Sunday, November 01, 2009

what do you do?

It seems like each piece I fire has a lesson to teach me...that is great...but I was hoping to have something I could be really proud of. The really bad part of that is that the problems can't be attributed to the firing! They are all 'hand made' by the potter!

I like the teapot...but I messed up the foot: wax mess and too shallow a foot so the glaze touched the shelf and made an ugly mark.


A pretty little sauce boat...but I think the glaze was too thin and I mended a crack with paper clay and it left an ugly scar that the glaze accentuated. I'm going to remake this one because I do like the idea.


Three compotes that work alone or stacked up. Nice. But I learned why it is not a great idea to get the stoneware pots too thin. Two of the three sagged a bit in the firing so they do not have a nice bowl shape. The largest one did well--probably not so thin.


I am not happy with the cane handle. I can cut it off and remake it. I have not mastered the skill yet! So the answer is to make lots of cane handles till I have mastered the skill--and might as well take advantage of this opportunity make another cane handle! And maybe redo the one on the teapot which I'm not so happy with either!

5 comments:

Ron said...

Hi Gay, Good to see your pots! Small lessons learned means the next batch will be that much better. Keep at it!

Sister Creek Potter said...

Encouraging words, thanks Ron. I am not giving up! And thanks for hanging in there with me!

Ann said...

Hi Gay- All your little stories about the "almost ok" pots are so typical of what we do!-true, we learn from each one.

Judy Shreve said...

Sometimes after unloading the kiln I ask myself -- 'now why do I do this?' lol -- Each pot does tell it's own story doesn't it? I don't see any flaws in the photos of these pots -- maybe we all just need to learn not to look too closely.
Your work looks great!

Linda Starr said...

Wow, I don't see any flaws either and I love the plum/purple glaze and the cane handle tray. also I think handmade should show a little of that and if it sags a little as long as it still functional I have had folks rave about that saying they didn't want it to be perfect but wanted to be able to tell it was made by hand and not by machine. I know what you are saying about learning soemthing with each firing though I have gones through so many of those firings and then finally each lesson comes together in one great effort. Also the forms are important too even if the glaze isn't what you wanted since sometimes a different glaze on the very same form makes it a knockout. I really do like the cane tray a lot.