I’m back in the saddle!

   I’ve been away for quite a while now. School has been insane. All of the other profesors I’ve talked to about this unrelentingly busy semester have had the same observation and we cannot figure out why we can’t get settled into the term!

   Regardless, I’ve been making a few pots for a show. In the lower image you can see my all time favorite form. These are ‘Lotus’ bowls. I throw them normally and then cut the rim and lay it along the outside of the bowl in order to make that shape. Did I mention that I wrote my Master’s Thesis on the bowl! Bowl forms are very interesting because you can see the inside, the outside, the rim, and the lower part of the form including the foot. It’s not like a jar that is closed in and covered over with a lid, making you wonder what’s hidden inside.

   In the third image, I’ve made some chip n dips. I always hated those forms! They’re just not exciting to me. The one with the circular rim and the little bowl inside is made from one lump of clay, everything being ‘on center’. Maybe that’s why they are not too lively!

   So, I made some different chip n dips, seeing how the holidays are coming up. The second image is much more exciting with a wavy rim and the bowl made separate, offset to one side. I couldn’t resist adding some peppers to the rim so people would know it’s a salsa and chip server! I like this idea.

   After doing the salsa idea, I figured that I would keep with that theme and design a vessel that you could use to make your own home made ‘taco shell bowls’! I see a future in the thematic approach to pottery making!

   It’s good to be back on the wheel again. We have Fall Break going on so I had a bit of time to do something for myself. That’s the tough part about teaching. You would think you would be immersed in art but it’s more of a management thing where you facilitate for others. It’s times like this that the artist gets to self actualize by making his own art!