Over a couple of decades of working with clay, my studio practice has narrowed almost exclusively to making pots in the shape of birds. The simplest explanation I can give as to why I make bird pots is that I do it because it makes me happy. While I acknowledge
that bird imagery has specific and deep significance to many people based upon their own experiences and their own cultural upbringings, I think the experience of seeing a bird, feeling joy, and being inspired to make a bird might be one shared across
cultures and across time.
When I make bird bowls, I tend to work in a series of eight. I throw and trim the bowls one day, make the parts, and then spend two to three days assembling, depending on how concentrated my studio time is. I work with a coarse, iron-rich stoneware that
produces a range of toasty browns, reds, and purples in the reduction-cooled atmosphere I finish my firings with.
Throw a Bowl
When throwing bowls, start by weighing out and wedging eight 1½-pound (0.7-kg) balls of clay. For my bird bodies, I prefer a round-bottomed bowl with tall walls. I make my bowls by throwing a cylinder and gradually stretching out the walls with
a large rib I made myself (1). I leave ¼–⅜ inch (6.4–9.5 mm) on the bottom from which to trim a foot. I enjoy the individual variations between bowls when I’m working in series; an occasional wonky bowl sometimes results in a bird that has an extra special charm.
I typically trim my bowls after a lunch or dinner break. I’ve found that a tall foot trimmed to about a third of the circumference of the rim results in proportions that work well with my forms.
Make the Parts
Before I finish throwing for the day, I center about 2 pounds of clay on the wheel, cone up, and throw a series of closed forms off the hump (2). These closed domes, each about an inch high and an inch wide, become the heads of my birds. I make a few
more than I need to have a variety to choose from.
The last step in preparing parts is to stretch out three slabs, each a little less than ¼ inch (6.4 mm) thick and about 14 inches (35.6 cm) long. The wings, tails, and bird necks will be cut from these slabs (3). I wrap the slabs and closed forms
tightly if I’m not going to use them right away. I usually cut parts as I assemble so that pieces don’t dry out.
Add Fluted Texture
While I often paint designs on pots that I am gas firing, painted designs sometimes get covered by wood ash in the wood kiln. I’ve started adding fluted texture to break up the surface of pots destined for this style of firing. I’ve used
all sorts of trimming tools as fluting tools, but I recently started using a tool commercially made for this purpose, which keeps the depth of the carved texture clean and even (4).
Assemble the Head and Neck
To assemble a bird bowl, begin by building the head and neck. Start with a closed form that you’ve thrown for the head. With a fettling knife, cut away the bottom of the closed form and cut two small notches that allow the dome of the head to fit
over the rim of the bowl. Then, slip and score, and press the head in place (5).
Next, cut two lozenge shapes out of one of the slabs (see 3). Pinch these shapes with your fingers until they are curved into a U shape. I use the larger of these pinched lozenge shapes to make the bottom of the neck (6). Then, trim the smaller lozenge
shape until it perfectly fills the gap between the dome of the head and the bottom of the neck (7). On the interior of the bowl, backfill the small gap between the bottom of the head and the wall with a small coil. I blend all seams with a serrated
rib (8). Use a soft rubber rib and a finishing sponge to remove the serrated texture and create a seamless form.
Add Wings and a Tail
Using a fettling knife, cut shapes for the tail feathers and wings from one of the prepared slabs (see 3). I enjoy a bit of individual variation, so I don’t use a template for this. I use the shape of the first wing to trace the shape of the second
so that they are symmetrical. If I cut the shapes for wings and tail feathers as I am refining the form of the head and neck, they usually stiffen to the right consistency by the time I am ready to attach them. With the wings and tail ready, smooth
the edges (front and back) with your fingers and cut a slight bevel into the edges that will be joined to the bowl. The bevel creates stronger seams.
Attach the tail feathers to the inside edge of the bowl and backfill the seam with a small coil (9). Use a soft rubber rib to refine the edge of the attachment on the interior of the bowl, so that it blends with the compressed edge of the rim (10).
Attach wings to the outside of the bowl (11) and backfill the seams with small coils. Seams are blended with a serrated rib and then smoothed over with a soft rubber rib. It is important to address the seams on the underside of the wings as well as the
top. To prevent cracking, compress the interior point of the wing where it curves back to meet the body (12). A Surform rasp can be used to refine the curve of the wings if needed.
