Textured Pinch Pots

• Essential Question: How do artists learn from trial and error? 

• Reflection: 

Creating pieces like pinch pots can be as easy, or as complex as you want them to be. Sometimes it takes careful planning and a lot of focus, and other times it can be a looser, freer experience. My most successful pinch pot was the pink and yellow flower-shaped one. I deem this my most successful because I enjoyed making it and glazing it with fun colors. I first started with my lump of clay, then I hammered in the sharp corners with my palm to make more of a circle shape; I then tossed and turned it between my palms to get an even better sphere. Once I had my starting shape, I took my thumb and pressed it into the clay up to my knuckle. Then I gently pressed outwards with my thumb still inside the clay, making the hole wider and wider as I went. I had mapped out in my sketchbook a rough idea of a flower, and even some possible ideas for glazes. I twisted the pot around and around in my hands, making the hole wider and wider, trying to keep the walls as even as possible. Once I had my desired width and thickness, then I started shaping the flower. I took four fingers(thumb, pointer, middle, and ring)and grabbed the sides of the pot from above, and pinched inward, this gave me a rough draft of how I wanted the structure of the flower to look. I defined the petals more and made sure to keep adjusting them if the thickness changed too much. I also noticed that the base was quite thick, so I decided to take some of the extra clay and form it into a more uniform bottom; the sides of the pot were curved, and then the bottom was straight. I used tiny amounts of water to six any cracking along the way, especially along the edges of the flower shape, those pieces were slightly more delicate. Once I was happy with the structure of my pot, I carved my initials into the bottom and put it in the kiln room to be fired. When I came back it was ready to glaze, and by this time I already knew I wanted to do bright, fun colors. I was originally looking forward to painting the outside Fuchsia, however it seemed we couldn’t find it that day, so I pivoted and decided to layer Dusty Rose and Petal Pink. Then on the inside, I wanted the main contrasting color to be yellow, so I used the brightest I could find, Canary Yellow. I thought it would be intriguing to have a darker center, so I, on the fly, decided to add a Vivid Orange flower to the center of the pot, on top of the Canary Yellow. I was careful to add even layers of glaze and not miss any spots. When I was happy with my glazing, I wiped the bottom off to make sure there was no glaze stuck on it and put it in the kiln room for firing once more. This was one of my extra projects and it was a delight to make, I made a plan, stuck to it, but also gave myself a little creative freedom, this is why I think it was so successful; I balanced focus and organization with freedom and creativity. If you're looking to glaze a pinch pot, first, you need to assess what colors you want to use, if you want to do a stain, if you want to layer, etc. Once you have some sort of an idea, then you can grab your glazes to start the process. Firmly grip the container, with one or two fingers on top of the lid, and give it a good shake. If when you shake the container and the glaze sounds low, crumbly, stuck, or watery, talk to Mrs. Houston and ask if it is normal for that glaze or if you need to do something about it. Then you will grab a brush, if you are doing a general coat, the bigger brushes are very helpful, but if you are trying to achieve more specific detail, then grabbing a smaller, thinner brush might aid you better. Make sure the brush is cleaned properly before you use it so you don’t get another glaze color onto your pot. Then open up your glaze, dip the brush in, and paint it on your piece; make sure that you get as even of a layer all around the pot as you can, then do the same thing a second time. Doing two layers of a glaze will make it shiny, so cover as much as you can and try not to miss any spots. If you have a more complex design or are having a hard time reaching some spots, reach for a smaller brush to fill in those gaps or designs. Be VERY careful not to get glaze on the bottom of your pot, if you do just grab a sponge and thoroughly wipe it off, if you miss some of it the chances of it getting stuck to the kiln are much higher. Once you are happy with your glazing, drag the brushes you used for that color to get the remaining glaze off, this helps conserve glaze. Next, wipe off the rims of your glazes with a sponge. This helps ensure that the lids do not get caked up with hardened glaze and become difficult to open. Once you’ve delivered the glaze back to its original home, take your brushes to the sink area and dip them in the little cream cheese container that is(likely)full of glaze water. If you don’t do this step first before washing it in the sink, more glaze will be expelled into the environment than there needs to be. Once you’ve sloshed it around in the container, wash it in the sink, being sure to clear off any glaze that might be in between the bristles or on the ferrule. Put your brushes back into the right place and voila! If I crafted one more pinch pot, I would like to experiment more with texture, realisticness, and glazes. I attempted to make a fig-inspired pot but wasn’t too happy with the results. So, I would like to try again with something similar, take an object and try and recreate it with detailed texture and realistic attributes. I also would like to experiment more with my glazes and the techniques. I wished I had asked how to create a gradient with my glazes sooner, that would have saved me more time and thought.

• Sketchbook Glaze Planning: