forks throws pottery (and maybe you do too?) - An ILX Ceramics Thread

pretty doubtful!

I love the ox blood glaze upthread, such a great color

Wow forks, you've got some really good work here.

appreciated! guess I'll go ahead and throw em all up.
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27yudNwxd1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
The white smudges on this vase are dollops of slip (liquid clay) daubed on prior to the first firing.

182 white clay.
Oxidation. Ox Blood glaze.
3 3/4 inches wide at rim, 2 1/3 inches wide at lip. About 3 1/2 inches tall.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27yv9kUyK1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
My first go at a candlestick. The glaze gave it a hammered bronze look and dulled some of the too-sharp division lines. The interior is hollow, so I guess you could use this as a very odd cup if you wanted?

192 stoneware.
Reduction. Dolly's Hotel Russian Shino glaze.
3 3/4 inches wide at base, 1 inch wide at lip. 3 3/4 inches tall.

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27yw4sMmH1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
This is my second go with this particular color combination and I don't think it was as successful as a similar, smaller piece I did before.

192 stoneware.
Reduction. Shaner Gold glaze oninterior and top exterior. Glick Red glaze on exterior.
6 inches at widest point, 4 1/4 inches at lip, about 4 inches at foot. About 3 3/4 inches tall.

The Shaner Gold and Glick Red can overlap to create a dark stripe where they meet; I was hoping for something more cleanly delineated.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27yxmnSEr1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
Rustic. I like the throwing of the piece but the glazing didn't really reflect what I had in mind.

182 white clay.
Oxidation. Hamada Green glaze with Iron Oxide underglaze.
5 1/2 inches wide at lip, 3 1/2 inches wide at foot. 3 1/4 inches tall.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27z3xKKOP1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
Playing with profiles. This pot has a heavy and thick base; would counterbalance any heavyweight arrangements easily enough.

192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Potter's Turquoise glaze on interior and top exterior. Lapis Blue glaze on exterior.
About 3 1/4 inches wide at lip. 4 3/4 inches tall.

I was enjoying the pics on your tumblr but a little more info is nice. Off to a fine start forks! You've made leaps and bounds since the first semester work. kudos.

Thanks man! I'm starting again on Thursday; really wanna do some big bowls and focus on strong pieces as opposed to a gazillion works like I did this last semester.

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zbjUvgL1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

This vase was striped with white slip but the density of color on the glaze obscured it entirely. Blue Chun on these taller pieces can, weirdly, produce an odd bubbling that doesn't much change the look but does leave it pockmarked to the touch. You can pick out those rough spots in the photo if you try.

182 stoneware.
Reduction. Blue Chun glaze.
About 4 3/4 inches at rim, about 3 inches at base. About 5 1/2 inches tall.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zczxb9v1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

That "Y" motif" in this flowerpot is one that I am continuing to experiment with as a quick shorthand for growth. Less is more in carving sometimes.

192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Reitz Green glaze.
About 4 inches wide. 4 1/2 inches tall.

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zepDXKr1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
When you throw, your hands tend to naturally suggest certain shapes. This bottom-heavy diamond shaped is one I keep finding on my wheel. Accentuating the fold in on the upper lip is one way of making it more aesthetically pleasing and challenging for me.

182 stoneware.
Reduction. Peachbloom glaze.
About 5 1/2 inches at widest point. 4 1/4 inches wide at lip. 3 3/4 inches tall.

Peachbloom lays on a muted, strawberry skin with a healthy glow; it's a warm and organic looking glaze.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zfkuk241qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
The shino overglaze here runs like sargasso for an feathery, liquid effect.

I painted the overglaze on in a uniform pattern around the bottom of the vase but it fired a little different all over. Some of the accents look a bit like Irish Setters... or is that just me? Lots of Rorschach at play here, no doubt.

192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Ox Blood glaze with Shino overglaze.
About 5 inches wide at rim, 3 3/4 inches wide at rim. About 3 3/4 inches tall.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zg8q4lb1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
My very first plate!

192 stoneware.
Reduction. Seacrest Celadon glaze with iron oxide concentric circles.
8 inches wide at rim. 1 inch tall.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zgtF2141qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
This was the first class that I threw white clay; it's all been stoneware till now. Stoneware has more sand in the clay and, though it holds a shape under greater pressure, it can be a real pain to center and to mold. White clay relaxes and moves around easier but can collapse under its own weight. It also holds a glaze differently.

182 white clay.
Reduction. Civil War glaze.
About 5 1/2 inches wide at rim, about 3 1/3 inches wide at base. About 2 3/4 inches tall.

Civil War's lavender pastels are just this side of easter egg, but I find them awful pretty.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27ziaCcar1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

This is my third try at a "desert bowl": a piece that's meant to look as if it were made of scorched earth, sand and blood.

