Yunomi.

This is a fairly large yunomi that I made to accommodate my coffee habit.
I like a big coffee, and at first this was more than adequate. But it's like a house. No matter how big it is, you end up filling it.

A thrown foot.

A freshly thrown foot.
Left in a "rough" state, awaiting to be cleaned up when a little (in a few hours) dryer.

The bowl has been finished in its "greenware" stage and it's now in a draft free cupboard to dry very slowly. With a different clay for the foot, it's likely that it will crack where it is joined. So all precautions are being taken.

Fresh clay.

I know your supposed to wait 3 Months, but I made this clay this morning.
Make clay, add yoghurt and wait 3 months for it to mature. The yoghurt feeds bacteria, bacteria eat the edges of the clay particles and let the water penetrate further.
This is fine if your not curious. I'm wanting to see what colour this fires too, and putting a little ball of it in the kiln doesn't cut it sometimes. I'm interested to see what the iron oxide fires like. I bought it from the local hardware store. Meant for colouring concrete it's not as refined as my usual source. I think this is why you can see it streaking.

The base will be narrowed a little when I throw a foot on. The clay gets pushed across to work in with the added foot clay and help it all meld together.

Bone dry, garden clay bowl.

The clay looks good.
No signs of cracking in the thrown body or where the thrown foot meets it.
So, fingers crossed as I head to the next stage: bisque fire.

If you want to support me, please look at the right hand column.
Consider BUYING one of the books. (I've read them all, and I do recommend all of them). Also at the bottom you can"join this site" to give me a warm fuzzy feeling that you are reading, looking and enjoying my adventures with clay..

Throwing clay from the garden.

This is clay from my garden.
It throws beautifully. And almost looks good enough to eat.

Vertical (vorto) hand thrown form.

I'm on a production footing now. The weather is just right in the studio, and I feel motivated.

I've also moved to category 2 :-)

Green pots.

This is what my bowls look like before firing.
The foot is thrown on the bowl and compressed with a bamboo flat tool to shape and avoid cracking.
I tend to like them at this stage almost as much as the final glazed form.
The line of this shape is just right for me. I enjoy this so much when the lines are working.

Clay from home.

I've started down the path of making my own clay again.
I've found some clay about 50cm down that is moist and plastic enough to roll into a ball (not damp enough to roll into a nice smooth round ball).
The photo shows this ball of clay after a ^10 ox. firing.
Today the clay I dug up was dry enough to add water to and delaminate. Tomorrow I will mix it and sieve it.
Looking forward to the next week when I get to test it on the wheel...

Stretching light + time.

The final act.

I often wonder, and suspect it true. That I really make vessels to photograph.

I have always enjoyed the process of arranging and framing a shot; and to come up with a new way to find interest in an inanimate object is quite exciting.

I guess the need for an interesting subject informs the need for development in the potters studio. So one informs the other.

Back at it.

It's been a while. It's been a fair while.
It's been a long cold Winter, but Spring is her and the studio looks inviting again.
Looking forward to converting the shapes I see in my minds eye, to clay, forming on the potters wheel.

Next.

Enough about me. You need to have a look at these 2 fine potters.

http://www.cone11.com.au/

Heatwave after heatwave.

Been a while, it's just too hot to go to the studio and be creative. One record heatwave after the other.
I am doing my best to keep the garden going and the native birds hydrated.

Just thrown bowl.

After months away from the studio, this is the First bowl thrown. 1st day of Summer for 2013, a great way to cool of with hands constantly dripping with cold water. andrew widdis 1st of Dec. 2013.

Beaker.

Vorto beaker
Porcelain, clear glaze.

Today; last day of Winter
Firing the kiln.
Taking photo's.
Playing with light.
Anticipating Spring tomorrow.

Shot at night.

Shot at night using a torch.

Bowls.

Bowls with spirals from the side of my thumb, made during the last movement to define the shape of the bowl.
I love the daring involved in making these lines. The clay is compressed tightly between my fingers on the inside and the edge of my thumb on the outside; one wrong move of either hand and it can go pear shape (almost literally).

The curve of the foot is also shaped by my thumb. I do not trim, I hate the mess it makes.

Big foot.

Hand thrown bowl with thrown foot.
Gloss and satin glazes.
Oxidation fired to ^10.

Bowl, dots and a line or two.

It's the curve/line of the bowl that pushes me to make the next bowl. It's the glaze and layering that has me eager to open the kiln after an agonising wait of a 48 hour firing process. The dots, I think, focus the eye.

Bowl.

A new bowl with some minimal decoration adornment of ash and iron spots on a satin glaze.

I'm enjoying this, but it's hard to get myself into the studio on these cold winter days. Zero degrees overnight now.

http://www.andrewwiddis.com

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