More and More Pottery

My sister, Brytten Noel called me two days before I was heading out to Spearfish for Thanksgiving asking for pottery which just thrilled me beyond belief. She uses pottery in the same way I do and even had to stop at Walgreens for a half hour on Thanksgiving Day to buy an assortment of makeup brushes to fill up three of the pots I gave her.

The Ceramics Jeans

Clay Happiness

Creating ceramics makes me so ridiculously happy. I might even have dreams about it all. I love the feel of the whole process in my hand. Starting with the wet clay. Then the warmed, bisque-fired piece. Then the gooey-ness of the glaze wrapping itself around the piece. And then the final shiny pot. Here is a look at what has been created so far this semester.

The Pottery

I often describe things as my favorite thing ever but one prominent "favorite thing ever" this semester was working in the pottery studio. I loved the music that played throughout the studio, the feel of the clay in its various stages running between my fingers, the warmth of a piece that has just come out of the bisque kiln, and of course the final product coming out of the kilns. I like to put the final products in my hands and envision where in my future apartment or house they will take up residence or who I will give the piece to.

I love how this piece came out with what looks like lipstick marks on each side of the pot

Clay Art.

I started using a pottery wheel to throw my pots late in the semester and spent the majority of this last semester hand-building fairly massive pieces. Now since I have started throwing I have created about 35 pots. Here is a sampling of the first batch.

Everyone Needs a Gigantic Scarf Pot

My pottery style is looking like it is defined by making massive vessels just for the hell of it. I take a huge lump of clay and see if I can use all of it to create a pot. And so far that method has worked very well for me! Here is my latest gigantic masterpiece (if I do say so myself). As I was building it and developing its huge depth and size I decided it would be a perfect pot to hold a few of my scarves. I am thrilled by this because it combines two of my favorite things: scarves and pottery.

A New Take on Throwing on a Pottery Wheel

As I have mentioned in numerous posts the last few months, I am absolutely in love with my pottery class and my obsessiveness has kicked in to the point that I will definitely be needing my own pottery studio in my backyard one day. Right next to my horse pasture. And the hammock. In view of my library.

Last week our class attempted throwing with our feet and it was one of my favorite moments I have ever had in college as was the group feet washing that followed.

Go Augie Go!

Bowl.

This pottery piece is thus far my favorite. However that may change when my latest massive piece emerges from the kiln this weekend. A flower appeared in this bowl and I didn't even try for that. Today I decided, after a week of successful throwing on the wheel that left me with 17 new pieces, that I am going to have a ginormous amount of pottery after three semesters. So next spring, a year from now, when I am getting ready to graduate I am going to line my hallway with pieces I want to give away and invite all my former girls (the number will be around 100) to come and select a piece to keep. Even though I will be the one graduating, my Augie experience wouldn't have been anywhere near the same without those 100 women and I want to give them a graduation present.

See What Is Invading My Room

As a few previous posts have mentioned, I am absolutely loving my pottery class! Here is an image gallery of my latest collection of pieces.

Vessel made with slabs and coils 

Vessel with texture from my fingers smoothing out the clay

Crochet Coasters

Smaller texture pot that once was larger until I realized I only liked the top so I chopped it off!

Crochet Trinket Box

Birds!

Heart-shaped Coil Pot

My first attempt at creating a Raku pot and it turned out awesomely and is one of my new favorite things 1

Adding to the jewelry pot collection

Bowl of Bracelets

I like that clay can come together on imperfect terms and create something lovely. This particular pot doesn't have a perfect construction or glazing but I love it and it is the second piece in my jewelery-pot collection

Starting my Pottery Collection

My absolute favorite class this semester is Ceramics. The last time I took a ceramics class was my senior year in high school. Taking that class was kind of a fluke situation because I had been enrolled in Anatomy but then pulling a very Sanna-like move I fainted during two of the first three class periods. My teacher eventually called my mom (super cool) and advised me taking something else for "my own health." Thus my career in pottery began. When I took it in high school we had five set projects we had to do and really no room for a whole lot of creativity. Also, I was really stingy and saved all the pieces for myself except one bowl that I of course, gave to my grandpa.

Now as a junior in college I am taking possibly the best college course ever! We have all the liberty possible to make whatever we want and any amount of pieces we want. Also my stinginess is gone and I am preparing to give pottery gifts for every major occasion in the next year or so. Yesterday I buckled a huge vessel into my backseat to drive home and show my mom. A.K.A. I am getting to the obsessed point with creating pottery.

Here is my first round of creations...

This small bowl will forever and always hold these gold bangles

I might need to make special bowls for every bracelet I own 

I am most proud of this piece. It is so massive it echoes when I talk into it!

Flower pot for my grandpa!

Coasters! I rolled crochet with clay and am quite thrilled with the final product and have more sets coming!