At this point on my journey I rely on travel, residencies, and the generosity of other artists to provide me with facilities to make and fire my work. I consider myself to be in a stage of education and growth as a maker, wanting to learn and experience as much as I possibly can, while I can. I plan to eventually build my very own studio and kiln, but for now I am grateful to be consistently inconsistent.
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As with any potter, my process begins with my clay. The clay we choose to work with is our very first aesthetic decision. I am currently designing and testing my very own clay bodies. Qualities that I find desirable in a clay body are good workability, high-firing temperature, and their potential for beautiful color when fired in atmospheric kilns. My future studio will have a nearby clay source that I will be able to harvest from and create with.
Most of my pots begin on the potter's wheel. Here I will take you through the process of making a cup.
After throwing several cups like this, I then have to wait a day or so for the clay to dry out to a stage called "leather-hard". At this stage I can safely handle the pots without distorting their shape or ruining their textures, and finish the foot in a process called "trimming", or "turning".
Finally, with the foot trimmed, I can go back in and decorate. I use a combination of tools including an xacto blade, to carve elegant designs into the surface of the cup.
Finally, the cup gets my signature stamp. A small "h".
What happens next? Read a little bit about the wood firing process here.
Huge thank you to Emily Kraus of Elouise Photography for the wonderful photos.