Throwing

Week 1. Anne Hudson joins Terry and I for this last module of the year, which finds us returning to the wheel. Really happy to get back on the wheel which has definitely taken a back seat while we focus on one module at a time (while trying to get at least one work completed from earlier modules, with only partial success I might add). In this second throwing module we begin by returning to the cylinder, being the root of much throwing work. Our project over the next few weeks is to create a still life, creating ceramic versions in clay, of a group of objects or shapes.

• 

• 

First day was all about getting back on the wheel and hoping that the old ‘just like riding a bike’ saying was in fact true about throwing a cylinder. Not too bad. One of the approaches Anne takes when creating a vessel is to disrupt it in some way to give it a unique quality that does not exist in the mass produced ceramics designed entirely for their functionality. Once she had formed the cylinder, a spiral was introduced from the inside. Anne then pressed her thumb into the outer wall of the vessel to give it another unique element, making a very obvious feature of the ‘marks of the maker’. I have now added this to my cylinders to see if this works for me. Quite like the look I think.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Week 2. As requested, Anne demonstrated the throwing of both a larger bowl and the platter you see above. Starting with a wide base (that can be trimmed later to reduce its width) helps to provide sufficient support for the flaring out of the side walls, avoiding the all too common collapse as we try to extend the diameter of the platter beyond its capacity to hold itself up. A fair amount of clay is left in the base for trimming when sufficiently dry. Compression of the clay platelets when making a wide base for a platter is very important to limit the potential for an ‘S’ crack to form, especially when subjected to the heat of the kiln. The sides of the platter can be pulled out, but care must be taken to ensure that there is a good balance between the weight of clay in the wall and the angle applied to it. I have yet to achieve success in this regard. After using her one-of-a-kind tool, Anne smooths and contours the platter, applying a manganese slip with a gestural brushstroke, before cutting the platter from the batt and setting aside to dry.

• 

• 

• 

• 

A quick sketch of an older-style corrugated iron water tank gives some inspiration for my planned still-life. Utilising the cylinder, and focussing on the surface treatment, I am aiming to construct a set of three corrugated water tanks for this module. The weeks are speeding by though, and if there is any chance I am going to be able to complete this project in time, I will need to get these cylinders made and bisque-fired before class next Wednesday. I am thinking about applying a white stoneware slip to the surface of the buff stoneware clay body before it dries, to hopefully give a better ground for revealing the colours of the glazes I might choose to use.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Using a home-made tool, corrugations were turned into the firming outer walls of the thrown cylinders. Some dents and scratches have been introduced to take up some of the planned oxides, hopefully given the clay an aged-iron effect. One of the three cylinders in the still life has collapsed due to its age, and will be set apart from the other two as a commentary about isolation in old age. The other two operational cylinders are to be set on simple wooden platforms to reference the gravity-fed nature of older style water tanks. Hopefully this will not detract from the ceramic nature of the still-life.

• 

• 

• 

• 

My set of three ‘water tank’ cylinders have now been coloured with a red iron oxide and overplayed with a greyish glaze that might hopefully reference the corrugated iron used in the construction of pre-plastic tanks. I think I might have slightly overdone the red iron oxide on the tank above. In the kiln now and being fired to 1160 so more pics to come if they have remained in one piece.

• 

• 

Perhaps staying with a simple oxide might have been better! Not the outcome I was aiming for but I sure I can put what I now know to good use when adding colour and texture to future works. The application of the initial oxide layer appeared effective, but the following layers of a base white glaze with an overload of alumina in the form of china clay (produced a greyish tone on a test tile) didn’t collect a sufficient amount of oxide to bring the two together. The green layer was simply overdone and much too glossy and uniform. There is a small exposed bare patch that would have looked effective with just a hint of green with a more matt glaze. The crumpled old water was again the victim of an over zealous pourer. Less is more.