Ceramics 1 -- Narrative

Our assignment was to do a narrative. I chose "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and represented three scenes. It was a lot of fun. Some other students had no idea what I was doing, but others picked it up right away. I'll do more of this. In the kiln the three pieces were side by side on the same shelf. Notice how differently they came out. This is one of the interesting and wonderful (and frustrating) things about ceramics. Here are the details:

Project: Narrative – Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Method: Slab construction with relief
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Zeller White
Colorants: Red iron oxide, cobalt carbonate, copper carbonate, yellow ochre, rutile, manganese dioxide, black iron oxide

Size: 8 inches x 6 inches

Ceramics 1 -- Ikebana vase

Our assignment was to do a form that emphasized interior and exterior shape. I created this Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) vase for that purpose. This glaze is the same combination (blue over white) as was done for the tall teapot. Notice the difference. It is very interesting. Here are the details:

Project: Interior/exterior ikebana vase
Method: Slab construction
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Salt Lake Blue / Zeller White

Size: 8 inches x 8 inches

Ceramics 1 -- Ancient Japanese Teabowl

About half way through the class I started using the wheel to throw pots. This is the first one. I also was studying ancient Japanese art history so I tried my hand at an ancient Japanese teabowl. I think this glaze worked very well. Here are the details:

Project: Ancient Japanese teabowl
Method: Wheel thrown
Clay: Recycled
Glaze: Tenmoku / Golden Yellow

Size: 5 inches (H)

Ceramics 1 -- Positive/Negative Raku Vessel

We all wanted to experiment with Raku and I also needed to create a "positive/negative" construction so I combined them into this vessel. It probably would have been better if I had left more clay unglazed as this would have turned black during firing, but it turned out pretty well. I use this with a candle to throw shadows on the wall. Here are the details:

Project: Positive/negative raku vessel
Method: Slab construction
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Hines Patina Raku

Size: 6 inches (D)

Ceramics 1 -- Figurative Sculpture

This is a garden sculpture of a man. It shows some Asian influence as I have been studying East Asian Art History. The photograph isn't quite as good as I would have liked but you can get the idea of what it looks like. I enjoyed this a lot and plan to do some more figures. Here are the details:

Project: Figuritive sculpture
Method: Coil and slab construction
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Utah Red

Size: 18 inches (H)

Ceramics 1 -- Tall Teapot

This is my second project for Ceramics 1. It is a slab-constructed teapot. I use it everyday. I especially like the green glaze which is a combination of white underneath and blue on top. Here are the details:

Project: Tall teapot
Method: Slab construction
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Salt Lake Blue / Zeller White

Size: 8 inches (H)

Ceramics 1 -- Coil Vase

This was my first project for Ceramics 1. It is a hand-made coil vessel. I think it came out really well. I like the drip a lot. Here are the details:

Project: Vase
Method: Coil construction
Clay: Soldate 60
Glaze: Golden Yellow / Utah Red

Size: 9 inches (H)