Ceramics I/II

Skyler Whipple "Flower Water Pitcher"

6x3x6 , Stoneware & Glass , 2022

 My idea was a flower Pitcher. I got this idea from when i was looking through the patterns and i saw a nice flower pattern so i thought it would look nice. It evolved as i made it which gave me the idea for a nice red color for the pitcher. I had no inspirations.  What i did was i got my clay first, wedged it,  and then put it through the slump drape machine to flatten and smooth it out.  After flattened i got the shape and pattern i wanted then cut it out. Then i shaped them together and pinched the edges to have them connect. I smoothed the top and made a spout on it too. Lastly i added a bottom, connected it with the pitcher, and once it was fired I added my glaze. The tools i used were a sponge, rolling pin, and the needle.  There is no meaning to this as it is just a water pitcher used to hold water. There is also not much i want the audience to think about it besides it being a water pitcher. There is no symbolism either.   What was most difficult was trying to smooth the top and the pieces connected as it was hard to make sure it was perfect. I solved this by just taking my time so i wouldn't mess up. If i were to start over i would just fix the spout more.  There is nothing too unique as we all in class made a pitcher but mine doesn't have a handle though. The thing I love is how the pattern and the glaze fit very well together as it didn't come out unprinted that well or the glaze didn't mess up. 

Skyler Whipple "Green Chip & Dip Bowl"

6x6x2," 3x3x1", Stoneware & Glass, 2022

 The idea was a green chip and dip bowl. The idea was given to me by the teacher but with the glaze i wanted something greenish so i tried some glazes together to try and experiment. I have no inspirations. The process is very easy as first I wedged some clay together. Then I used the slump drape machine to flatten out the wedged clay. After I put a pattern on the flatten clay with rolling pin. With the clay I used a styrofoam ring and dropped the clay over and over on it to give it the bowl shape. I did the same with the chip bowl too. After I trimmed the edges a bit to cut off excess. It then was fired and I sanded imperfections down. I then glazed the bowls and they got fired again. I used a rolling pin, needle tool, slump drape machine, and a styrofoam ring. There is no meaning to this art as it is only used for chips and dip. I want audience to think of it as that too. There is no symbolic imagery either. This was very easy to make though but the worse thing could be the glaze as it was hard to get track what is dry and if i glazed over a certain part. If I could change it I would change the edges and smooth them out more. There is nothing super unique about this besides shape and its glaze as everyone in class made one. I really like the glaze as i'm glad it didn't turn out too terrible.

Skyler Whipple "Wood Pyramid"

4x4x4", Stoneware & Glass, 2022

 My idea was a pyramid. I got the idea as I thought it would be good to start as a beginning project and it evolved as I wanted to add some design to it and the texture of the design I did reminded me of wood so I went with that. There is no inspirations for this. So how I did this was when I started it was just a ball of clay. Originally I was gonna make it more pyramid like with a entrance  with the brick design but I switched it over as I was experimenting with things. So I formed a pyramid then started experimenting by adding lines with rib tool. I then carved the inside so it wouldn't explode while it baked. After, I then sanded it to make it smooth. With the glaze I tried making a wood-like color to really match the feeling of wood. It was then baked again to form the glaze on it. I didn't use much as I used my hands a lot and then a rib tool for the design. There is no symbolism to this art and isn't suppose to mean anything.I don't want people to think hard about it but I want them to know that it is supposed to be a wood-like design. There wasn't anything too difficult but it was hard trying to straighten my pyramid. I really just took my my time so i could try perfecting edges.If I could start over though I would try adding more detail to it. I think the design I was going for was unique. I really love the design on the pyramid and how to reminds me of wood.

Skyler Whipple "Three Blue Bowls"

Size, Stoneware & Glass, 2022

The idea is big but they are just bowls. These were made on a wheel so they really did their own thing. There is no inspiration to this pottery. I would start by wedging a softball size of clay. I would get a bucket filled with water, a sponge, and a rib tool. I would smack the clay onto the middle of the wheel to try and center it as much as I could. My hands would then go into the water to get them wet as they need to be wet constantly. I start the wheel too so I can start using my hands to center and go up and down with the clay. I continued doing this for a bit until I thought it was good. You can really see the difference in each one with what I did. The fat one small one was when I didn't really understand how to hollow the center. The middle one was me getting it but not perfecting it though it is good. The third one was when I got too close to it falling apart but I was careful with it and it came out with this spout and I enjoyed it. I took them all of with pieces of metal and let them air dry a bit so they wouldn't be so wet. After, I made foots for each bowl and slip to let them stick. They were then fired and I experimented with the glazes to see what would happen. It then was fired again and it all turned out amazing. I used the water as I constantly needed it. The sponge was used to clean off the wheel from getting too dirty. The rib tool was used to get any access clay on the sides to make it more clean. The technique I used was the wheel.  There isn't anything this is supposed to symbolize to as they are just bowls. It was very difficult trying to keep they walls of the pottery fine as it was really easy to mess up the whole thing. I overcame this by taking my time with it as too fast and it could all fall apart. If I could change something I would really try experimenting more with the shape as they seem almost the same. Really what made it uniqe was the shape as everyone had different ones so long and large some more wide. I really love how the gazed turned out as it is very nice to look at.