thread for df.pots

[cdefoe]

hey y'all. i've dabbled in bonsai/kusamono/staging plants on and off over the years. i took a handbuilding ceramics class a few months ago and have been hooked. i wanted to share the journey and hopefully get some feedback to improve!! currently working out of a studio with electric kilns firing to cone 6. taking a wheel class this summer, but have been having a blast handbuilding : )

a few different forms i've been experimenting with:

 

[cdefoe]

some fun with glaze and stains

have been experimenting with texture -> glaze -> wiping away the glaze

 

[cdefoe]

some african violets

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Very nice!

 

[cdefoe]

some cacti/succulents

sea urchin plant

sea urchin plant

haworthia hybrid

another haworthia hybrid

astrophytum asterias

 

[cdefoe]

thanks for reading y'all. appreciate any kind words and constructive feedback : )

 

[ForrestW]

Nice variety of forms and textures. I especially like the torn edges on some of them.

 

[KateM]

Very nice!

 

[MrFancyPlants]

As mentioned the textures and forms are interesting, creative and generally well done. And, I always like the earth tones in pottery, and with muted glossiness from the glaze and I believe you have achieved this quite well.

 

[cdefoe]

Very nice!

thank you!

Nice variety of forms and textures. I especially like the torn edges on some of them.

tearing the lips off the pot when the clay is leather-hard is maybe the most satisfying part of playing with clay lol. learning the different stages of dryness and which techniques are appropriate for a given stage has been one of the early challenges for me. learning how to dry clay as well (ex: learning how to cover with plastic, how placement in a space relative to air flow/light, etc)

As mentioned the textures and forms are interesting, creative and generally well done. And, I always like the earth tones in pottery, and with muted glossiness from the glaze and I believe you have achieved this quite well.

i've been having a lot of fun with texture. there are absolutely bonsai ceramicists who do cool things with texture, but i've been getting a lot of inspiration from people who make cacti/succulent planters

 

[cdefoe]

re: earth tones, glaze, glossiness

i've been chasing a look of like a stone with lichen or gems peeking out with applying glaze over texture. i'm sure there's a technical term for it, but when you wipe away the glaze, what's left leeches into the clay and darkens it. you can get some really interesting nuance when layering slips, oxide stains, and glazes!!

also some interesting results layering a matte glaze over a more glossy glaze

currently stuck in a vicious cycle of making pots, buying plants for pots, and making more pots for plants

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I had wondered about mixing glaze with the clay before shaping or adding glaze. Before bisque firing.
Not having a kiln or clay or glaze has really inhibited my experimentation though.

 

[cdefoe]

i've not tried adding glaze before bisque firing. as a beginner, i've been very fortunate that the studio i've been working out of has a lot of colored slips/stains/underglazes/glazes prepared so my dumb ass can come and just use a brush to slap stuff onto my pots

would love to experiment with some fun colored nerikomi, but i'd need to figure out some sort of setup at home because my studio membership is a lowly 12 hours/month lol

 

[Cruiser]

Nice work!