Springtime Goals

For the springtime I have two main ceramic goals.  Hopefully this will keep me busy and in the studio!  One is to make a bunch of things for the wood firing in which I will participate in April.  I'm very excited about this event.  It will be a great opportunity for me to meet other clay obsessed people in New Mexico, and to learn how to fire a new kind of kiln.  We will be firing an anagama which is a very long tunnel shaped kiln.   Here is an example.



 My other long term project is to make 200, thats right 200, hand built flower pots for my wedding at the end of May.  These will double as center pieces and favors for our guests.  Luckily, I have recruited my mother's help, and she is allowing me to be a control freak potter who is making her stick the use of a template to make the pots.  I know.  I'm putting a damper on her creativity, but come on we have to streamline production of these things.

Cups

So I've been trying to make cups.  The first thing you learn when attempting to throw is how to make a cylinder shape.  Most anything you make on the wheel starts with a cylinder and is then shaped into another form.  Considering that a cylinder is a basic thing you learn and cups are basically cylinders you would think that they would be easy to create.  I find this not to be true.  Its hard to make something simple, interesting, and usable all at the same time.  The solution I have come to with these cups is to leave a larger concave space at the bottom to fit your hand and then add some interest up top by adding ridges.