Bowls are in process...

I've been a busy potter this week with all facets of this process. I love it when a project gets to the point where I have many different stages happening simultaneously and that's where we are now: thrown pots on bats, greenware (dried pieces) and bisqueware on the shelves, half glazed and (2!) finished pieces are all evident in my studio. We're definitely moving along.

While my kiln was firing away on Monday I threw most of the bowls. In the next couple of days I was able to get them trimmed. This means that when the bowl was "leather hard" I took it off the bat, turned it over and centered it back on the bat. Then I use some tools to make a "foot" which gives the bowl a nice, finished look and it also removes some of the clay which makes the piece heavier than necessary. In addition, I use a trimming tool to remove excess clay toward the bottom and gently shape the exterior. I like pieces that are not too heavy and clunky. You could certainly go crazy trimming to death, but if a piece is thrown well to start with, it isn't necessary to do too much. Mostly I like to trim in order to take the prehistoric look out of pottery and create graceful lines.

It is now Friday, almost 5 o'clock, and I feel good about quitting for the week. Almost all the bowls are thrown, trimmed and drying in my studio. I am going to make a few more because I didn't like the way some of them stacked when they were finished. That is a big consideration when doing placesettings because they all have to fit in the cupboard. I'll get those done next week and post a picture. For now I am showing two pictures of the trimming step. Have a great spring weekend!