Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

  • 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
  • Tall Coffee Pot
    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
  • The Passage of Time
    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
  • Elevating Experience
    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