Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

Making a tall coffee pot utilizes a number of pottery techniques including making an overhanging lid with a solid knob, a slab-built spout, and a pulled-off-the-pot handle. Starting with about 4 pound

I make pots that celebrate the tangible joy of the everyday—objects that will weave themselves into your daily routine and bear witness to the beautiful, mundane moments that make a life. I incorporat

Ever since I started making pottery, I have loved making cups. I love how such a small object can fit in your hands and can still express so much. I believe that there is more than just function invol

My interest in altering thrown shapes can be traced back to my days as a ceramics student, 25 years ago. Through the years I have developed techniques of pinching, pressing, and pulling with my finger

Record keeping is essential for every business and every transaction. Good record keeping helps with managing costs, tax assessment, legal concerns, improving sales, and planning for future growth.

I wanted a booth that looked like a gallery for participating in indoor fine craft shows so my pottery could be displayed in a setting that would easily let people envision it in their homes. I asked

As societies became more complex and businesses grew, clay processing became more and more industrialized. People began to purchase clay and other materials from suppliers because it was easier and su

Truth is, I’m not the most social-media savvy person. Quite frankly, I forget to even look it. I’m not sure what that says about me, other than I’m a bit of an introvert.

Swap out the standard X-Acto blade for more complex blades to make different marks and cuts in clay. Customize the tool by making your own inserts out of lengths of wire, a bit of sponge, coins for bo

After so many years of making round pots on the wheel, I wanted some to be oval. Or better yet, egg shaped, in keeping with an old moniker. So I made a few oval-shaped bisque hump molds and started pl

From time to time a student brings me a catalog page showing a bowl with an attached pocket for crackers. The image they always bring in is of a blocky, awkward, mass-produced slip-cast piece with a u

My fascination with botanicals grew out of the hours spent playing in the woods as a child and watching my father tend to his vegetable and flower gardens. Pottery has given me an opportunity to revis

Shortly after graduating from college, I came up with a line of pottery using thrown and altered forms, a black wash, and green and yellow glazes. Nine years later, after staying home to raise two kid

Just as clay has a strong physical memory, one of my most vivid early memories of using pottery was eating ice cream from a heavily grogged stoneware bowl at my grandmother’s house, back in the 1980s.

The evolution of my sprigged jars illustrates that form, surface, and texture have been very meaningful to my artistic development and research. While exploring robust femininity in porcelain and how

I’ve always loved bacon, but never anticipated incorporating the idea of bacon into my work until after visiting the Texas hill country late last year. I met an artist there who was using stained clay

I build pots to function as a canvas for my glazing. I pinch and coil my pots because this process is organic, slow, and methodical. Pinching leaves evidence of touch in the clay, providing a subtle t

Low-fire commercial glazes can be successfully layered to build effects and change the appearance of the individual glazes. Many low-fire glazes, like Mayco’s Foundations line, were made to self-level

The current ceramic art and pottery I create has an abundance of color and depth through layered underglazes and glazes. I was initially influenced heavily by the paintings my father had been making i

One of the best tasks of my job, and one of the most difficult, is choosing the cover for each issue. The cover is our one chance to make a first impression.