It’s hot, Hot, HOT and I’m finally back behind my pottery wheel!
I started my throwing season a bit late this year because we have had so many other things to attend to this spring: soccer games, garden prep-planning and planting, lots of rain, clean up from lots of rain, garage sale prep, garage sale, and garage sale clean up and more.
This week I am making mugs . . .
Every mug starts from a lump of clay.
First, the clay is wedged. It’s like kneading bread.
Wedging creates a uniform consistency and removes any air bubbles that might be trapped in the clay. The purpose of wedging clay helps prevent cracks during firing.
After the clay has been wedged, it is ready to go onto the pottery wheel.
Once on the wheel, the lump of clay needs to be centered onto the wheel – tame the clay, so to speak.
The goal of centering is to move the clay into perfect symmetry so the clay stops wobbling making it easy to open and shape.
Once centered, the next step is called coning up.
This process involves squeezing the clay inward and guiding the clay upward into a cone shape then it’s pushed back down. This process is done several times. I tend to cone up 5 to 7 times depending on the hardness of the clay.
This further helps align the clay particles and makes the clay easier to control.
Next, it is time to open up the clay, often called “dropping the center”, where a hollow space is formed which will become the inside of the mug.
Once this is completed, it’s time for pulling up the clay.
This requires synchronized hand movements and consistent pressure as the clay is gently squeezed between an inside and outside hand while thinning the wall and lifting the clay upward slowly as the wheel spins.
Once the mug is at the desired height, the walls need to be strengthen by compressing the clay with a rib tool. (My rib tool, as seen in the photo, is made of wood. Rib tools also are made of plastic or metal.)
Compressing the clay helps strengthen and stabilize the clay wall so the mug can support its own weight.
Now the mug is ready to be shaped and refined.
Shaping is the process of altering the basic shape, a cylinder shape, by adding slight curves pushing the walls outward or inward creating graceful curves.
The possibilities are endless.
I decided to add a little texture to the mugs this week. I’m curious about how the glaze will break over the texture.
The next step is adding handles which will be the topic of my next blog post.
POTTERY: (noun) like baking but with dirt, and you end up with a mug instead of cookies.
Back Porch Studio 
So fascinating. And it looks therapeutic.
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I do find throwing cheaper than therapy! LOL
With starting my throwing season so late, I didn’t realize how much I missed throwing. Nice to be behind the wheel again!
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Awesome 🤩
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