My idea for my magnet project was inspired by the Valentine candies called Sweethearts. I wanted a cute message that would fill most of the heart, yet describe my view of my then boyfriend because it was a gift. So, I decided to go with the phrase, "Cutie Pie". To start the project I wedged my clay to ensure success in the bisque fire. I then flattened the clay and cut a small, symmetrical heart. After that, I deeply pressed in small letters to spell "Cutie Pie", and took them out carefully. Once bisque fired, I painted the heart with acrylic paint, making it as realistic as possible to the candies. This artwork shows that you can make simple things like candy an art that can forever be appreciated. The most difficult thing was painting with acrylic because I kept messing up and mixing the colors wrong. This art is realistic to mimic the look of candy. I love this project for its message and details.  

My idea for this project was to make a leaf that looks like a folded leaf which holds and pours liquid. Ironically I found a cool Monstera leaf design that made it convenient to my idea.  So I got started wedging my clay and flattening it with the slab roller. I laid out my pattern and pressed it in. I cut the slabs smooth and made sure the pieces that would connect are symmetrical. I then pinched the two sides together and attached a bottom to the walls. I then made a dip at the top where water can pour out. This artwork shows the beauty of nature and colors. I want the people who make art to use lots of vibrant colors because the world is becoming more dull. The most difficult part of this project was the Monstera leaf pattern would smudged away and become smooth. I fixed this by tracing the pattern back into the pitcher when I was done. I would consider this art vibrant botanical art. I love plants and I love pitchers for some reason and I am happy with how it turned out. 

My idea was to use this cool tiki pattern and make it into a slump drape bowl. When I saw that cool pattern in the back I immediately thought of tiki and a hot, humid island's day.  First, I wedged my clay and smoothed it out with the slab roller. I then pressed in the tiki pattern with this roller, and found a sun and decided to press it in the center. I got a foam circle and tapped the clay into the bowl shape and trimmed the edges. I want my audience to think about those tiki human statues, and how those can be applied in other ways. When I see the sun in the center of the artwork, it reminds me of the move Tangled. The most difficult part of making this bowl was pressing the patterns because on the first try I didn't press hard enough then I had to go over it again and it overlapped. I overcame this struggle by smoothing the overlapping part together and redoing the pattern. 

This slump drape bowl, "Rustic Garden", was required just like my other bowl, "The Tiki's Sun". I got the idea to make a smaller bowl to hold small items like jewelry. I found a small pattern strip with flowers and leaves, and thought it would be a perfect, cute detail for my side table because I love nature. To make this, I first started out wedging my clay and putting it through the slab roller. I pressed in the floral pattern as evenly as possible. I then took a Styrofoam circle and tapped the clay into a bowl shape. I trimmed the edges, smoothed them, and waited for the bowl to dry. It was then fired, and I chose the glaze "Chum Plum", which is a purplish color. After firing, it turned out to be more of an orange tone. This artwork was just for the purpose of having a functional bowl I can use. Pressing in the pattern was still the hardest thing for me cause I never get it even enough or have varying pressure. The style of this bowl is botanical art. It is unique to me because I like flowers, and most of my art concerns nature. 

My idea was to make a incense holder that would reflect me and my hobbies. I got the idea from trying to find my then boyfriend the perfect incense holders, but they were all crappy or looked like they could start a fire. To make this leaf, I first rolled out a slab. Then, I cut out a leaf shape, slightly larger than what I needed. I then laid it into a foam circle for support and to develop its shape. I then pinch the center up to make the vein of the leaf,  I smoothed the edges with a sponge, and poked a tiny hole which holds the stick. There is no secret meaning of the project, but I want my audience to know that you can make things that look cool and represent you, yet are functional. The most difficult part was making sure the hole was just big enough and held the stick at the right angle.  This art is funtional and represent nature. This artwork represents my personal style of the outdoors and plants. Overall, I love that it is actually functional and cute. 

I was looking at Pinterest for a ceramic piece I can make that is not too hard, matches my style, and can be functional. I scrolled up some acorn jars and thought it was a great idea. I thought it was perfect because in real life acorn caps come off of the shell and open up.  To start making the main jar, i got a chunk of clay and started wedging my clay to ensure it won't explode. After I wedged thoroughly, I pushed a hole into the center and pinched around the edge. This made the bowl widen to my liking.  I then smoothed all the rough patches down that were bumpy and had fingerprints. To make the lid i did the same thing and made sure it fit the top of the main jar. On the lid I then attached the little stem to the acorn top. After everything was smoothed, I carved in patterns using a metal tool. The most difficult part of this project was making sure the lid fit, and that the glazed looked good. My piece fits my style of nature. Overall I love that it looks like an acorn, but the lid fits a little awkward, and the glaze is a little off. 

Pinterest again inspired my idea for this project. I have been seeing lots of orchids, and I decided to make a cute, unique pot for my baby orchid at home. I saw many examples of clay pots, but the one that stuck out to me had many circular holes for aeration. There are two parts to this project: the dish and the pot. First, as always, I wedged my clay to ensure a perfect product. Next, I made multiple slabs using the slab roller. One slab, I used to create my dish. I cut out a big circle and pinched the edges up evenly. The other slab I connected to make walls, then slip and scored and attached a bottom, making a pot shape. Then, I started to cut out all the holes including the bottom drainage hole. I made the to smooth out all the rough edges from cutting.  I carved my initials into both pieces and they went through the kiln. I then found a cool glaze layer that turns blues and blacks, then glazed the inside black. The most difficult part of this project was cutting out the holes in the side. But, overall, I like this piece a lot and I already have my baby orchid in it. 

This pot was my second pot thrown on the wheel.