Marjory Alger "Blue Mug"

7x5x6, Clay, 2022

My idea for this was to make something simple but effective. I wanted to make something useful. I hadn’t tried making anything out of coils yet so I figured that I would. First, I used the coil machine to make a bunch of coils. After that, I made the bottom slab of the mug. I then pilled up the coils on top of each other by slipping and scoring them. Finally, I evened everything out and added the handle. To me, this artwork doesn’t really symbolize a whole lot. Usually, I do make work with some type of background idea but this did not have one. The most difficult part of making this piece was making sure there were no gaps in the coils that water would be able to sneak through. I had to be sure I smoothed it all out. If I could start over I think I would make the handle look a little more evenly placed on the mug. This mug is realistic since it is a really utilitarian mug. I really love the color of the glaze that I used on this mug and how the final product turned out.

Marjory Alger "Pitcher"

12x6x13, Clay, Daily, 2022

The pitcher is another one of the required utilitarian pieces we had to make at the beginning of the class. I didn’t really have to come up with any big ideas myself other than if I wanted a pattern or the color of glaze I wanted to use. First, I made the bottom of my pitcher out of a slab of clay. Then, I rolled another slab of clay to make the outside shape of the pitcher itself. Before I attached the pitcher to the bottom, I used a daily to add some design and texture to the pitcher. After I finished the majority of the pitcher, I rolled out some clay to make the handle and used the slip and score method to attach the handle to the pitcher. Then the pitcher was fired and after it got done firing I glazed it with a layering of blue and green. I wanted it to have cool tones. I would say the most difficult part of making the pitcher was leveling out the top so that it was even all the way around. Personally, this is one of my favorite projects that I have made in ceramics and I love how the glaze turned out. This piece is realistic because it is a utilitarian piece and you can tell what it is. I love the color and the design on the pitcher too I think it really helped to make it unique.

Marjory Alger "Love Bowls"

9x9x2, 4x4x2, Clay, 2022

My idea for this is that I wanted to make two things that go together. I like the process used to make slump drape bowls so I thought I would do it again. I love making and drawing hearts so I wanted to correlate them into my artwork. The first thing I did was wedge and slab out a couple of pieces of clay. When I got them to the thickness that I wanted, I put them on the styrofoam rings to turn them into bowls. Then, I sculpted out a bunch of little hearts and attached them by using sip and score. After the bowls were fired, I applied many layers of glaze to them. To me, this artwork is a symbol of love which is what keeps the world going. I believe that what everyone wants most in life whether they think so or not is to feel and experience what it is like to be truly loved. By family, friends, or anyone. Love can be scary but it is my favorite thing and something that never fails to interest me. Making these bowls the hardest thing was making all of the edges smoothed out. I managed by sanding them down to get them pretty even. If I could re-start this I would make the edges of the bowls a little thicker. This art is mostly realistic I would say since they are bowls and have just little heart details. I love the colors and how dainty these bowls are.

Marjory Alger "Chip and Dip Bowl"

3x5x4 and 9x9x4, Clay, Styrofoam Ring, Daily, 2022

The chip and dip bowls were one of the first things we were required to make in this class. I chose to glaze my bowls pink because pink is my favorite color. The first thing I did was make the clay into slabs and roll them out flat enough. After I got the clay the right width, I placed it into the styrofoam rings and let them sink to make bowl structures. Then, I used a daily to make a print on the clay. After that, it was fired in the kiln. Then, I glazed the bowls and tried to do layering of pink and a light blue color. The blue and pink didn’t mix well on the bigger bowl and kind of turned into a weird gray color, but the smaller bowl looks pink. If I could change something I would have done the bowls both just one solid color instead of making them look kind of like they don't belong together. These bowls are realistic since they are utilitarian pieces. What I love about my chip and dip bowls is the design pressed into them and how elegant it is.

Marjory Alger “Baseline Project"

7x5, Clay, 2022

My idea for my baseline clay project was I wanted it to be simple but cute. My first idea was a tree so I just ran with it from there. I started off using clay and making the main trunk of the tree. Then, I made little branches. I used the score and slip method to attach the branches and little balls at the end of each branch. This was the first thing I made in Ceramics 1 and so it does not have much meaning other than just a little simple idea that I had. When the tree was fired, some of the branches broke off in the kiln so it looks kind of wonky but I think you can still get the idea that it is a tree. If anything broke, I just kept going and tried to fix the parts that broke. If I could re-do this I would probably change the size of the pieces so they wouldn't break. I would say this piece is mostly realistic being that it is a tree. I think it is unique because instead of leaves it has little balls on the end of every branch. I love the funky shape of the tree.

Marjory Alger "Wheel Thrown"

6x3x7, Clay, 2022

This little vase is something that I made on the pottery wheel. I tried to make the top look kind of like a flower in a way of it still being just a plain old vase. I made this by taking clay and placing it on the wheel and using the method of pulling it up to give it some height. Then I made it thinner by putting pressure on the clay while the wheel was spinning. Then after I got it to how I wanted it to look I took it off, let it dry, and it was fired in the kiln. After that, I glazed it a sort of bluish-green color. There isn't really anything that is symbolic in this piece. It is something that I made when I was just learning how to use the wheel. The hardest part I found from using the wheel was keeping a smooth exterior all the way around the piece. If I could change something I would make sure the outside was even all the way around the vase. I would call this realistic art since it is utilitarian and you can tell that it is a vase. Something I love about this piece is the color I chose and how smooth and glassy it feels when you are holding it.