Finishing Touches
Holding the head of the bird between your fingers, press your thumbs into the face to create two indentations for the eyes (13). I add a small piece of clay that I have pinched to a point for the beak (14). Lastly, poke a hole in the neck of your bird
bowl before bisque firing so that trapped steam can escape during the firing (15). Note: I fill this hole with slip before glazing.
,
Glazing
and Firing
While I have experimented with many different firing techniques, my favorite is wood firing in a train kiln. I like how firing with wood makes me feel connected to a tradition older than myself. The intensity of wood firing drowns out distractions. As
the Buddhist teaching goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood/ carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood/carry water.”
I keep my glazing process for work that is fired in a wood kiln simple to better showcase the surface variations created by the firing. I line my pots with a Redart liner (Cedar Heights Redart mixed with water to the consistency of a thin wash and applied
by pouring), and I apply a very thin layer of laterite wash (laterite mixed with water to the consistency of a thin wash and applied by dipping or spraying) to the outsides of my pots. The laterite wash and the Redart liner have similar color responses,
but the laterite remains matte while the Redart fluxes.
My firing style varies a bit depending on where I am firing and what wood is available, but I prefer to fire for about 48 hours to cone 10, holding at cone 7/8 for 6–8 hours. In the past, I’ve used a mix of pine and medium-density wood (like
cottonwood). I side-stoke aggressively to keep temperatures from taking off while I’m trying to hold the kiln at cone 7/8. For the last couple hours of the firing, I only fire pine (which burns with less ash), and I stop side-stoking to ensure
that all ash is well melted before sealing up the kiln. At the end of the firing, I do a medium-sized stoke and brick up the door. I walk the damper in over about an hour and a half, giving the atmosphere a chance to clear a bit before I reintroduce
fuel in the reduction-cool. I reduction-cool the kiln with wet side-stoking from about 1825°F (996°C) to about 1450°F (788°C), which usually adds 7–8 hours to the firing. I love the surfaces that come from reduction-cooling the
kiln, which can range from toasty brown, to red, to purple and black, reminiscent of cooled lava.
Megan Thomas grew up in Hamilton, Ohio. She studied ceramic sculpture and painting at Bowling Green State University as an undergraduate student and graduated with an MFA in ceramics from Utah State University in 2020. She currently teaches and makes pots in Florida. She bird watches and trail runs for fun.
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Over a couple of decades of working with clay, my studio practice has narrowed almost exclusively to making pots in the shape of birds. The simplest explanation I can give as to why I make bird pots is that I do it because it makes me happy. While I acknowledge that bird imagery has specific and deep significance to many people based upon their own experiences and their own cultural upbringings, I think the experience of seeing a bird, feeling joy, and being inspired to make a bird might be one shared across cultures and across time.
When I make bird bowls, I tend to work in a series of eight. I throw and trim the bowls one day, make the parts, and then spend two to three days assembling, depending on how concentrated my studio time is. I work with a coarse, iron-rich stoneware that produces a range of toasty browns, reds, and purples in the reduction-cooled atmosphere I finish my firings with.
Throw a Bowl
When throwing bowls, start by weighing out and wedging eight 1½-pound (0.7-kg) balls of clay. For my bird bodies, I prefer a round-bottomed bowl with tall walls. I make my bowls by throwing a cylinder and gradually stretching out the walls with a large rib I made myself (1). I leave ¼–⅜ inch (6.4–9.5 mm) on the bottom from which to trim a foot. I enjoy the individual variations between bowls when I’m working in series; an occasional wonky bowl sometimes results in a bird that has an extra special charm.
I typically trim my bowls after a lunch or dinner break. I’ve found that a tall foot trimmed to about a third of the circumference of the rim results in proportions that work well with my forms.
Make the Parts
Before I finish throwing for the day, I center about 2 pounds of clay on the wheel, cone up, and throw a series of closed forms off the hump (2). These closed domes, each about an inch high and an inch wide, become the heads of my birds. I make a few more than I need to have a variety to choose from.
The last step in preparing parts is to stretch out three slabs, each a little less than ¼ inch (6.4 mm) thick and about 14 inches (35.6 cm) long. The wings, tails, and bird necks will be cut from these slabs (3). I wrap the slabs and closed forms tightly if I’m not going to use them right away. I usually cut parts as I assemble so that pieces don’t dry out.
Add Fluted Texture
While I often paint designs on pots that I am gas firing, painted designs sometimes get covered by wood ash in the wood kiln. I’ve started adding fluted texture to break up the surface of pots destined for this style of firing. I’ve used all sorts of trimming tools as fluting tools, but I recently started using a tool commercially made for this purpose, which keeps the depth of the carved texture clean and even (4).
