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.

This is a slab piece I found while researching. I really like this piece because it is abstract and not completely straight forward. I also really like how the glazes pop against the clay and aren't overpowering. It was created by Mo Shankland and it was made with porcelain. Mo lives in Glasgow and has been working as a visual artist since graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 1998. She has had exhibits in the UK and also Japan.

"My inspiration is everywhere. Thoughts and ideas are fused together and expressed as form with colour and texture. The creative journey is subtle, complex and sometimes intuitive, but always exciting." -Mo Shankland

This is a piece I've been working on recently. I was finally able to fire it and when it was done it came out with this really great red color. I used some blue glazes on this and I fired it again but I am not completely done with it yet. I want to make sure that I'm all done with all the little touches before I can be finished.

The technique of Raku ware was first developed in Japan by Chojiro the founder of the Raku dynasty, in the 16th century.
At the beginning of the 16th century, colored glazed potteries were produced in the region of Kyoto, in Japan, using a technology originating from China. This technique was then employed by Chojiro to produce tea bowls for the tea ceremony. These tea bowls were called "Rakuyaki" (Raku wares), from the name of "Jurakudai", the palace of Chojiro's protector. Chojiro adopted the name Raku, which can be translated as joy, happiness, for his tea bowls and the name Raku even became attached to Chojiro's family.
The main characteristics of the original Raku tea bowls were simplicity of forms and absence of decoration in a perfect harmony with the spirit of the tea ceremony. Raku has evolved since then to become a popular form of art.

This is one of the ceramic garden pices I found. I think is was very creative of the artist to make a vase and then add on a figure and I think it works very well. I think it could use some color, but this overall idea is something that I think I would like to try. There isn't much information from the artist and the only thing I found was that her pieces are one of a kind and she mostly makes memorial urns and garden art.
I had a lot of trouble finding other ceramic garden pieces.
I made my own garden piece but I'm not sure what happened to it, I haven't seen it in awhile. It was a slab piece and I carved out a flower shape in the center and filled the shape with pieces of clear and colored glass. I fired that and then glazed the piece with a blue and green glaze. I was really happy with the way the glass melted in the flower shape, but I haven't seen my finished piece yet so I don't know how the glaze looks.

RICH SURFACE TEXTURE

The piece on the left is another that I found very interesting. I really like how the surface is very bubbly looking and rough and I think the glazes go very well with it. The artist who created this piece said she likes working with rough materials because they make a crater like surface on her pieces.

The piece on the right was created by making a cylinder and then making deep impressions into it without distorting the cylinder shape. The piece is then expanded from the inside which creates the final shape of the piece and also the curved lines of the impressions. It was the artists intention to use patterns and textures that reflect the curves found in nature. I find this piece very interesting and I would love to experiment using the same technique of creating a pattern and expanding the clay like that.

PIECES WITH SURFACE TEXTURE

I found this piece on the right that has a lot of surface texture and I really like it. I don't really like that the top part is smooth while the rest of the piece is very rough. I didn't find a lot of information on this piece so I'm not exactly sure of the process that was used to create this effect and the surface texture.

The piece on the left was something I came across and I really like how it looks. I believe the article said this piece was wood fired which helped to give it the effect it has. I really like the grooves along the neck of the piece and also the random shell shaped spots on the side of it.

Recently I made two bowls, however I did not get the chance to take a picture of them yet, but as soon as I do that I will post them.
The first bowl I made using porcelain clay. I have never used porcelain clay before and I had a lot of fun working with it for the first time. I really liked how soft the clay was and how smooth it was.
I started out by rolling out the clay and when it got to a thickness I felt was right I laid it into a bowl and by doing that the clay automatically developed an interesting form. The edges kind of swooped and curled, which was what I intended. I was inspired to make this piece after I made my "mug" because I wanted to experiment with different bowls and seeing how the clay could form. After I let it dry I finsished it off by smoothing all the edges and then I fired it. I finished by glazing the piece with two different blue glazes. The first was a peacock blue which I applied with a very soft brush. I dipped the ends in the glaze and ran the brush across the outside of the bowl. This did not cover every surface of the bowl but instead made horizontal lines on it, which was my intention. The second glaze I used was a dark, blue/ green glaze. I used the same brush and the same technique I used with the peacock blue glaze. The finished result was horizontal lines of dark and light blue glazes across a smooth white surface. The inside of the bowl I glazed entirely with the peacock blue glaze. I was very happy with the outcome of this bowl. I feel like I could have developed it a little more, but I believe the way I glazed it was very successful and I would like to use that technique again.
The second bowl I did was using regular clay but I made it the same way I made the porcelain bowl. However it was not as successful as the porcelain bowl. Instead of throwing it out I was encouraged to test out glazes on it. I used two different blues again and I really liked the blue I used on the inside of the bowl, I believe it was marine blue. The glaze on the outside though, did not show up well. Overall I would say this piece was not successful but I did discover a glaze I would really like to use on another piece.

This is a piece that I am currently working on. I rolled out the clay flat and then wrapped it around a cardboard tube. After letting it dry I began to carve into it. The swirl markings started as a mistake but I realized that they were actually making an interesting design so I went with it. The words "And it makes me wonder" are lyrics from one of my favorite songs that I happened to have stuck in my head that day.

I really like how this piece is turning out. However, right after I took this photo the peice broke across the top taking out part of the swirl design. The piece doesn't have the same feel anymore but I am going to finish it because the break didn't drastically change the overall look for the piece because the majority of the carving wasn't effected.

I am excited to glaze this piece because I want to use a few different glazes on the different parts of the piece. I really want to get the glaze in the carved lines so it will make them really pop. Latley I have been attracted to blues so I will most likely incorporate a few blues into this piece.

Raku pottery is created with a specific ceramic firing process that uses both fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs.

This is personally my favorite ceramic process. I love the way the glaze come out a metalic color and the firing process itself is very fun to be apart of. I am really looking forward to creating a piece to raku this year. I am also looking forward to using different techniques to decorate the clay such as incorporating feathers and horsehair, or things of the like.

This is my interpretation of a mug. I was really happy with the way the galze turned out. I like how it is dark in the places I carved out.

I started this piece with rolled out clay. I then draped it over a small cup to make it into an actual mug. However the clay was not taking the shape that I intended it to, so instead of continuing to manipulate it, I let it fold however it wanted and then finished by molding sides together and smoothing out the curves and any lines.

After making the shape I allowed the clay to dry. I got the idea for the lines I carved when I was looking at a ceramic piece in a magizine that showed a tree and its roots. I really liked the look of these natural lines so I tried it out in my piece. The lines I carved, along with the color glaze and the way I put the glaze on, give the piece a very earthy look.

It was my intention to have the glaze be dark within the carved lines and lighter throughout the rest of the piece and I am very happy with the outcome of my "mug".

Today I'm looking for inspirational mugs. I happened to come across these goblets that are apart of this Southwest Gallery.

I like the swirl design on the goblets and also the glaze.