Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

A Pottery Making Illustrated Readership-Wide Contest

A Pottery Making Illustrated Readership-Wide Contest

A Pottery Making Illustrated Readership-Wide Contest

My prior pottery focused almost solely on eating, drinking, and serving, but now I think more about preparing and storing food as well.

Though not as spherical as a traditional Korean moon jar, I have called my flatter forms “moon vases” for their moon-like allusions.

In my home, a pedestal bowl often takes center stage, beautifully displaying seasonal fruits and vegetables as both decor and an invitation to indulge in a healthy snack.

I wanted to create a vase that helped keep the flowers looking wilder and more variable than manicured and arranged.

The inspiration for a ceramic and brass wire stand came while deep in the design and DIY stage of planning my wedding last fall.

The beauty of something that is designed so well it can go unnoticed. Being outside, routine, slow change, process, craftsmanship, good conversations, poetry, travel, and seeing something for the first time.

The history of ceramics in Virginia and the surrounding area is long and rich— think of the immense Native American contributions, Jamestown and Williamsburg potteries, and a shared shard history with reaches up and down the East Coast.

New ideas usually begin when I find something interesting in normal life and try to recreate my version of that object or device.

My forms are reminiscent of the architecture of my Rust Belt childhood, the swoop of the local skatepark features; they can conjure up a Pittsburgh bridge or video-game graphics.

What began as a way to remove excess weight from my beginner pots, has become a passion for carving away clay to reveal deeply furrowed designs that capture light and color in compelling ways.

Now, I make more elaborate boxes with different styles of feet and lids. My inspiration for each shape and surface design comes from my cultural background.

I started making match strikers two years ago while participating in a monthly pottery challenge at the community clay studio I teach at, East Mitchell Clay.

I have been working with clay since I was a small child. I also have been a weaver at times, so I decided to try weaving clay.

A set of ceramic coasters became that household object that I knew was missing in my life.

Illustrations of knobs.

Drawing on experiences in Italy, I have made several versions of candle holders, including a candelabra for multiple taper candles. The form is composed of a group of intersecting tubes that is finished with a floor, foot, and added rims.