Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

This article will focus on creating a simple, altered, handled cup form and then highlight how slight variations on a form can add variety and interest to your visual portfolio.

I’m inspired by clay above all else. It’s always reporting new information back to me.

Illustrations depicting Japanese teabowl feet.

I’m especially drawn to shifts in agricultural patterns throughout the year. From the furrowing fields in the spring prior to planting, to the russet-brown stalks of a soybean field ready for harvest.

Drawings adapted from Robin Hopper’s book Functional Pottery, published by The American Ceramic Society and available on the Ceramic Arts Network Shop at https://mycan.ceramicartsnetwork.org/s/product-details?id=a1B3u000009udpuEAA.

I have always had a strong interest in printmaking as well as ceramics, and gravitated to sgraffito as a way to combine high-contrast graphic imagery with three-dimensional form.

Lidded vessels have always been a large part of my studio practice. Storage vessels captivate my attention due to the precision needed to throw technically complicated components.

The wall pockets I make are thrown on the wheel as a closed form and then trimmed and altered at the soft leather-hard state.

Shepherding a plate from start to finish is always a challenge, but in the soda kiln it can be perilous. A plate’s horizontal planes are less likely to catch soda, more likely to catch detritus and debris, and often succumb to warping.

The candelabra consists of three stacked parts: a hollow midsection, a pedestal, and candle cups.

I’m attracted to the way it can easily wrap any form, as I continue to explore continuous patterns in my work. Using dynamic patterns highlights the surfaces of my pots and creates a varied tactile experience through use.

My work explores the intricacy and intentionality of the natural world through double-walled forms.

I enjoy altering wheel-thrown pieces to craft one-of-a-kind works that balance function and aesthetics.

They have an expansive feeling that connotes growth, abundance, and generosity. I divide my pots symmetrically, using line as a means of projecting order onto my forms and highlighting volume and curvature.

My artistic practice is deeply rooted in my cultural background, religious influences, and nostalgic memories. I express these themes through drawings and sculptures, each possessing its own narrative.

I am drawn to the chaotic beauty of folds, wrinkles, and edges that emerge in response to touch.

My drippy vases came into being because I like a drippy glaze but wanted my drips to be more exaggerated.

In addition to the contest, we are also showcasing Michigan artists in honor of the 2026 National Conference on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in Detroit.