I am the proudest of my slab mug. It uses colors I love and displays a time in my life when I was really happy and carefree. I love the carvings I did and how they all came together to show a cohesive scene. I was unsure about the colors I ended up using and if they would all go together on the mug. I tried to bring a pop of color with the butterflies and the dragonflies, and I think it worked. I thought it was going to be a bit of a risk and that it might not work well with the other colors, but altogether it pulled together nicely. I think the tiny details are what make the mug. Like the carvings on the stone bench and the swim towel, and the different kinds of flowers. They all create the scene of the garden where I spent so much time. I also didn’t want the crutches to kind of ruin the look of the scene, so I like my idea of putting them around the bottom ring so they are separated from the rest of the scene.
I think one of the most interesting things we did was learn about the Pueblo Pots. I thought that the video is really interesting and I love learning about different cultures of the world and what makes each one unique. I thought the fact that it’s normally a family business was interesting, and also that it’s a tradition that goes back hundreds of years and can still be practiced today. I also liked making my pot. I liked the coiling process and how it took a little longer than slab. I liked that you had to think about what you were doing. Also liked that the design can be simple, but complicated at the same time.
I’d say I met most of my goals for the class. I used bright and fun color schemes on my pinch pots and on my slab house. I had hoped to make something functional and something decorative, and I think that I achieved that. My pinch pots are both functional and decorative, my house is decorative and my mug and pueblo pot are functional. I definitely experimented with textures when we did our tiles and pinch pots. I was right about coiling being fun because that was one of my favorite projects. I think I had a pretty successful semester and I will definitely come back for another ceramics class.
Ceramics is different from other forms of art because it’s a 3-D form, so you can make functional forms of art. You can make mugs, plates, ring holders, and lots of other things. However, not everything you make has to be functional. Products can be decorative or just for fun. This semester, I want to make something I’m really proud of by experimenting with colors, techniques, patterns, and textures. I want my work to look neat and well-made. I also want to use bright and appealing color schemes. I also want to make something functional I can use in my everyday life. I’m excited to work with coiling because it seems like you could make the coils different shapes, and that you can be really creative with it. Overall, I’m very excited for this class.