Wheel Thrown Bowls

Making Wheel Thrown Bowls

Avery Speas "Wheel Thrown Bowls"

For these projects, I had to make wheel thrown bowls. My goal was to slightly alter each bowls shape but drastically change how I glazed the bowls. I wanted each bowl to have its own story and unique features. However, I needed the process to stay to same for all four bowls. I started by grabbing a softball size lump of clay. I beat the clay so that the air bubbles would escape from the clay. I then got the ball wet and made a slight cone shape. I then slammed it down on the wheel so that it would stay. I took the bottom of the ball and pressed it into the wheel so it wouldn’t fly off. I got my hands wet and then started the machine. I kept one arm pinched at my side as I used my right hand to guide the clay upward. Once it was decently tall, I pressed the top of the clay forward and the clay began to fall downward. Once it was compressed, I used three fingers to make a hole in the clay. It looked like a donut shape. Once I had pressed down far enough, I began to make the walls taller by placing my fingers on both sides of the clay and pulling upward. Once I was satisfied with the clay, I pulled it off the wheel using a wire tool. Once the clay was less wet, I trimmed up the bottom and sides of the bowl. I then glazed each bowl differently using different techniques.

Seashore

3x3x3, Stoneware and Glaze, 2026

I believe that this artwork means finding beauty in imperfection. This is similar to how the waves will never crash into the sand the same way they did 30 seconds ago. I think it means that not everything will turn out the way you want every single time. Since this was my first wheel thrown bowl, I made mistakes that I didn’t make on my other bowls. I want my audience to be able to relate to my artwork and I think that this is one that many could relate to. I think that the most difficult part of the process was knowing when to call it done. I kept wanting to fix more and more about the bowl. I then realized that I still had three more bowls to make on the wheel so it was acceptable to step away after tampering with it for so long. I think that the bowl is very unique to my style for a couple of reasons. The first being that I love to include beach art. Painting or ceramics, I love to have oceans in my art because it is my favorite place to be. I love the way the blue drips down like how waves crash into the sand.

Wild West

3x3x4, Stoneware and Glaze, 2026

I think that this artwork means being adventurous. Wild West was my second wheel thrown bowl and I tried to make it completely different from my first bowl. I wanted the sides to be taller and I wanted the bowl to be bigger. When choosing glaze colors, I picked more rustic and western colors so that when they came together, I got a completely different result than what I got with Seashore. I want my audience to see that while this bowl is not my best one, it looks like I tried to make this bowl different from the rest. This bowl was challenging to make because I tried to stretch out the clay without it getting too thin. I had to go back and redo the sides a couple times because they got way too thin and the bowl would not work properly. I think that the bowl is successful in conveying a feeling. I think you can look at it and think of being in Arizona or somewhere in the mountains. I feel that it transports you into a different world or even back in time where cowboys were popular.

Crispy Smore

4x4x3, Stoneware and Glaze, 2026

I think that this artwork means experimentation. I think this because I tried to make a wider bowl but keep the sides short. This was different compared to my first two bowls. I think that it also fits the experimentation theme based off of the glazing outcome. I think that it looks like a slightly crispy marshmallow. When you’re younger, you try to roast the “perfect” marshmallow, but sometimes, it gets burnt. I didn’t intentionally glaze that bowl to look “crispy” but that’s just how it came out. I think that the most difficult part of making this bowl was getting the top to be even and not ridged. I overcame this by focusing on trimming the bowl and getting the sides even. I think that the style of art the bowl most likely resembles is realistic art because it reminded me of a marshmallow almost immediately. I love that I can look at it and feel the fire and taste a s’more on my tongue!

Black Hole

2x3x4, Stoneware and Glaze, 2026

I think that this artwork means darkness can still have depth. I think this because while the color of the bowl seems dark and the bowl might not look all that interesting, I think that the process was what made the bowl special. I think that my experimentation with raising the walls makes this bowl special. If people look past the bowl just by the outcome, they are missing the process that made this bowl different and unique. It was most difficult to trim the bowl. I kept trying to get it centered so that I could evenly trim it, but I couldn’t seem to find center for a very long time. I had to be very patient and just keep trying over and over until I found center. I like that I experimented with the sides, making the bowl into a cone shape. I also like that the Cosmic Oil Spot glaze has a shimmer in it that really ties into the name of my bowl.

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