval or envelope-type vase. I’ve always appreciated how this form fans flowers out so you can really s
  • Geometric Butter Dish
    Ever since I began to understand the basics of working with clay, I have been fascinated with creating complex geometric forms. The butter dish is one of the most challenging and unique handbuilt piec
  • Thrown and Assembled Oil Bottle
    Like a lot of my work, my oil bottles are a solution to a problem. When first attending potlucks during my nearly 3-year apprenticeship with Mark Hewitt at his pottery in Pittsboro, North Carolina, I
  • Harmony and Delight
    Throughout my life, I have communed and communicated with whimsical non-human creatures and objects, both real and imagined, whose endearing qualities animated my creative imagination. As a child, I c
  • In the Studio: Collaborative Woodblock Bottles
    For the past 12 years, we have worked in a shared studio space. Working together in such close proximity can prove to be both a challenge as well as a source of support. When clay work begins to feel
  • Spicing Things Up
    The genesis of my spice jars goes back to my time as a graduate student at West Virginia University. It was a simple thought experiment of designing items that were first, specific to containment; sec
  • Exploring the Tulipiere
    Over the past five years, I have steadily explored using cutouts on the necks of my vases as a way to create more complex forms and expand their function. My early vases with cutouts have turned into
  • In the Studio: Pot Paws
    In addition to being a potter, I’m also a keen hobby gardener, growing both vegetables and flowers in my garden. In the time I’ve spent gardening, I have noticed some problems with outdoor plant pots.
  • In the Studio: Glazing a Noodle Bowl
    While recently developing layered combinations of glazes for a large dinnerware set, I discovered a technique using earplugs to efficiently glaze noodle/rice bowls. Begin by throwing a good size bowl
  • Editor's Note: Toast to Winter
    Having grown up in Minnesota, I know there’s one thing Northerners obsess about: the weather. Well, maybe two things: the weather and what to do in it.
  • Pottery Illustrated: Yixing Teapots
    Pottery Illustrated Yixing Teapot Types
  • In the Potter's Kitchen: The Perfect Brunch
    As a production maker, I sincerely embrace the handmade process, which doesn’t adhere to ideals of perfect uniformity found in a factory. However, I like to create pieces that are similar in size and
  • In the Studio: Marking with Liquid Clays
    Slips and engobes are more or less the same thing, and some confusion exists over the use of the two words. Slips are predominantly liquefied clay; they usually are applied on wet to dry greenware. En
  • Melting Poodle Ice Cream Cups
    Life can be rough. We all have our coping mechanisms. Humor, junk food, ceramic pots, and pets are a few of my personal favorites. With my work, I combine elements of these forms of coping, along with
  • An Easy Introduction to Coil Buckets
    I made my first coil pot after I had been working with clay for 12 years. It was an intuitive way to build a pot and the knowledge I already possessed of the material made for an easy introduction. Th