One of Those Days
I've been commissioned to make a companion pot to a piece that already exists. I know I shouldn't have agreed to do this but the woman is very sweet and it did seem like a fun project at the time. She also has no time expectation which makes life easier for me too and it has taken me many weekes to find the time and inspiration.
Yesterday I was inspired to start working on the piece. So I headed to the studio with that in mind. For some reason I was thinking the piece was supposed to be about 20 inches tall so I set about wedging up two good size balls of clay, one was about 8 pounds, the other 5 pounds. I threw the large piece as the bottom of the pot then the smaller as the top. I then put the base back on the wheel and inverted the top of the piece and joined them together. When I felt like they were attached well enough I started the wheel spinning slowly and put a large fan on low in front of the studio door to blow a breeze across the pot as it was making it's rounds. This would dry it a bit while I went and had a relaxing lunch. I would shape the pot after lunch when it was a little firmer.
After eating I decided to take another look at the pot and get some clarity on dimensions. This was a good idea that I should have done much earlier. My 20 inch pot only needed to be about 12 inches! Opps. Okay, no big deal, I'll just finish the big pot and then throw the other one.
I don't often throw really big like this so I'm not the most skilled at this. The pot I made proved that, it was really lopsided. I figured I might be able to fix that after a day of rest for the pot and me but I put a gouge in the side while I was putting it up on the shelf so I balled it up and put it back into the bag of clay so it can be a good pot on another day.
Sadly, I wasn't able to make something that I liked in the 12 inch size either. Thankfully I don't feel any pressure about making the pots so it was just a day of playing in the studio. I feel like I was stretching and growing rather than getting frustrated. That's the way an unsuccessful pot should feel.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
Yesterday I was inspired to start working on the piece. So I headed to the studio with that in mind. For some reason I was thinking the piece was supposed to be about 20 inches tall so I set about wedging up two good size balls of clay, one was about 8 pounds, the other 5 pounds. I threw the large piece as the bottom of the pot then the smaller as the top. I then put the base back on the wheel and inverted the top of the piece and joined them together. When I felt like they were attached well enough I started the wheel spinning slowly and put a large fan on low in front of the studio door to blow a breeze across the pot as it was making it's rounds. This would dry it a bit while I went and had a relaxing lunch. I would shape the pot after lunch when it was a little firmer.
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| Wood Fired Vase |
After eating I decided to take another look at the pot and get some clarity on dimensions. This was a good idea that I should have done much earlier. My 20 inch pot only needed to be about 12 inches! Opps. Okay, no big deal, I'll just finish the big pot and then throw the other one.
I don't often throw really big like this so I'm not the most skilled at this. The pot I made proved that, it was really lopsided. I figured I might be able to fix that after a day of rest for the pot and me but I put a gouge in the side while I was putting it up on the shelf so I balled it up and put it back into the bag of clay so it can be a good pot on another day.
Sadly, I wasn't able to make something that I liked in the 12 inch size either. Thankfully I don't feel any pressure about making the pots so it was just a day of playing in the studio. I feel like I was stretching and growing rather than getting frustrated. That's the way an unsuccessful pot should feel.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
i get stressed about special orders. It's nice that you have plenty of time to get this one done.
ReplyDeleteI get stressed about them too. Even the one's I'm really excited about doing.
DeleteSometimes the stretching and growing leads to some cool things too.
ReplyDelete