Rekindling the Kiln...

I took my second pottery course this Fall. I think I enjoyed it even more than my first course in the Spring, even though I was technically taking the same course again. I learned a ton of stuff and got to practice the techniques I'd learned in the Spring. Some things definitely felt easier the second time round and some techniques finally made sense to my hands. All in all, it was awesome.

I got to glaze and fire the teapot I made in the Spring. Despite my attempts to repair it, the handle is still/again unattached at the base, so I won't be putting my teapot to work in the kitchen.

Handles are something I need to work on. This little teacup is cute, but as you can see from the discolouration, also had to be repaired where the handle meets the cup.

I made a lot of pieces. Here are most of the blue ones...

I love how this mug turned out. The colours are perfectly wintery -- great for warm drinks! -- and the size is just right for warming your hands on.

This is my super-shiny bowl. I glazed it in clear over top of the colours, which worked nicely.

One technique I was really excited to learn was chattering. By holding a metal rib juuust on the surface of the piece while the wheel is spinning, you get repeated lines around the piece. The metal vibrating against the clay makes a cool sound when you're chattering.

The little cup above is my attempt at making an argyle pattern with the glaze.

This flat brown dish also has a light chattering round the rim.

In this class, I tried out lots of different kinds and combos of glazing, as this is most mysterious and unpredictable part for me. This bowl has a "lichen" glaze on it that adds a crackled surface. I only added a little bit on this bowl.

Nougat and olive was a glaze combo I found that I really liked, so I made a few pieces in these colours.

I haven't signed up for another course yet, but might have to join a local pottery club. First I have to figure out where I'm going to put all this pottery. Maybe I'll have to take a woodworking class to build a new shelf...