Posted by in clay, pottery, wheel throwing The perfect cylinder escaped his hands, then tumbled around until he slowed the potter’s wheel. It happens sometimes, when trimming the bottom of a pot; the slightest misstep with a tool can result in what seems like utter disaster. The clay had challenged the artisan and threw his expectations off the wheel. He assessed the…Read more »
Posted by in wheel throwing Put a couple of words together and maybe you get a ‘desired effect’ or ‘win-win’. Might filthy nana be an apt name for ceramic jewelry? I may never know; it’s just something I uttered one day, describing the kind of grandmother I happen to be. Not that I live in a sty (and I’m an organized sort…Read more »
Posted by in Craft fair Prep, kiln, wheel throwing I’ve never subscribed to the adage that things happen for a reason. I endorse more of a things happen … and then you do other things. The difference lies in passive versus active involvement in those happening things. Case in point: eight days before the Bethlehem VegFest 2018, with two more glaze firings needed, my kiln failed.…Read more »
Posted by in pottery My pottery studio has evolved from amassing supplies, tools, and equipment. A friend recently Instagram-shared her Guatemala visit showing a potter making pots with corncobs for surface texture, and found objects to trim the ware. Here, in Southeastern Pennsylvania, my pottery making appears to support a vast retail industry. My usual go-to is The…Read more »
Posted by in Craft fair Prep, pottery, wheel throwing The kiln has been firing with extreme regularity, prepping for the 2018 Bethlehem VegFest. With less than a month to go, I’m still adding to bins full pottery that will be for sale at the kathystoneware booth. Saturday, July 14, 2018 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST at Daniel Rice Memorial Field 100 W. Lehigh Street …Read more »
Posted by in clay, wheel throwing WWGD? The symmetrically spherical bowl of a wheel thrown teapot opens into a circle. The gallery runs around the circumference of that circle, and allows the lid to rest perfectly in place. A truncated conical spout further establishes the form. These three parts thrown on the wheel, with an added handle, are then assembled to…Read more »
Posted by in clay, hand building, pottery There are so many choices in limitations. Options abound with the dark brown of the glaze-fired clay and only creamy matte glaze to points the way toward stamped surface decoration. In some cases one glaze color accent is applied, while in others, none. Options are endless, and I’m only just getting started to explore what…Read more »
Posted by in hand building, pottery, wheel throwing Ambition could be the title of the hopeful list of ware to be included under the next craft show tent. But I’m taking things one day at a time; throwing a dozen bowls one afternoon, and a clay brick’s worth of mugs on another. Large bowls next, and yesterday, it was teapots – only four…Read more »
Posted by in Craft fair Prep, Pottery business, studio Some things happen in tiny increments of time, especially those less glorious tasks. Fun jobs like planning and gathering, then using a mitre saw to chop wood into usable pieces for portable shelves occur in a time warp of effortless bliss. Framing shelving units – not so much. So, I had researched long enough and…Read more »
Posted by in out of the proverbial rectangular prism All my life I couldn’t wait to get old, but I figured that living in a culture that worships youth, my anticipation of being a senior citizen wasn’t a very popular perspective to share with others.
