Progress in Handbuilding

I have been working on handbuilding with Mary Mikkelsen for the past several  months. Handbuilding is a slower, more meditative way of creating pottery.

Most of my handbuilding begins with making slabs of clay. I don't like making slabs, so I tend to make a number of them at one time, layering them between sheets of plastic and sheetrock. The plastic keeps the clay from drying out and the sheetrock from getting moldy. I have a small slab roller but find the best work comes from handmade slabs. Today the UPS man delivered a huge rolling pin, which should help.

Once I get a couple good-sized slabs made, I am quite happy to spend the entire day making things, stopping only when I run out of slabs or my back gives out from standing in the same position all day.

This is a piece I made yesterday. I added the feet today. The newsprint under the feet allow them to move as the pot dries, helping to prevent cracks. This is a low-fire, red clay. I don't usually use dark clays, but I have some and need to use it. I prefer not to throw with it, as throwing makes a lot more mess to clean up. Even though I know light clays make just as much mess, somehow the mess from red clays seem a lot more difficult to clean up. In my fantasies, I have a studio large enough for two complete areas, one for light clays and one for dark. In reality, I clean a lot.

I used the leftover slab to make this wallhanging. The insert is woven strips of clay. I am not sure where I am going with this piece. It is really a prototype for future wallhangings. I like pieces which hold organic things such as pinecones or seashells. I had not idea what to put inside this piece so decided to try weaving some clay to see how that works out.