FINISHED POTTERY!!!!

Week #1
Have not made plans yet with what to do with this small bowl or this mug. I think I am keeping both mugs for us and this small dish will be on my night stand to hold small things like chapstick or hairties.

Week #2
Another mug I will probably keep and my husband has put a claim  on this small bowl to use on his nightstand.

Week #3
I do plan to keep my bulbous vase. And the bowl in the back with the black on it is being used as a candy dish. I have not decided what to do with the other bowl.

Week #4
The smaller dish I plan to give as a Mother's Day gift to be used as a butter dish. I have made another one that I will be glazing soon so that I have a butter dish to give to my mom & my mother-in-law. I have not decided what to do with this platter. My instructor had suggested we can always give pieces as a hostess gift when we go to a dinner or party and put a snack to share on it and leave for the hostess to keep. So that might be what this one becomes, although my daughter really likes it and wants it. But I do have something else for her that is waiting to be glazed. The circular platter is being used as a candle holder, it matches the candy dish I made above.

Week #5
My daughter has already claimed the curvy dish as something to put her jewelry in. The other curvy piece is a low vase, which is perfect for the wildflowers we have planted in our landscaping. The others  I was thinking about giving a friend with a candle to use as a candle platter and the circular piece I am planning to fill with candy and give to my daughter's teacher for Teacher Appreciation Day.

Week #6
The 2 big pieces I did to use as decorative pieces in our bedroom (a bedroom re-model is in the near future). The bowl and other cylinder piece I have no idea what I will do with.

This is everything I created during the duration of the 7 week class. I did go in a few times and made 12 more items! I am still amazed that I made 17 items during those 7 weeks and only 1 broke. Currently, the 12 items have all been glazed and being put in the kiln for the final firing this afternoon. I plan to go pick them up this weekend.

Most of those 12 pieces I have plans for and made them with people in mind. I made 4 coordinating pieces for my brother and new sister-in-law to give them as wedding presents. I hope they like them and appreciate them. I can't imagine that they have much for party/dinner service ware and might appreciate having some matching pieces. Also, I made plates with my kids names on them for them.

I hope to take another class in the future to learn better techniques and how to make some new stuff, but in the meantime I did purchase a membership to the Art Center so that I can buy more clay and make more stuff. I spent some time on etsy & pinterest yesterday getting ideas of other things I want to make.

Pottery Class - Week #7

 Here is the glazing room at the Art Center. All those buckets are different colors of glazes.

On one of the walls is examples of all 2 color combinations of glazes on both red and porcelain clay.

This was fun trying to figure out what color combinations I wanted. Since I had no plans for any of the pieces (couldn't get attached, you know!) I had not thought how they would be used or given to.

I ended up decided to use the color Caribbean Green as the under or over glaze for each one of my pieces, then no matter what I chose to use them for they would coordinate regardless of the type of clay, pattern or shape of the piece. That color was my favorite.

This picture is of many of our glazed pieces, just waiting to be fired next time the kiln was loaded.

Pottery Class - Week #6

This was my most productive week. I made 5 pieces in one night, but it helped that I didn't have anything ready to be trimmed and there wasn't much for instruction this night, so we could get right to work.

I hopped on the wheel right away and made 2 pieces. I really have no idea what I will use this for. It could work well for a vase my my peonies, or maybe a pencil holder.

 I wanted to learn to make a piece that flared out, as I had not really done that with any other pieces. There is just so much to learn how to do.

I wanted to do some slab rolling with the porcelain and see how it worked with that. This platter I did a fabric imprint. I am not sure I am happy with how it turned out with the creases, but I guess we will see how the finished product looks when it is all glazed.

 This was a deeper dish and I really liked the curvy pieces I made before so I thought I would try a bigger one. I was thinking it might make a very pretty fruit bowl, very decorative!

I had made this piece in the red clay during week #4, but it had shattered after when I put it in the bisque room. I really wanted a platter this size/shape/pattern so thought I would try it again in the porcelain clay.

I should totally be wearing makeup if I am going to have my picture taken. Thought I would get at least one picture of me with my stuff, to show I was actually there. :)

Pottery Class - Week 5

 Here are my 4 pieces I created during week 5. Only 2 more classes left and then we have 2 weeks after class ends to come in during open lab time to finish up our projects.

I came in to this day's class wanting to go a  little more free form and try to make something quirky, very one of a kind. I think I succeeded.

 This was my first piece of the night. Since I had 2 weeks off from the wheel I wanted to start out with just making a bowl and see how this porcelain clay works.

 I was working on a bowl, but made it too thin towards the base and had to cut it off. Didn't want to waste the opportunity, so I sculpted it in to a trivet. Our instructor says that trivets are a good way to experiment with glazes. And to be honest, I could use a nice candle holder for a 3 wick or to put a jar candle on.

 I went in to this one wanting to experiment and make something quirky, but what I first started out trying to accomplish (as far as the look) is not what I ended up with. Since I am working with limited skills, I was not quite the manipulator of the clay, so I let the clay be more in control and worked with the fluidity (is that a word even?) that the clay had and made this wavy bowl.

Again, I was trying to do something else and then I caught my hand and it pulled the clay in and I was deciding between starting it over and trying to see what I could create with my new form. I went with continuing with my new form. I had intended on making a vase (and it still is), but my vision changed and I really liked how this turned out. I really hope this makes it through glazing and final firing.