Tuesday, October 18, 2011

SF, 2- some things I learned

I learned a lot when I was touring pottery studios and galleries- by looking and talking to folks.  Some new techniques- like this, which is very similar to the crayon scratch-art we did as kids- though I don't think I *quite* got it, I'm mostly pleased with the results.  And wondering how I'd like it with another color as the base layer.  It isn't what I anticipated, but I'm not disappointed with the results, either.  I saw some pieces in process like this at Fourth and Clay, so I'm not 100% sure how they were supposed to turn out.  That may be good, because where I take the process from here will be entirely up to me.  It's very painterly, isn't it?

I also learned that I need to take greater care with the bottoms of my pieces.  Sometimes I don't catch things in time to make the bottoms smooth and pleasing, or trim them quite properly.  There might be a rough spot from an air bubble that I let pass because it's on the bottom.  I need to pay more attention to those details.  On the flip side, I saw some very expensive pieces by celebrated potters that had some quirks would have made me scrap the pieces entirely- handles not attached smoothly, some uneven/peely glaze issues.  Potters aren't perfect.  Neither is the work of our hands.  We aren't factories and some things slip by us.  Lesson for me- Melissa Bridgman needs to cut herself some slack.  Point taken.

So- it is Tuesday, the kiln needs loading and firing, and I'm looking forward to a large pot of soup on this first really cold day of fall.  Hope y'all have a good week.


2 comments:

amy h said...

Yeah, I've even been trying to be more accepting of a crack on the bottom of a piece if it doesn't go all the way through to the inside. I was surprised when I saw that my Ayumi Horie mug had a little crack on the bottom. But it functions just fine. And it's beautiful. I think I have learned more about pottery from my two Ayumi Horie mugs than I learned in some of my classes. Really, using them every day is very educational!

sarah jean, said...

i'm glad it was such an inspiring trip.

good lesson you received, we all need to cut ourselves a little slack in one way or another. thanks for the reminder.