Pottery: A Break from Painting

I love how different art forms can speak about each other and bring a deeper understanding of the crafts you're working in. That's one of the main reasons I like to explore the realm of art outside of painting when I can. It's also a nice break from the same processes but still allows me to stay in a similar mindset.

Pottery has been one of my favorite escapes. I took my first class in college, but since have taken a couple more classes from our art museum and from a local pottery studio. I'm not the best, but there is nothing like pulling up a wall from a centered piece of clay on the wheel.

Being a novice, it reminds me the practice art requires. It becomes more than simply your thoughts, but it becomes almost muscle memory. It's in the feel of it, and you can't understand the feel of it without consecutive practice. That's why it is so therapeutic to me.

I'm also reminded to be patient. For example, if you're not patient in getting your clay centered on the wheel before you get started, you're going to have a really rough time creating a symmetrical piece and will likely cause a train wreck. Oftentimes when I'm drawing in my painting in the beginning, I think of this process with pottery. If I rush my drawing (the basic framework of my painting) I'm going to be making it much more difficult for myself in the end, and could even compromise the whole piece.

And then comes the glazing and firing process. In my last class at the art museum I loved playing with a technique called sgraffito like the piece below in which you paint on a colored slip and carve designs to reveal the clay underneath.

And here are some of my favorite final products:

I'm planning on taking another class in the fall if all works out! If you're interested in taking a pottery class regardless of your art experience, I'd recommend it for anyone! I'd start by looking into any programs if you have an art museum near you :)

Thanks for looking!