192 stoneware.
Reduction. Davis Red Shino glaze on interior. Shaner Gold glaze on exterior. Ox Blood glaze accents and rim.
About 6 inches wide at rim, 3 1/4 inches wide at foot. 3 inches tall.

I think doing a million pieces when you're still learning is the way to go. It really shows in the consistency of shape and glaze finish you've achieved.

Im excited to see what you can do with some larger work too.

ooh - really like the green vase with the Y.

Yeah, I love the carving work you've done in some of these, I think that really brings it up an extra level.

EZ, i LIKE doing a million pieces; the act of throwing is still very enticing and exciting. So I'll see what my mind/body draws me to... I might not be at the point where I should be superimposing critical thinking just yet. It's far more exciting just to make and learn and not have any "this is good"/"this is bad" overriding desire just yet. Pottery is the closest I get to a meditative exercise just now; I try very hard not to attach ego to the work and the more I focus on action the better the work becomes. It's a powerful lesson.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zj22aku1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

I was tremendously proud of the profile and delicacy of the foot of this bowl and then I went and glazed it so lightly that it came out strangely patina'd and antique. My teacher informs me I need to adjust to what the glaze does rather than demanding it meet my expectations; I imagine there's another lesson in there somewhere too. In any case, it's a good flat display bowl. Should do a good job for fruit.

192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Carmine's Turquoise glaze.
7 inches wide at rim, 2 1/4 inches wide at foot. 2 3/4 inches tall.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zk6cJHw1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

Exposed clay stripe is a wax accent that left an interesting bloom surrounding it. I like the effect.

182 white clay.
Reduction. Ice Trap Celadon glaze.
6 inches wide at rim, 2 inches wide at foot. 3 1/2 inches tall.

The crackle is all underneath the glaze so the bowl is still glossy to the touch. You can see where the "Ice Trap" glaze gets its name.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zl0MRig1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Candace Black Oil Spot glaze.
7 1/4 inches wide at rim, 2 3/4 inches wide at foot. About 3 2/3 inches tall.

I'm getting a bit better at making nearly balanced and weighted bowls, but this one is still just a bit asymmetrical.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zlv8w1V1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
192 stoneware.
Oxidation. Randy's Oribe glaze and Glick Red glaze.
7 1/4 inches wide at rim, 3 1/2 inches wide at foot. 3 1/2 inches tall.

This is probably my favorite piece from this semester. It was one of the very few where I was comfortable with the throwing, trimming and glazing. Depending on where you view the piece from, the overlap of glazes offer a very different profile and color palette.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zrxfUTf1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg

Another in an ongoing series of purple and white bowls with waxed figures painted onto the body. The piece torqued somewhat in the firing and went from perfectly round to ever so slightly ovoid. The inside is painted with white slip. There's a pesky "S-crack" at the bottom here but the glaze filled it entirely so it's only a visual imperfection and not a functional one.

182 white clay.
Oxidations. Buttermilk glaze on rim and accents. Davidson Purple glaze on exterior.
Between 6 and 6 1/4 inches wide at rim, 3 1/4 inches wide at foot. 4 3/4 inches tall.

Wow! That two-tone green and red piece is a stunner!

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m27zteANOd1qzyx8yo1_500.jpg
The whole kit and kaboodle. I've got additional pictures of all these if anyone's clamoring for some reason. Finding them places around the home is a hassle; I need to find folks to give some of these to. A year of doing this adds up in terms of finding space!

Thanks EZ. It's holding my wallet/keys etc at the moment on a shelf. I think it's a keeper.

I hope you don't mind but I reblogged that one. It's striking.

go to town! someday it would be fun to get to the point where i could sell these goddamn things to defray the CONSIDERABLE cost of this hobby.
with studio costs, clay costs, firing and glaze costs I think I ran about $500 this semester... each piece averages out at like $20. Of course I'm not doing this for the pieces, I'm doing it to make a piece that matters to me many years down the line, but there's no way to do it but to do it and it ain't cheap to do!

I really love the Blue Chun vase, forks --- and the Civil War glaze is SO pretty!

everything you said about the learning process is so otm with my own experience in art classes, is to let go of the value judgement and just get zen with the technique. once you stop mentally pumping the brakes, it frees you up to really enjoy and be rewarded by what you're making.

