Throwing Relaxed, Gestural Forms – With an Emphasis on Design
As intermediate throwers hone their skills, they often begin to show an affinity for working more precisely. Precision throwing can lead to sublime beauty or to mechanical repetition, leaving pots a bit stiff. As potters develop their eye along with their technical skills, they sometimes yearn to make forms that breathe – pots that show the plasticity of wet clay after they are fired.
While demonstrating, I will discuss the principles of design and how it relates to our pottery. We will cover the relationships between rims, feet, bellies, handles and spouts and talk about how our use of simple or compound curves, or possibly straight lines impact our forms. We will also discuss the use of “shape language” to help create a cohesive body of work.
This workshop will be structured for the potter with basic throwing skills, who would like to make relaxed forms that feel both well designed and more gestural. You won’t be encouraged to unlearn any of your hard-won technique, but rather to expand the ways of gently altering thrown forms.
We will start with drinking vessels and move on to pitchers and lidded jars. If you would like to follow through with glazing and firing the pottery you make, you should consider signing up for “Gestural Throwing / Atmospheric Effects for Electric Firing,” July 25-30.
On Sunday afternoon before the workshop, we will offer the option of a group tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin. This will dovetail nicely with our discussions of design this week.
Preparing for the workshop – Items to bring with you.
Bring all throwing and trimming tools you want to work with. Specific tools I suggest are:
Kemper S4 Stainless Steel Scrapper – This is absolutely essential and their similar shape, S3, doesn’t cut it for this class!
Red Mud Tool ribs
Curved rib for shaping bowls
A chamois for use on rims
Throwing bats and possibly ware boards if you will be driving
Plastic wrap for covering pots
We will be using Paoli Grolleg Porcelain for this class. If you would like to use another clay you are welcome to bring it.