Pottery

[Too Tall]

I'm aware there are a few potters here. I started throwing pottery during elementary school and thru college where I had a independent study each semester. My rice bowls were sold at the Mississippi Market on Selby Ave. (St. Paul, MN) it's still there. Maybe the MASSIVE salvage wood shelves I made for them too? Somebody check for me ;) Anywho, I'm slowly gathering some of the things I'll need to start working again.

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[KonaSS]

Too Tall - serious question, do you ever sleep? So impressed with the seemingly amount of irons you have in the fire at any one time.

[Too Tall]

Too Tall - serious question, do you ever sleep? So impressed with the seemingly amount of irons you have in the fire at any one time.

Funny. It takes me ages to tool up for my obsessions. Once I'm back in business this one will sustain me for many many years.
I've given away, broken or sold most of the wares I ever made. If you've been to any of our parties you might have spotted a favorite kiln serpent. That story is: before I high fired I'd make a critter in the form of something from mythology and use it as a seal for the kiln door to ward off evil spirits. The serpent was from the last firing I ever did in MN and about 1/2 of my sr. project was in there. Curiously, being the whacked hippy that I was I invited a couple friends to smash most of it to bits. There were some glorious explosions. Smashing our own art, I reckoned, was logical and fun. LOL...damn I was a piece of work ;) Making ceramics for me was about making money or bettering my abilities thru practice and repetition.

Recently, I found a source for decent used electric wheels and I've already got my 220V line strung out to the workspace. It will take some time before I find a decent kiln. In the meantime I'll start finding good clay.

Tip of the hat to my Jr. HS ceramics instructor at the Corcoran School of Art. She never allowed me to *keep one single piece of my work and made me throw hundreds of cylinders and bowls which I lined up on planks. She would take a wire and cut each one in half giving critique for each. She taught me everything.
*I actually did keep one or two things but I had to sneak into the ceramics shop after hrs. and slip the pieces into the kiln without her knowing.

Any other ceramics folks here?

[Chad]

I took pottery all three years in high school. The wheel is my favorite. Last year there wasn't an advanced advanced pottery so they let me do whatever I wanted, kind of.

I have a few bowls lying around, nothing impressive, left most at my parents house when I moved out.

My retirement plan is to cycle and fish in the summer and throw on the wheel all winter. We'll see.

[Too Tall]

That's cool Chad. I've spent alot of time, alone doing things that bring peace to my busy little head. Pottery and cycling were the best.

Here are some more. A large umbrella stand? This is about 3' tall and thrown in two pieces. The base was thrown and left for several days to firm up than coils were added and re-thrown to become the upper portion. Also, a largish salad bowl and a few of the production rice bowls. The rice bowls were thrown off the hump starting with around 30 lbs of centered clay. The glaze pattern was kinda sorta my signature look for these.

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[Matthew Strongin]

Nice work, Josh!

[Bewheels]

That's cool Chad. I've spent alot of time, alone doing things that bring peace to my busy little head. Pottery and cycling were the best.

Here are some more. A large umbrella stand? This is about 3' tall and thrown in two pieces. The base was thrown and left for several days to firm up than coils were added and re-thrown to become the upper portion. Also, a largish salad bowl and a few of the production rice bowls. The rice bowls were thrown off the hump starting with around 30 lbs of centered clay. The glaze pattern was kinda sorta my signature look for these.

ceram1.jpg

...[snip]...

These are all really really nice.
I will have to say that throwing/building that large piece very impressive (not that I am surprised).
For anyone has not created pottery before, take my word for it, making something of this size is incredibly hard to do. Lots of planning, practice and skill.