A working progress: Working With clay
Working with clay, I am creating tableware with a unique, art nouveau-like design. After first making the large bowl (shown here, on left) that is about a foot and a half wide, I was inspired to create an entire tableware set based on the design. Thus far, only the large bowl and two plates have been made; this is because of the large amount of time and effort it requires to make the pieces.
To create the design, I used the subtractive method and put in several hours of work. Because of the large amount of time and dedication ceramics requires, people say that potters work on their own time. Clay, in my experience, isn’t a forgiving material because if you make one mistake you may destroy the entire piece. That is why when I work in my ceramic studio, I plan to allot the whole day to work. It’s difficult to predict how clay will work with you, especially when creating something you have never tried before.
When ceramists work with clay, there is always a degree of unknown. My professor, Matt Povse, even said that after many years of working with clay he still has ceramic works break on him. Sometimes you might need to create something three or four times before it is successful. The large bowl I am working on now has a very large chance of cracking during the firing process due to its scale and weak areas. Even with much planning, a ceramic work can still turn out differently then a ceramist wanted, simply by where it was placed in the kiln.
Though I only have a vague idea of what to create, I plan to complete my table set by creating cups and bowls with a matching theme. If you would like to help with creating an idea please comment below. Feel free, too, to ask me any questions or share any experiences you have had working with clay.
