This morning I finished my trimming from the day before. These pieces are the ones which I will be able to take home; there needs to be enough time throughout the week for them to be fired, glazed, then fired again. Unfortunately I broke one of my pieces just after finishing trimming, I fear the walls were a little thin. Instead of disposing it, I cut off the top and made it into a cup. We also had a demo on bottles and vases, particularly how to close vessels on the wheel. After this, I practiced throwing some of my own. A common mistake I seem to make is not leaving enough clay at the rim to be able to close up or extend into a neck. However again with Maria’s help I was able to achieve a long thin neck on one of my pieces. Another problem I seem to be having, is making something purposefully. I would like to work on shaping my vessels into something intentional and therefore more aesthetically pleasing. Rather then whatever is easiest or most likely to be a successful at the time. Currently I seem to be making very similar shaped bellied vases one after another. However, I think with the more practice and ability to problem solve along the way, you can then develop more variety into your throwing. I also think I need to change how I begin a piece, to therefore change how it ends up. For example, varying the size of my base at the initial stage, to change to final size and shape of the form, I will work on this tomorrow.
My success from Day 3: Closing the neck of a bottle on a vase, and successfully completing and trimming 4 pieces to go for firing.
Lauren Cattle 