Artist Statement

For this project, we were asked to shift our mindset, a bit, and become a production potter.  The goal here is to use the soft slab method, as demonstrated in class, and make a set of 4 mugs/tumblers. At least two, of the four, must have handles.  These handles should be very well articulated as they essentially make the mug.  As far as the set goes, all mugs need not be identical (although they can be) but there needs to be a common design thread that runs through the set.  That is something in common that demonstrates that they go together... design element, glaze pallet, theme, etc... These large mugs were made through soft slab work. We used the soft slab rolled to create slabs of clay and then cut them down to the appropriate size with needle tools and slipped and scored the two edges and bottom onto the slab. This was a new process for me but ultimately I enjoyed being able to create useful pieces of art so easily. Once these had a handle attacked and they were bisk fired, the glaze was the hardest part. I had three different types of glazes on this pot. The inside was the darkest blue, half the outside was a mixed blue and white, and the bottom of the outside was clear. I experimented with doing half and half (bottom and top) different colors on the outside of these mugs. I liked the idea of having a split-colored mug. I did this by using take to cover the bottom part then did the blue mixture on top and then did the clear glaze last so I was able to be messy with this. Overall by the end, these all ended up being different sizes and some were mugs and some were pitchers(the ones with a dent on the top edge).  

Ultimately this project was about unity. I used this as one of my major ideas and tried to get all of the same feel throughout my different useful works. For my principles of design, unity was important but also contrast helped create unity. The contrast between the blue and the white of the fired clay helped all the mugs look very similar. I also thought a lot about color. Although there might not appear to be much difference between the inside and the top of the outside this difference was important to me because they are different parts of the mug. I also wanted to be able to see the color of the raw mug and have a good color on the outside that I could appreciate. Ultimately I liked the idea of having these mugs be useful drinking and water pitchers. This will also bring color and cool cups into my home that aren't just decorative but also useful. 

The idea of having this tall mug and contrast in color is one of the most evident ideas in my work. I like that I can bring these home and use them, unlike a decorative piece.  I am most proud of myself for using two new techniques, the slab roller and the contrast in color usage. I thought this was a difficult step but ultimately ended up being successful. One of the struggles that I had to overcome was never using these techniques. It took me a lot longer to do each mug than other people which made me feel like I was behind although I was right on track.  Two out of these 4 mugs ended up being pitchers. I was struggling to make a circular opening and one of them accidentally got punctured by another tool and so I decided to go with the flow and just create a pitcher for liquids. Which ultimately is also very useful which I appreciate. Overall I am proud of using new techniques and creating useful pieces.