Final Reflection Ceramics I

Which project am I most proud of?

I am most proud of my Slab Project because of the new techniques I learned and the creativity I put into the work. I learned more about creating slabs and using the slab roller. This was my first time using this technique to make slabs and it made it very easy and consistent in thickness. I like that I also added my personality to the mugs/pitchers using color and shape. I liked that these pieces were tall and had unique long rectangular shape-like handles that extended the entire length of the work. I am most proud of integrating my personality into this piece by using contrasting glazes and unique split-color techniques. I used tape to cover the bottom of the pot and used a blue glaze that I mixed with white to dilute the color, to contrast the dark blue inside the pot. Once I put 3 coats of this mixture on the top of the outside of the pot, I added 3 coats of clear glaze to the bottom so the color would appear to look white from the natural color of the fired clay. This was a new way to bring multiple colors onto a pot and overall it was my favorite technique throughout the semester. Another lesson that I learned while creating these pots was how to attach handles to pots and if they broke while drying, how to put them together. I learned an important technique to let the pot dry a little before adding the handle because handles dry much quicker because of more surface area to clay ratio. One of my handles did end up breaking and I learned a new technique on how to create a mixture to put these back together, I used a little glue mixture made from vinegar with dry clay and this helped my handle stay on my pot. Overall this was a fun project and I loved learning so many new techniques. 

How has taking this class changed the way you think about ceramics?

I thought ceramics would surround a potter's wheel more often to make things like bowls, pots, and plates. I always knew there were other techniques but I didn't know there were so many different ways to create forms like pinching, coils, slabs, and more. Although a potter's wheel is a technique to make pots I thought that only sculptures were made off of the wheel. I also was not aware of how common it was for sculpture and representative work to be made. When I think of ceramics I think of people making pots and using them or selling them to make a living, I think I may have forgotten that this is also a hobby for people and a source for people to express creativity outside of designs on pots designed to hold objects or food. This class has changed my appreciation for ceramics as well. I now know how hard it is to create small designs in clay and be able to make thin pieces of clay steady because they are so fragile during the making. I have learned to appreciate how much time and energy this takes as well. I have found that the time it takes to work with clay, glazes, and the kiln, and adds up to be a lot of work and time spent just on a few pieces of work.  I have also learned to look at ceramics in stores differently now, and even the large industrial-made pots seem more special because I can appreciate the amount of energy and time it must have taken even in factories or large batches of pots. 

What recommendations would you make for ways that the class could be improved?

Improvements I would make to ceramics is to have students watch demos but also have them practice while they watch at the same time. This would apply more hands-on learning and for me, would be more helpful, especially because it is hard to remember exactly how the teacher would create his piece and then try to replicate the same motions and process. Overall I thought this class was very engaging and helpful to learning many new techniques while expressing our creativity. I wish the glazing process were better explained to me in the beginning like for example, which glazes were mat finishes and why, the effects of this being mixed with a shiny finish, or how glazes change in the firing process, or how they reacted/changed when being mixed with other glaze of the same/different type. I think this would have allowed me to be more comfortable with experimenting further with the glazes starting earlier in the year. Another improvement to Ceramics I would be to make directions more clear. Especially for online projects it was difficult to understand if we were researching one or two artists, and where this project should be written out,  I would have appreciated clearer directions to understand better what I was supposed to be doing at home when completing online work. Overall I enjoyed this class and creating many unique pieces of artwork. I am excited to do Ceramics II next year and look forward to taking more art classes.