Back to Real Work

After spending the last 6 weeks working on bonsai pots, it sure felt good to get back to throwing bowls! There's something very satisfying about throwing large bowls. They are actually fairly easy, need very little trimming, and you know you won't get all kinds of pushback from customers. Seems if you put mugs out for sale you attract people who come into your booth or shop determined to set you straight on the proper design for mugs, but I have never had anyone try to tell me how to make my bowls.

Maybe it is because there are so many possible sizes and shapes for mugs, and everybody of course has their favourite design. I've had people tell me my mugs are too big.... or too small. I've had them tell me that I'd sell a lot of mugs if I would just make them short and round.... or tall and straight. I should make handles for one finger, two fingers or a whole fist... sometimes I feel there's no pleasing people with mugs. But nobody has told me how to make a salad bowl.

And guess what, they always sell.

I love bowls!

First Bonsai Pots

My bonsai pots look better than I expected! The glazes are great, especially the Slate Blue although we mixed it with less cobalt and more copper carbonate to make it greener. (These pots are for plants, so I didn't worry about food safe-ness.) Take a look below! Now I can hardly wait to see the ones made in the dark reddish clay which are currently drying in the Studio. I made some shallow oval ones, and some more rectangular ones. The ones in these pictures are about 12-15 inches across. The ovals are going to be about 20", assuming they don't crack, or split, or come apart, or explode or...... Anyway, so far, I'm encouraged!