Pottery Wheel - Semester 1

I have been lagging at this post.  And frankly with as much as I have improved I have been hesitant to post it.  But hardkoretom has been waiting to see my work for well over a year.  So this is for you and anyone else that wants to see my early work.  I won't say I am not proud, I am just not too thrilled with my first pieces.

Beware, there are a lot of images.  Not as many as my next post will have.  But one thing I start doing next semester which is really stupid is just giving my crap away.... without photographing it first.  And it's hard to photograph ceramics, I could use some pointers.  Natural light works really well but it's hard to work with the sun, it just does what it wants!

Gave this one to Andy

I actually like this one, perfect for espresso

Gifted to Johnny but he has yet to come get it

Is a planter now

Also a planter

Sold at student pottery sale

Lives in my closet because it broke

Co-worker purchased at student sale

Gifted to my sister that took the class with me

Sold at student sale

Might be under the kitchen sink

Gifted to the lovely Kathryn O'Halloran

Sold at student sale

Also sold

Also sold

Not sure what happened to this one

Or this one

1st porcelain piece, sold, shoulda kept it

Sold at student sale

It leaks so it holds plants now

Hubby has commandeered this as his funeral urn

Gifted to my other brother, he does use the bowl often

Gifted to my brother, have yet to see him use it

Whiskey tumbler for my sister

Sold at student sale

Also sold

This one too

First teapot, collecting dust on my fridge

Gifted to an acquaintance

Gifted to Jaz-Mo

Made this for my friend's dog Rupert

Shot glass, also gifted

Two things I learned during this class:

*No attachment.  If it breaks, you can make it again.  If it is ugly, you can make it better.  If it collapses while you are making it, you are pushing your boundaries.

*Recycling.  In a community college studio there is so much clay that gets tossed in the bins as waste.  I learned during my first semester how to recycle clay.  Since then I have only purchased 2 bags of clay.  The rest has all been recycled and it is still just as functional and beautiful as unused clay (with the exception of porcelain, but even that I can recycle).

If you made it down here then you get to hear how this little hobby I picked up purely by accident has kept me out of the funny farm, still married and the step-son still breathing.  The pottery wheel has an almost meditative quality about it.  I can honestly spend an entire Saturday, 12 hours, hunkered over a pottery wheel and not feel tired, hungry, worried or anything other than peace; escapism at its best I think.  Maybe too much?  I don't know but I have the full support of the mister in the hobby he knows I excel at AND keeps me sane for the most part.  

After reviewing how much of my stuff I have given away, I think I need to be wiser with who I gift items to.  I really think that sometimes people just want, for the sake of want not desire or need.  Of all the things I have given, very few are actually used or kept which is sad.  Soon I will probably have a balcony garden of my ugly pieces but at least they have a use and a home.  In my next post I will talk about donating some of my work for charity.  Enjoy!