Posts Tagged “trimming pottery”

I have a decidedly low tech ceramic studio. It can be frustrating at times, but at others, I am glad to have learned how to make it work. With the exception of my electric wheel and kilns, everything else is done by hand the old fashioned way. Ceramics and pottery is an art that has changed little over time. Take clay, make something with it, decorate, fire piece to a high temperature, and enjoy.

Last year while I was making work at the Art Student’s League of Denver, I lent my “chuck” to a fellow artist. What is a chuck, you ask? He’s not my latest boy toy, it’s a thrown clay hollow cylinder which is used to stabilize more complicated thrown forms when trimming and finishing the bottoms. When I trim a bowl or other stable form, I simply turn it upside down on my wheel to trim. But, with a bottle form, it won’t stay upright making it impossible to trim without assistance of some sort.

Back to lending my chuck…. I don’t fire my chucks, preferring to leave them green (or unfired) so that they remain softer than bisqued pieces. A softer chuck is less likely to damage my freshly thrown bottles or other forms. I lent my chuck to woman who proceed to wash it off afterwards. I had forgotten to tell her that the chuck was green, and needless to say, it disintegrated under running water and scrubbing. I’ve been getting by with some other sized chucks that I had already made, until I threw some more work this last weekend, and decided to make a smaller chuck to accommodate the new form.

What could I use if I didn’t have any thrown chucks? Well, if I had a higher tech studio, I might use the Giffen Grip, but at $179.00 it’s another item to add to my wish list. At this point, I’d rather have heat in my studio and better lighting than a Giffen Grip.

Are there any high tech items on your wish list?

~Cynthia

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Tags: giffen grip, low tech pottery studio, pottery chuck, trimming pottery

I usually try to post every other day; however, I had to deviate this weekend because I’ve been so busy trying to get as much made for the Summer Art Market next weekend. I’m really pushing the envelope and will most likely have my last glaze fire on Friday so that I can have some fresh work for Sunday.

On Thursday and Friday, I threw quite a few pieces and continue to handform work everyday. Yesterday, I trimmed all of my work and since I didn’t have any photographs of finished work I thought I’d share the trimming process with you. Most of the items that I throw on the wheel have a foot. In fact, I insist on it for the most part. It feels more finished. In fact, if you pick up any ceramic pieces in your own home, you’ll notice that there is a foot, or small raised lip on the bottom of your plate, cup, bowl etc. For me, it’s an aesthetic decision. Some people don’t add feet, and that’s perfectly okay too.

A woman who I met at the Art Student’s league, throws work and then alters most of it, making a foot nearly impossible to put on an asymetrical mug or bowl.

Yesterday afternoon, my family tore me away from my studio and we took a jaunt downtown to check out the Capitol Hill People’s Fair. It’s a 2 day event and downtown Civic Center Park is blocked off to all traffic. There’s tons of live music, food & drink and arts and crafts for sale. I think they have 250+ vendors. I went specifically to check out the potters and other artists to see if it’s an event I might like to apply to next year. I talked with one ceramic artist and asked about his experience, and he didn’t really recommend it for pottery. He told me his sales had been declining year after year and he had participated at the fair for the past 7 years. He did give me the name of some other out door venues that he thought were better suited. One in Boulder and one in Manitou Springs - so I’m going to check into those events.

Oh, by the way, I tried a new technique trimming my pots after watching a pottery video the other night by Henry Mead. He used a jar cap to help trim his ware. The funny thing, is I had just seen an ad in a ceramic’s magazine for a trimming tool that basically did the same thing! I do have plenty of jar caps available…

Well, I had better head out to the studio now,

Tags: art student's league of denver, functional pottery, people's fair, summer art market, trimming pottery