Squaring Pots
One of the techniques that I played with while I was at Penland was to square and texture a pot. I started by making a pitcher with fairly straight sides. Before taking it off the wheel head I squared the corners by running one finger from the bottom to the top on the inside while simultaneously running 2 fingers on the outside if the pot at the same corner. I then removed the pitcher from the wheel and let it dry to leather hard.
When the pitcher was dry enough to attach the handle I started flattening the sides with a rasp. This creates quite a nice pile of shavings and an interesting texture. I could have smoothed it out with a rib but I liked it and thought the glaze would play well on the surface. Once the rasping was complete I could attach my handle and do any trimming at the foot that I wanted.
The square pitcher is really nice for beverages that you want to serve cold because it sits very nicely in the refrigerator with all the square cartons.
Next I tried making lidded jars with this same technique. These were a lot of fun because I wanted to keep the feel of the thrown, round pot while having the square sides and texture. I tried a few styles of lids, these are my favorite.
Finally I knew I had to make a squared teapot. I threw the base and squared it off then set it aside to dry while I worked on a few other things. While it was sitting on the shelf in front of the window the light hit it just right and another student remarked about how beautiful the shape looked. I was busy thinking about the next steps of the teapot and failed to notice that until it was brought to my attention.
I really liked the look also so I didn’t texture it but just left the grooves from the squaring. Once it was assembled and glazed I really like the way the light plays on it. At first I didn’t love the simple lid but it has grown on me. It seems right due to the simplicity of the pot. I’ll be refining this form in the future.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
When the pitcher was dry enough to attach the handle I started flattening the sides with a rasp. This creates quite a nice pile of shavings and an interesting texture. I could have smoothed it out with a rib but I liked it and thought the glaze would play well on the surface. Once the rasping was complete I could attach my handle and do any trimming at the foot that I wanted.
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| Square Pitcher |
The square pitcher is really nice for beverages that you want to serve cold because it sits very nicely in the refrigerator with all the square cartons.
Next I tried making lidded jars with this same technique. These were a lot of fun because I wanted to keep the feel of the thrown, round pot while having the square sides and texture. I tried a few styles of lids, these are my favorite.
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| Square Lidded Jars |
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| Squared Tea Pot |
I really liked the look also so I didn’t texture it but just left the grooves from the squaring. Once it was assembled and glazed I really like the way the light plays on it. At first I didn’t love the simple lid but it has grown on me. It seems right due to the simplicity of the pot. I’ll be refining this form in the future.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
Those jars are awesome! I love the glaze.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michèle, it's one we developed at Penland, email me if you want the recipe.
DeleteThese are all stunning, but I guess my favorite is that teapot. Simple and elegant!
ReplyDeleteOh hot dog, wow, new approaches to work for you, wowie! YES, the texture = stunning!
ReplyDeletethey are all beautiful, the teapot is sublime, I wouldn't change a thing about it, although I did find myself looking for a handle to the lid but adding one would change the whole look.
ReplyDelete