Assemble the Head and Neck
To assemble a bird bowl, begin by building the head and neck. Start with a closed form that you’ve thrown for the head. With a fettling knife, cut away the bottom of the closed form and cut two small notches that allow the dome of the head to fit over the rim of the bowl. Then, slip and score, and press the head in place (5).
Next, cut two lozenge shapes out of one of the slabs (see 3). Pinch these shapes with your fingers until they are curved into a U shape. I use the larger of these pinched lozenge shapes to make the bottom of the neck (6). Then, trim the smaller lozenge shape until it perfectly fills the gap between the dome of the head and the bottom of the neck (7). On the interior of the bowl, backfill the small gap between the bottom of the head and the wall with a small coil. I blend all seams with a serrated rib (8). Use a soft rubber rib and a finishing sponge to remove the serrated texture and create a seamless form.
Add Wings and a Tail
Using a fettling knife, cut shapes for the tail feathers and wings from one of the prepared slabs (see 3). I enjoy a bit of individual variation, so I don’t use a template for this. I use the shape of the first wing to trace the shape of the second so that they are symmetrical. If I cut the shapes for wings and tail feathers as I am refining the form of the head and neck, they usually stiffen to the right consistency by the time I am ready to attach them. With the wings and tail ready, smooth the edges (front and back) with your fingers and cut a slight bevel into the edges that will be joined to the bowl. The bevel creates stronger seams.
Attach the tail feathers to the inside edge of the bowl and backfill the seam with a small coil (9). Use a soft rubber rib to refine the edge of the attachment on the interior of the bowl, so that it blends with the compressed edge of the rim (10).
Attach wings to the outside of the bowl (11) and backfill the seams with small coils. Seams are blended with a serrated rib and then smoothed over with a soft rubber rib. It is important to address the seams on the underside of the wings as well as the top. To prevent cracking, compress the interior point of the wing where it curves back to meet the body (12). A Surform rasp can be used to refine the curve of the wings if needed.
Finishing Touches
Holding the head of the bird between your fingers, press your thumbs into the face to create two indentations for the eyes (13). I add a small piece of clay that I have pinched to a point for the beak (14). Lastly, poke a hole in the neck of your bird bowl before bisque firing so that trapped steam can escape during the firing (15). Note: I fill this hole with slip before glazing.
Glazing and Firing
While I have experimented with many different firing techniques, my favorite is wood firing in a train kiln. I like how firing with wood makes me feel connected to a tradition older than myself. The intensity of wood firing drowns out distractions. As the Buddhist teaching goes, “Before enlightenment, chop wood/ carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood/carry water.”
I keep my glazing process for work that is fired in a wood kiln simple to better showcase the surface variations created by the firing. I line my pots with a Redart liner (Cedar Heights Redart mixed with water to the consistency of a thin wash and applied by pouring), and I apply a very thin layer of laterite wash (laterite mixed with water to the consistency of a thin wash and applied by dipping or spraying) to the outsides of my pots. The laterite wash and the Redart liner have similar color responses, but the laterite remains matte while the Redart fluxes.
My firing style varies a bit depending on where I am firing and what wood is available, but I prefer to fire for about 48 hours to cone 10, holding at cone 7/8 for 6–8 hours. In the past, I’ve used a mix of pine and medium-density wood (like cottonwood). I side-stoke aggressively to keep temperatures from taking off while I’m trying to hold the kiln at cone 7/8. For the last couple hours of the firing, I only fire pine (which burns with less ash), and I stop side-stoking to ensure that all ash is well melted before sealing up the kiln. At the end of the firing, I do a medium-sized stoke and brick up the door. I walk the damper in over about an hour and a half, giving the atmosphere a chance to clear a bit before I reintroduce fuel in the reduction-cool. I reduction-cool the kiln with wet side-stoking from about 1825°F (996°C) to about 1450°F (788°C), which usually adds 7–8 hours to the firing. I love the surfaces that come from reduction-cooling the kiln, which can range from toasty brown, to red, to purple and black, reminiscent of cooled lava.
Megan Thomas grew up in Hamilton, Ohio. She studied ceramic sculpture and painting at Bowling Green State University as an undergraduate student and graduated with an MFA in ceramics from Utah State University in 2020. She currently teaches and makes pots in Florida. She bird watches and trail runs for fun.
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