Of the pieces I did make this semester, this one was definitely my favorite. It isn't really anything specific, just a slab piece that I made into a cylinder shape and carved into. Although the swirls look black in the photos, they are actually more of a dark blue. I really enjoyed making this piece because it was fun and had a little whimsical aspect to it. There is also a personal touch with the words, which are lyrics to one of my favorite songs.

This quarter was much more difficult for me in ceramics. I tried really hard all quarter to create pieces that I really liked, and also felt excited about making. However, all those attempts were made in vain and I wasn't able to make something I was proud of.
I tried everyday to make something, but I either never liked the outcome or I wasn't even able to get past wedging the clay because it would always fall apart in my hands.
I was easily discouraged this quarter whenever something went wrong. I wish I could have stuck with my pieces more, but I think part of the reason I became so easily uninspired was because this is the last quarter of my high school career. Although that isn't a totally valid excuse, I feel like it played a small role, because this was not the only class where I felt Senioritis take over.

These are just some interesting shoes I was able to find on the internet. I didn't want to choose the kind of footwear you see everyday, and although these shoes may not be practical, they definitely get you to look at them.

Unfortunately, I did not get around to making my own shoe. I was really inspired by these and I think I would have had a lot of fun making something like the shoes here. However, when I would try to start making a shoe, I just wasn't able to get the clay to form the way I would like it, therefore causing me to quickly become uninspired and begin work on another project.

These are some examples of Chia Pets I found. Although one is your tradional Chia Pet, the other one with Mr. T was made as a joke, but it could make for an interesting Chia Pet.

Currently I am working on my Chia Pet. It took me awhile to get started but I was finally able to become inspired. The Chia Pet I am making is a lion. I started out with a ball of clay that I worked into a face. It doesn't look quite like a lion right now but I figure it will resemble one once some grass starts growing.
I created a "mane" with the clay just by flattening it around the face of the lion and that will be where I will place the seeds for the actual Chia grass.

This is a slab piece that I was working on a few weeks ago. I couldn't find it for awhile so I was never able to take pictures of it.

I started this piece by rolling it out on the slab machine and then I cut it into an oval. Instead of leaving it as a clean oval shape I cut some curves into it. I don't particularly like the lines I cut into it and I would probably do them differently if I did this project again. I do, however, really like the way the glass melted and formed in the flower shape that I carved out. I used a lot of clear glass and specks of color so that the color would pop. I tried glazing it with a green and a blue-green glaze but they didn't turn out the way I hoped they would.

These are some more pieces found while looking for slab pieces. I am more interested in the way they were made as opposed to how they look, although I do really like these pieces. The artist, however, made the two pieces to the left by repeatedly dropping them onto a plaster slab. This created the folds without disrupting the lines that were already there. The artists, Bowie Croisant, attended Kansas State University and is currently working with Red Star Studios. Lately he has been very interested in experimenting with his pieces and trying new things.