Ceramics I

Final Reflection

I am most proud of my narrative mug because it was my best piece.  It incorporated all of the elements of my story: the mountain, the lake, the cabin, the eagle, and the person on the paddleboard.  I focused on small details, like making sure the mountain looked similar to Mt. Katahdin.  I chose glazes that worked well together and turned out just like I had planned.  Overall, the mug turned out better than I anticipated, and my dad loved it as a gift (he is planning for us to hike Katahdin this summer).

I believe that the most informative project of the semester was pinch pots.  This is because I underestimated how challenging it was to make a pinch pot with the right shape and thickness.  I learned a lot about having to work with your fingers and not just what you think is right.  The pinch pots also allowed me to experiment with glazes, and discover new combinations that I would later use on my narrative mug.  After successfully making my four-pinch pots, I was able to use my knowledge of clay and practice with glazing to succeed on other projects like the mugs.  I wouldn’t have realized how important a small project like pinch pots was, but it was definitely a turning point for me in ceramics.    

I met all of my goals for the semester, such as making a mug and trying out the coil method.  I loved making mugs, and am proud of how the two I made turned out.  I was able to try so many different glazes on my narrative mug, and I was really happy with the final result.  I also enjoyed making a coil pot, and hope that it turns out how I imagined.  To conclude, I am proud of my work this semester and had fun with all of our projects, especially the smoke-fired form, which was not something I expected to do in class.     

First Thoughts, Goals for this semester

I think there are more choices in ceramics, such as what type it is.  For example, coil, thrown, pinch, or slab.  You get to be creative, like other art forms such as drawing and painting, and make whatever you want.  I have a planner that I keep track of assignments that I could use to keep track of when we have to finish with projects.  I could also use it to see when I have time to come down and work on a project if I am behind.  I like the pieces that were made by coil, like this one blue and brown bowl.  Coil looks like a really cool style to try in ceramics.  I would like to make a mug because I love making hot chocolate in the fall and winter so it would be a useful thing to make.