Last October we bought four
Groupons for
Claywerks, knowing the boys had a Pottery Merit Badge for Boy Scouts. We finally had a chance to call and set up the dates to work at the studio. So, now, for the next four Tuesdays, we'll be at
Claywerks in
Bremerton from 11:30-1:30. The woman used their worksheets for the beginning part of the class and gave a fantastic talk about pottery, types of clays, how to tell the difference in them, glazes, firing, kilns, wheels, scoring and attaching clay, and much more. I wasn't allowed to stay in the back area with the kids, so I sat in the front part of the studio, eavesdropping, sneaking in now and then to take photos. Here she has given them each a chunk of clay and they have beaten it on the table to get the air bubbles out. They are about to embark on the makings of their own pinch pots.
Ian was very meticulous with his pot, making sure the walls all around were of an even thickness.
The owner of
Claywerks helped Evyn out as he had some thin spots and she showed him out to
re-pinch and move the clay around some more to make the walls even.
Amber is using one of the tools she handed out, a wooden kitchen spatula. Wooden spoons and spatulas were the preferred tools of the afternoon. They are used to tap out the clay against your hand, which is on the inside of the pot, to ensure an even thickness around.
Ethan is using a wooden spoon and tapping out the sides of his pinch pot.
Another tool is used for smoothing out the inside of the pot.
Ethan also smooths out his pot.
The owner helps Amber with the inside of her pot. Amber's pot, if you notice, has a flange off the top. She made hers differently from the boys.
Next they were shown how to do handles. Ethan and Evyn wanted handles on their noodle bowls, as that was what they decided to make. The owner assisted Amber in putting one on top of her pot and it became a basket.
This is Evyn's completed noodle bowl. He even has a lip (right side next to his thumb) to rest his spoon. A very unique design element he thought of all on his own.
Ian has a little critter poking its head out of his cup (or is it a bowl?). The owner helped him craft the little frog. He is signing his piece of artwork.
Next week they will be able to go back and put finishing touches on their pots. She told Ian he would be able to manipulate and work with his little frog a bit more if he desired. Their homework? To look up various types of coil pots ... guess what they get to make next week?
The kids were all set to do their slab pots and figurines, but their instructor wanted them to get their first project, the pinch pot, glazed for its second firing in the kiln.
Amber used three or four colors for her pinch pot basket. Here she is cleaning off her tile.
Evyn made geometric shapes on his soup bowl mug. Notice the dip in the lip? Its a place to put his spoon! Very inventive.
Ian's bowl had a frog climbing out of it. He painted as a red-eyed tree frog. Dumpy is coming to life!
Ethan's bowl mug is in the forefront. Deep red interior. All four are now ready for firing.
Evyn is working on his slab pot/box here. He cut out a shape from a sturdy material an, after rolling out his clay, placed the shape on the clay to cut out around it. His plan is to make a pencil container for the classroom table.
Ethan combined the slab pot project with the figurine project. This is the globe portion, figurine, which will be stuffed with newspaper for drying purposes.
Amber decided to do her slab pot as a butter dish. The instructor gave her a couple molds to use. She rolled out her clay and draped it over the molds. The top was refined later in the lesson and also included a very cute idea for lifting the lid!
Ian designed his box a bit small. He's creating his figurine to go with this project. Next week we should see if his design worked. He was going to make holes in his box, but decided the design elements would be done with glaze instead.
This is Ethan's completed project. His slab pot is the triangular portion on the bottom. It supports his figurine, which is an orb or globe. The top was cut out and will be able to hold things inside. The instructor was impressed with the complexity of the design.
A little peak at Amber's butter dish lid. She is gathering up all the leftover clay to put back in the bag to be kept moist.
A little peek into Ian's creation. Can you figure out what he's making?
Evyn's box. He considered putting it on balls for feet, but decided against it. He also considered putting the balls together to be a snowman. He went with a more simplistic approach to his construction and will do the design details in the glazing.
