E. Normous Bowls

I may have mentioned that I signed up for a second Semester of Ceramics. I have made a LOT of stuff so far this semester, some of which I am really pleased with. This actually makes me a little self-conscious about glazing them because I still want them to look nice when I am done.

This week, we got back some bisque fired pieces (terra cotta like, now it is ready to glaze), and I got to look at some other things then came out of the kiln. Someone had made these REALLY huge bowls. It got me thinking, when I started, I thought if I wanted make just one giant bowl, but that turned out to be an unrealistic goal. Now, however, enough of my pieces are coming out how I want them now, and we are going to be hard pressed to find enough places for all the vases I made, why not spend some time on something that might be a complete failure- nothing wasted, right?

So I asked Joe, the teacher, how to go about it. He said, just start with a lot of clay, and be patient. I pulled out a 20 lb lump of clay and tried it. It was hard to work with, and the scale of it means it is very thick, but I made what will be a very serviceable centerpiece.

And then I made another.

I made two E. Norm. Ous Bowls that I am very proud of (we'll see if this holds up next week when I see them again). It feels like I've really conquered something- I went form being completely clay-tarded to making something very functional and potentially attractive, without ever getting so frustrated I hate it. It's been a good exercise in learning how to learn with grace.