Ceramics is a course in which students explore a broad range of techniques and approaches to art through hand building with clay. Students learn to approach ceramic artwork as both functional and sculptural objects. Development of technical skills and artistic vocabulary include scoring, slipping, hand building (slab, coil, and pinch techniques), wheel throwing, bisque firing, under glazing, and glazing, plus the endless alternative possibilities involved with clay. Students experiment with various glazes and slips and are introduced to the history of ceramic art. It is my hope that through hard work and exploration the students find their own individual style. Students are taught how to create basic cylindrical and bowl forms through the instruction of either hand-building and/or wheel-throwing techniques. Focus is on process and the enjoyment of exploring, working and creating with your hands in clay.
THE PINCH POT
Our ceramics class created pinch pots. A pinch pot is a simple form of hand-made pottery produced from ancient times to the present. The pinching method is to create pottery that can be ornamental or functional, and has been widely employed across cultures and times. Simple clay vessels such as bowls and cups of various sizes can be formed and shaped by hand using a methodical pinching process in which the clay walls are thinned by pinching them with thumb and forefinger. It is a basic pot making method often taught to young children or beginners. The process begins with a ball of clay. Thumbs are pushed into the center, and then rudimentary walls are created by pinching and turning the pot. The pot is then pushed on a flat surface to create a flat surface, thereby creating the base. A base can be made by rolling three coils and pressing them together, and then onto the bottom of the pot. Pinched, compressed clay may also be used as a base for building coil pots. The base of the pot is less prone to cracking when formed this way.
COIL POTS
Coiled pots are constructed by gradually stacking and joining coils of clay one on top of the other. The coils can be left visible or can be smoothed away depending on your desired aesthetic end result. It is important that the coils join well during construction to avoid cracking or separation during the drying and firing process.