What I Said I Would Do
What I Did
This quarter I have mostly focused on creating different forms and learning how to create things in general before I get more specific. I’m not sure if I will even get to the point of studying different cultures’ connections to pottery. There is just so many things to learn about pottery forms and glazes in a general sense I don’t know if I’ll have enough time in the year.
What's Next
Currently, in this study I am only addressing two standards: Developing Craft, and Produce, Perform, and Present. I’ve been creating things and then looking to the internet for inspiration and different techniques to try. Next quarter I will be adding the other two standards to my learning plan. Connecting will be addressed by hopefully connecting cultures and pottery. Responding I will do verbally in meetings with Amy K. I think that looking at different pieces and responding to them will be very meaningful to my work. I think it will push me to become a better potter and help me to understand the different techniques more.
Quarter 2
What I did
I continued focusing on my techniques and learning how to work in the medium rather than getting specific. I threw a teacup in the first quarter that I really like and wanted to make a matching set with a teapot. I didn’t feel that I had the tool set to throw something like this. I started throwing larger pieces. I planned to take this one step at a time and first learned how to make a jar with a lid. I planned to then learn how to do spouts. I thought it would be better to take this one step at a time since sometimes pottery can be finicky. I knew I would have more perseverance if I could turn it into a series of little victories. I also played around with glaze a little bit. I did some layering of different dipped glazes and tried working with underglazes.
What I'm Doing Next
Unfortunately, in the second semester I have to drop pottery. I love this artistic practice so much I’m very sad that it won’t fit in my schedule. I love that the clay does things on it’s own and you work with what happens throughout the process. I love that I can sit down at the wheel without a plan and just see where it takes me. I honestly think there are a lot of metaphors about life that can be made in relation to pottery. I’m disappointed that I won’t get to finish what I set out to do in my learning plan but am thankful that I got to do pottery during the first semester. Hopefully later in life I’ll get to pursue pottery further.