Practical Projects
My theme this semester is a little different from what is has been in the past. Before, it was "Practical Aesthetics," or the effort of making perfectly functional things - bowls, plates, etc. - that still looked nice.
This time, I'm going in a little bit of a different direction. As this will be my final Ceramics class - because, sadly, my time at Mount Si is nearly finished - I've decided to concentrate on making various useful items for the household. A box to hold hot ashes from the stove (so we don't have to wait for them to cool before cleaning it out), another to put tinder and kindling in, perhaps a new compartmentalized tray to hold the silverware (our forks are getting crowded!). I'm also slowly creating various pieces for different people, as gifts and thank-yous to friends and teachers, so we'll see how that goes throughout the final quarter.
Why
Because I like practical. Even a chipped bowl or pot can be used as decoration or knickknack holder, and I have so many bowls it's not even funny. Literally. I also enjoy pleasing others, seeing their faces light up when they receive a gift or genuine compliment or pleasant surprise. So making things that are functional and make others happy - even if it's just my own Mother (love you!) when I hand her a disfigured new bowl (apparently she likes anything I make, haha).
What
Honestly? Mostly bowls. In fact, almost exclusively bowls, or cylinders that are more like pots than anything. I seem to have a knack for bowls, and little else. I just never even try for plates anymore - the very few (less than a hand's worth of fingers) I've done have come out wonky and uneven and not really good for being a plate. And Mom uses them anyway! But yeah, I can't throw tall very well either. It ends of destabilizing and whatnot. I'm really sad that wet clay's done, too, because it means I can't finish learning how to pull tall. Darn! I also made a really cool box. I have to finish carving out the stuff, but it's gonna be great! It has bamboo stalks on one long side, will have "Mot" on the other, and a dragonfly and mushroom at either end. All stuff Mom either loves or (bamboo) matches the plant it'll be hosting (Guess what - bamboo!). Totally awesome!
And don't get me started on the glazes. I've taken to glazing with multiple colors, generally using one on the inside, another on the outside, and one or two others on the rim and carved-out stripes on the bottom half for accents. They come out looking pretty dang cool, if I do say so myself!
How
On the wheel. Exclusively. Except for that box, that was hand-made. Didn't even pull any handles this year - I'm not a big fan of things with handles, to be honest. Plus I never make anything that requires a handle, haha. I use the normal loop tools for footing, and for carving out recessive rings in the bottom halves of projects so I can paint them in pretty accenting glaze colors. So fun!
This time, I'm going in a little bit of a different direction. As this will be my final Ceramics class - because, sadly, my time at Mount Si is nearly finished - I've decided to concentrate on making various useful items for the household. A box to hold hot ashes from the stove (so we don't have to wait for them to cool before cleaning it out), another to put tinder and kindling in, perhaps a new compartmentalized tray to hold the silverware (our forks are getting crowded!). I'm also slowly creating various pieces for different people, as gifts and thank-yous to friends and teachers, so we'll see how that goes throughout the final quarter.
Why
Because I like practical. Even a chipped bowl or pot can be used as decoration or knickknack holder, and I have so many bowls it's not even funny. Literally. I also enjoy pleasing others, seeing their faces light up when they receive a gift or genuine compliment or pleasant surprise. So making things that are functional and make others happy - even if it's just my own Mother (love you!) when I hand her a disfigured new bowl (apparently she likes anything I make, haha).
What
Honestly? Mostly bowls. In fact, almost exclusively bowls, or cylinders that are more like pots than anything. I seem to have a knack for bowls, and little else. I just never even try for plates anymore - the very few (less than a hand's worth of fingers) I've done have come out wonky and uneven and not really good for being a plate. And Mom uses them anyway! But yeah, I can't throw tall very well either. It ends of destabilizing and whatnot. I'm really sad that wet clay's done, too, because it means I can't finish learning how to pull tall. Darn! I also made a really cool box. I have to finish carving out the stuff, but it's gonna be great! It has bamboo stalks on one long side, will have "Mot" on the other, and a dragonfly and mushroom at either end. All stuff Mom either loves or (bamboo) matches the plant it'll be hosting (Guess what - bamboo!). Totally awesome!
And don't get me started on the glazes. I've taken to glazing with multiple colors, generally using one on the inside, another on the outside, and one or two others on the rim and carved-out stripes on the bottom half for accents. They come out looking pretty dang cool, if I do say so myself!
How
On the wheel. Exclusively. Except for that box, that was hand-made. Didn't even pull any handles this year - I'm not a big fan of things with handles, to be honest. Plus I never make anything that requires a handle, haha. I use the normal loop tools for footing, and for carving out recessive rings in the bottom halves of projects so I can paint them in pretty accenting glaze colors. So fun!