HS Ceramics I
Baseline Pitcher
Madison Gilroy's "Vase Full Of Love"
9x6, Stoneware, 2023
When I first started my pitcher I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what to do because I had never made anything out of clay. After I cut out a shape on a flat piece of clay I brought both sides together and that's when it started looking like a pitcher.
I started needing a big softball of clay to make the clay more soft. Next, I went to the slab roller to make my big circular slab of clay into a flat and smooth slab of clay. When I was done with making my clay flat, I grabbed a rolling pin and texture to make a design on my flat slab of clay. The rolling pin made the design on the flat clay. I brought both ends together to make the pitcher attached. I made slip with small pieces of clay and water. I made little cuts in the side so I could basically glue the sides together. I used the slip to basically glue on the bottom as well to make the pitcher enclosed. After I did that my teacher put it in the kiln so I could glaze it.
My pitcher can hold things in it. I put bright colors on it because I wanted it to look happy. I didn't want to put dark colors just because I wanted my first pitcher to be bright. I put hearts because I wanted there to be more texture on the pitcher.
Making the pitcher was difficult because it was the first one. I see a lot of things I don't like about it but I have made more objects out of clay and it makes up for this first one I made. I have grown since making this my first pitcher.
The I made art is a useful piece of clay.
Madison Gilroy "You caught me"
4x5, Stoneware, 2023
My idea was to make an expression piece of stoneware. My expression stoneware I made is a mug. I didn't have any ideas when I started I just knew I wanted to make a face on my mug. I knew I wanted to make the face look as realistic as I could.
With this piece of stoneware, I coiled my clay first. When I was coiling my soft clay it made a very long string of clay. When I had my long string of clay I wrapped my clay around in a circle till it made a tall mug figure. I welded the coil of the clay together to make it as smooth as possible. I still had coiled clay at the end of making my mug, so I made the handles with them. I glued the handles on with slab same with the face features. I cut out the faces with a flat piece of clay I rolled out. After My teacher put it in the kiln I filed the mug down with sandpaper and rinsed it off. After I did that I glazed the mug and it turned into that when it went into the kiln again.
There is symbolism in my expression piece of art it's the face I made that makes it symbolic. The face is showing a shy kinda embarrassed face. I think everyone can relate to feeling the way this mug looks like at least one time in their life so far. I think showing that being embarrassed in life is normal and people shouldn't feel embarrassed. It's important and it should be normalized to feel embarrassed and shy.
It was difficult when I was putting the handles on the mug. I just kept messing up and trying to make it look perfect but then I realized that it doesn't have to be perfect. My style of art is expression.
Madison Gilroy
"Galaxy", 3 1/2 x 4, 2023
My goal was to make a bowl that was challenging. I reached my goal because I grew my artistic ability by bringing the sides together to make the top closer together. When I was at the wheel to achieve my goal I had to put my thumb in the inside and push the middle out to make the bowl look like that.
In my process of making my bowl, I started off kneading my clay by pushing my clay back and forth to make it soft enough to put it on the middle of my wheel. Next, I put water on my clay and turned on the wheel. I started off with a slow speed because I wanted to take my time and make sure this bowl turned out well. I used the techniques I learned to build my clay taller and wider. When I liked the shape of my bowl I used my thumbs to push the inside out to make it look like that.
I think my final piece of work looks like outer space. It was hard for my to make the top of my artwork look level. From looking at the angle it has it looks a little uneven. I wanted my bowl to look realistic to a bowl people would find in a store.
Madison Gilroy
"Water Bowl" 5 1/2 x 2, 2023
I wanted to make a bowl that would be useful, that could hold something. My goal was to make a bowl for my cat on the wheel. This bowl was harder to make because it was one of the first bowls I made on the wheel. I wanted my bowl to be wide and not that thick so it could hold a lot of water.
With this piece of stoneware, I started wedging a big ball of clay. I needed my big ball of clay till it was soft so it was easy enough to throw it on the wheel and start making my piece. I added water to my ball the clay on the wheel so it was easier to make the shape that I wanted. I used my thumbs to make the shape it is. After I made the clay on the wheel I took it off. When the clay dried and was put in the kiln I glazed it and looked like that.
The bowl I made on the wheel was one of the first ones I made on the wheel. You can see that the clay isn't that smooth looking. In most spots, it isn't smooth. I tried trimming the wet clay with different tools. Sandpaper also made it a little more smooth but didn't make it completely smooth. I think my hands were a l little shaky because I was a little nerves. The speed was also going faster than what I could control.
Madison Gilroy
Stoneware, 4 x 3 1/2, 2023
"Honey"
I wanted to make my first coiled bowl. I was interested in making a coiled bowl because it was quite easy. It was easy to build objects from coiling clay. I didn't have an idea when I started because I have never made anything from coiling. When I was building bottom to the top I had a vision of it being a honeycomb. After I had the vision of it being a honeycomb bowl I tried to make it look realistic to a honeycomb bowl.
When I started the process of making my honeycomb bowl I wedged my clay to make it soft. I used the extruder to make my coiled clay. The extruder just makes long lines of clay. I built my walls of clay by circling my long lines to build a bowl. I welded the coils together in the inside of the bowl.
The bowl represents a honeycomb bees have. I wanted people to know I was representing honeycomb so I put "Hi Honey" I made it look realistic enough to let people know I was trying to make a honeycomb bowl.
Madison Gilroy
Stoneware, 2 x 4 1/2, 2023
"Crook"
This was the first challenging thing I made on the wheel. That's why is called "Crook" because it's a little crooked. I thought making something like this would make me feel successful on the wheel because of the challenging things it made me do.
I made the stoneware on the wheel. When It was fried and dried. I glazed the stoneware. I wanted the the stoneware to have many colors.
Mermaid.mp4The Mermaid
By Madison Gilroy
Capcut
When I was young I was obsessed with mermaids. When I couldn't figure out an idea I randomly thought about with I loved when I was younger and mermaids came to mind so I did that idea in my stop motion video. I made a mermaid swimming and jumping in the water when the sun was setting.
I started building my scene first. I used a cardboard box to make my scene. I used a hot glue gun to build my cardboard box. Then I started painting on my cardboard box. I painted a sunset, I also painted water. To make my scene realistic I crumpled newspapers and painted them blue to make them waves.
It was difficult taking the photos and keeping the phone in the same spot. There was a lot of multitasking to complete the stop motion video. Moving the object was difficult.