So after the success of the 8 week pottery course at loam. I went back for the 6 week summer term.
Where last term I was given projects to do each week, this term it was up to me what I wanted to learn. I'd had plenty of time to think about it so had a fair idea of what I wanted to achieve.
Week 1 and I made 4 plates. They aren't my favourate thing to make, but I have a plan for these plates. More about that in a separate post later in the year.
At the end of the last term I had also made a 'bead bowl'. I've got a crazy idea about making some clay beads to go with some of my glass beads. While they can be bisque fired anywhere in the kiln, when it comes to glaze them they need to be 'hung' so they don't touch anything while they are firing, otherwise they will stick to whatever they are touching. So I made a bead bowl so I can hang them when firing.
Having thrown my plates, I turned the bottom of my bead bowl, just to tidy it up - it doesn't need to be pretty.
Week 2, I turned my plate bottoms, then I started glazing some of my things from last term. One plate, and two of my vases.
In week 3 I asked if I could make some lidded pots. I'd watched a couple of ladies do this last term and really wanted to have a go myself. Jack spent ages with me showing me what to do. It starts very like making a mug. But then you have to finish the top with a lip for the lid.
With two pots thrown, I then had to make the lids. A bunch of measurement is needed here to make them fit. And I actually made four, in the hope that at least two would fit. It was fun making the lid and handle as one piece.
In week 4 my lidded pots were ready to turn. I started with my pots, keeping them nice and square. Then I had to decide which lids I wanted to keep. I turned one of the spares first as practice, before turning the ones I wanted to keep. I was very pleased with the fit. However, until they've been fired you don't know if they will continue to fit well. Nail biting stuff!
With my pots sorted I then contined glazing. I started with three plates from week one. (I'm not sure what had happened to the 4th, it caught up with me later.) And one plate from last term.
I've got a bit of an obsession with leaves and I'd been talking to Jack about how to include leaves in my work. Once the clay has been fired a live leave won't stick to it. So I'd made some paper templates out of newspaper at home based on a liquid amber leaf. I now used one of these on my plate, so I could paint glaze over it and leave a leaf shape when it was dry. I also used two of my paper leaves on one of my larger vases. A course like this is the perfect time to experiment.
On week 5 I threw vases. I ended up with 4, but I know I threw more than that. Several of them crashed. It's all good practice. Part of the issue I think, was because I was trying to make them small and I wasn't sure what shape I was aiming for.
This time I had bought small leaves picked from the garden - feild maple and hawthorn, which I then pushed into the wet clay of two of the vases and left.
Then in the last week I started by turning the bottoms of my vases. I can't say I'm that impressed with the shapes I managed except for one of them.
One had four leaves stuck to it (now mouldy!) which I painted over with blue slip. Once it was dry I peeled the leaves off. They left some great imprints, so hoping they will still show up once fired and glazed.
The one with the good shape I carved lines into and also painted with slip.
While these dried I did more glazing. This time another plate from the first term and the 'missing' plate from week 1. I also glazed one of the lidded pots. The fit is really good for both of them right now, so I need to be careful that the glaze doesn't mess this up! Fingers crossed.
I then went back to the now dry vase and worked off all the dry slip that I didn't want.
If you've been paying attention, you'll know that this isn't everything glazed! And the last 4 vases haven't even been fired for the first time yet! So yes I'll be going back to finish things off - hopefully in mid August.
Over the course of this term I bought home 5 plates and 3 vases. I am extremely pleased with the vases. All very different but lovely in their own ways. The newspaper leaves worked so well and I love both the plate and vase! It's so nice when things turn out well.
I won't be going back in the autumn, only because I don't have a massive desire to throw anything else right now. However, I do think I'll be trying some hand building at home to see what I can make that way.
So if you are in the area and want to have a go at pottery, I would definitely recomment loam. I may well go back in the future.
Once everything has been glazed and fired I'll post again with proper photos of all the finished work.