My fifth three-month season's output is coming out of the kiln yesterday today and tomorrow. I'm picking up 24 pieces at tomorrow's studio showing but my teacher posted a few shots of classwork on his site.
My work this season for me was focused on making stuff generally larger and throwing bowls especially.
Obsessive discussion on this stuff shortly once I get it, photograph it and write it up, but here's the stuff that my prof liked that I can definitely claim:

http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2775/_FCB2775.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2777/_FCB2777.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2788/_FCB2788.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2836/_FCB2836.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2841/_FCB2841.jpg
^this one is big enough to fit on my head and completely cover my ears or at least it was after the first firing

Everything folks did this season:
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12.html

we had a nanophysicist in my class this semester; he's been doing this about as long as I have but the dude is already an amateur carpenter and a fucking genius and over the past three months he produced like fifteen pieces that were all experiments and daring attempts at exciting forms.
His skill at this is really nutty, to say nothing of the balls it takes to keep trying drastically different forms and methods. He bought a wheel for his home and says he's throwing a piece when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep.
Here's some of his stuff:
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2776/_FCB2776.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2799/_FCB2799.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2847/_FCB2847.jpg
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2860/_FCB2860.jpg

your new pieces all look v good. this seems like a really fun hobby.

Nice forks! Each batch shows serious improvement. I also have to say that other guy has some chops.

otm the first one in that post is something i'd put in my crib in a heartbeat

one more that turned out to be mine:
http://www.nynjceramics.com/academy_students/Pages/student_work_sp_12_files/Media/_FCB2790/_FCB2790.jpg

beautiful work, forks!

practical question: where the heck do you keep all of them?

practical answer: all the ones except the one that fits over his head are approx one inch wide

lol

i have some shelves. But this new set of 24 has gotta be put away. basically i need to give them away or tuck them away on top of shelves. gonna do that after i photograph.

i give away the older,less interesting stuff as i upgrade to work i'm more proud of

by 'upgrade' do u mean lionel richie head, y/n

okay are you ready for the apotcalypse?

https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo1_1280.jpg
Oxidation firing.
Seacrest Celadon glaze.
5 and 3/4 inches tall. 3 1/2 inches at base. 8 inches wide across handle and spout. 5 inches wide at rim.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo3_1280.jpg
This is my first pitcher. I'm reasonably pleased with the spout and the shape, even though it torqued a tad. Firing straightened the bottom out considerably. The handle is a little sloppy but the whole thing is entirely usable, which is (as I understand it) something of a triumph when it comes to making a pitcher.
The glaze is warm and honeyed and intended to not distract the eye from the form or to make it stand out. I may actually park this by my bedside table as a legit ewer... or I would if I had thrown a lid. That's a challenge for the next class.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo5_1280.jpg
Oxidation firing.
Buttermilk glaze on interior and rim. Davidson Purple glaze on exterior.
7 inches diameter. 2 1/2 inches tall.
Part of an ongoing set of faux-Japanese bowls that I'm doing in both purple and green. The exposed raw-clay faux-kanji shapes are achieved by applying wax to the bisque-fired clay prior to glazing. The glaze runs off the wax and, after the piece is fired, the wax vaporizes to leave exposed stoneware.
I discovered that the shallower shorter bowls don't lend themselves as well to this technique; it's a little overly busy. Plus the drippy white rim that runs down and that generally looks good doesn't work too great when there's no room for it to run. Learning.
On the plus side, this was thrown fairly well; the walls are thin and the piece is fairly light. You don't HAVE to throw pottery with thin walls and bottom or make the piece feel balanced; I threw some pieces intentionally heavy. As a general rule though, light pieces are harder to make and a sign of some skill.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo6_1280.jpg
Oxidation firing.
Lapis Blue glaze with Mamo White glaze ladled over.
4 1/2 inches tall. 2 3/4 inches at rim. 3 1/4 inches at foot. About 5 1/2 inches at widest midpoint.
I'm very pleased with how this turned out; it's a thick, squat vase good for single blooms. This glaze combo is a definite winner and one I'll want to come back to in the near future.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo7_1280.jpg
Reduction firing.
Ox Blood glaze exterior over Teadust Tenmoku glaze interior.
4 inches at rim. 3 1/4 at foot. About 4 1/2 inches at widest midpoint.
The photos here don't really do justice to the depth of the red; when this isn't under direct light, it's a very moody and fiery piece and the interior cracks in the glaze are basically invisible. This glaze combo feels really good to me. I'm also happy with the throwing on this: there's not much excess clay, the foot is really clean and the bottom is flat. Pretty proud of this one.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo8_1280.jpg

nice. Love that blue & white one. I like your progress reports that accompany each piece.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo9_1280.jpg
Oxidation firing.
Blue Ying Ching glaze.
4 3/4 inches tall. 3 3/4 at rim. 3 inches at rim. About 4 1/4 inches at widest midpoint.
A possible sake decanter? The carving at the base is meant to evoke mountains. Blue Ying Ching does a neat thing where it bubbles up under the glaze in a way that can make the pottery seem effervescent and can create distance from the surface to the clay underneath.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6cpcqs3y91qzyx8yo10_1280.jpg

And another, this one also sculpted by the same friend but out of bisque and freshly underglazed to emphasize carved textures. Next step is glazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABX-hW8Oz_g

Last finished piece of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sosBn6wbcRM