In-Progress Photos

Final Result

Artist Statement

I made two lidded jars that followed the theme of "unity". To show this idea, I used similar shapes for both, but gave them differing heights. I gave each of them an eyeball knob but switched up the colors on each jar. I'm hoping they look like a clear set even though they have some differences. 

First I sketched out many different ideas for what I wanted to create and how I wanted to show unity. I decided on something a little more simple with most of the detail work going into the knobs. I followed the demo shown in class to make a hollow ball of clay then slice it with a wire to make separate lid and body parts. I used a paddle to pull the clay to sharper corners to give both pots a square shape. When I got to the knobs, I used fine-tipped tools to give them detail and used the wooden tools to make indents. At first I didn't intend to make the eyeballs but the idea came to me later in the process after trying a couple other things. 

I wanted to keep my jars relatively simple so that the oddity of the eyeballs would stand out, and I really like the idea of eyes on top as something bizarre and unique. I chose blue and green as a main color for each jar because I felt they would show unity as cool colors but I knew I didn't want to make exact copies. I chose a blue glaze for the smaller pot with a bright green underglaze for the iris. To flip the color scheme, I chose a green glaze for the taller pot and added a blue glaze for the iris. I glazed both pots with an overglaze, but used underglaze for all the detailing on the eyes. I then layered a clear overglaze on top of the eye work, which I was worried would move the glazes around as they fired, but the colors stayed in place. 

I'm happy with the outcome! I worked very hard to smooth out the jars and put detail into the knobs, and I think the two contrast very nicely. The one thing I would change is the color of the taller pot's iris. I love the bright contrast of the green and blue in the little pot, but the taller one has a very dark iris that looks almost grey when I wanted it to stand out with a bright blue that would recall the smaller jar's body color. I learned that detailed work takes a lot of time even if it's small, and I didn't finish the project on time. I also got really caught up in the aesthetics of the eyes and I completely forgot to add handles to one of the pots. I had added handles at one point, then didn't like the visual outcome. I then had the eye idea and got so focused on it that I forgot to add handles! If I could do the project again I would include them.