Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

A stacked place setting is one of my favorite things to make and fire in wood or soda kilns. I enjoy throwing the plates, bowls, and cups that complete each set and I’m absolutely drawn to the varied

When you think of ovenware, you probably think of a casserole dish first. The lidded baking dish is a staple of both the kitchen and the potter’s art, and can be used for casseroles, meats, roasted ve

Along with all of the variables of glaze application, there are many glaze removal processes that can add greatly to the richness and diversity of the ceramic surface. Some of these are used in conjun

Pottery Illustrated pulling handles from pots. Drawn by Robin Ouellette.

I’m trained as a geologist, but I’ve been working with ceramics full time for 35 years. As in geology, I like the nature of materials and how they transform through heat and pressure. I choose to use

It’s amazing how many students and full-time clay workers go about making glazes with a lengthy and time-consuming process, only to forget to clearly write down just what they’ve done. It seems to be

I’ve always loved ash glazes. For a long time, I fired in other people’s reduction kilns, often waiting months in between firings. When I finally got my own electric kiln, I was thrilled to start expe

A covered cupcake stand is probably not a necessity; however, they’re very fun to make, especially if they’re frilly and over-the-top fancy. I like to imagine that mine are going to a tea party with t

I’ll never forget coming home from an outing to find the butter dish left out on the table with the lid off! The crisp rectangle of butter had been licked into a soft, shallow mound by my cat. Memorie

This process requires you to consider color first, rather than last, as there’s no glaze on the outside of the piece—all the tones come from the clay body. In my work, I’m interested in using two cont

My work is a lot about surface decoration. And a well-crafted canvas to put the pattern on is essential to my creativity. There is something extraordinary with the three dimensions of a pot; the insid

Pottery Illustrated drawn Mid-Century Modern Patterns. Drawn by Robin Ouellette.

A multitude of colors can easily be produced by adding colorants to base terra sigillatas. The common practice of creating a glaze line blend applies to terra sigillata as well, but with modifications

When I first began throwing pots I gravitated to throwing bowls. One of the challenges I faced was how to make the rim more interesting without sacrificing the bowl’s essential function. After much ex

I was commissioned to create a large house number plaque for a residence in a dark wooded area. The numbers needed to be reflective for easy detection at night as well as high contrast for the daytime

I loved everything about clay and glaze calculation class; discovering how a material’s individual properties can change a glaze.