Love for clay

21 September, 2013

Day 74

Cracked white bowl

*Click for larger image

White chamotte clay

Unfired

This bowl is similar to day 68,

only smaller.

Day 73

Pierced lamp

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White chamotte (40 %) clay,

Unfired

Day 72

Luminary

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Salmon color clay

Fired

Day 71

Pierced cupola luminary

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Yellow and salmon color clay

Unfired

It’s been quite a while that I didn’t update my blog so it’s time to finally do it!
This pinch pot project is much harder than I expected, especially when you don’t have time to do all the things that you want in a day.
So far I tested my limits, my weak points, my patience and much more with this project. I’m not a professional ceramist so I don’t have a studio to work at. For now I work in a little corner of my boyfriends working/living room. And sometimes the whole process of making something is really a venture. But that exciting story is for another time.

I decided to stop with pinch pot project when I reach a number of 100 pots. My initial idea was to make 365 of them! I was really enthusiastic at the beginning! But now I know in which direction I want to go with my work so I think it’s not necessary to go all the way with this project.

Hope you will stay with me and wait a little bit more for all this pinch pots that I made!

08 July, 2013

Shōji Hamada, japanese potter about feeling

The virtues of Hamada's pots are the virtues of the man himself.

His pots are assured, warm, spontaneous, robust and earthy in feeling.

The modulations of his pot forms are intuitively determined. Hamada wants to keep his pottery simple and uncomplicated. He has gone back to three sources...

First: he has recognised that the character of pottery is almost entirely dependent on good natural materials - and that this should be the fundamental conviction of every potter.

Second: he is convinced that the beauty of pottery finds its fullest expression only when it is linked with utility.

Third: it has been his aim to restore the making of pottery to its former position as an open craft in which anyone may share.

It is Hamada's way to draw as close as he can to the world that is natural, common and simple.

"Good taste" is a formula, but it is not so with "feeling"

." . . I often wish that people would take a step further and apply non-established, non-accepted standards and select work that has the true directness of feeling,

even if it is lacking in the expected taste. ..

If we reflect on our motive for making pottery we can make a start without mistakes.'"

Shōji Hamada, japanese potter

source: Art - NewZealand