29 August 2016

Handbuilding versus the wheel

For the last few weeks I have been doing some handbuilding at a local community college (see previous two posts) and quite enjoying getting to know some new clay buddies...

However, when I got home last Saturday I had a yearning to throw some pots..

The clay is a new batch and quite wet which is good as it is a grogged clay (it has bits in it) which can be rough on your hands but this was OK.

The first pot was very cooperative, I lost the next one after trying to turn it into something that lump of clay did not want to be..

The third go was good and I have a nice shaped bottle underway...
Now if only I can trim them before they dry too much.  That is the struggle with clay all the time but with wheel throwing the timing to trim the pot is crucial...  too wet and it will be messy, too dry and you will blunt your tool and take much too long trimming or the tool will just bounce off and you will have to give up.

If these work I'll be putting them aside for a raku firing in the future.


4 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Good luck. I hope to see the results from thar raku firing.

Peter said...

Throwing on the potter's wheel is addictive! The many frustrations and bad days where clay pulls up a little way, then collapses into a heap seem to fade into the distant past when suddenly the magic returns and lovely pots appear again!
Ha, ha... we have Spring again in this part of the world... at least we did yesterday, where we hit 19.1 degrees C by 2 in the afternoon! We may get to the mid teens today by the feel of it. Flowers that were dealing with snow and frost near the beginning of the month are suddenly thinking it is summer, poor things!
Lovely to see the bottle on the wheel in your photo, its nice curvaceous form reminds me a bit of European 16th and 17th Century Bellarmine jugs.

Anna said...

Hi Elephant's Child - thank you, it could be a long wait as the raku will be next winter now.. I hope to get some more ready, put them aside and get on with another new project.

Anna said...

Hi Peter
Thank you. Our weather is still up and down but the spring blossums are starting to appear.. and here was I just thinking that bottle wasn't as good as I thought when I threw it :) As you know a few steps to go yet so we shall see.