Way back in April (although it seems a lot longer ago than that!) I mentioned that I was taking a pottery class in hand building at Chester County Arts Association. I managed to complete the course and to also get a few tries on the potter’s wheel.

Fast forward through a busy summer and I am back at the arts center again for the past few weeks and have been making a lot of items that buzz around as ideas in my head.

I have found hand building to be very creative and a great way to relax from the stress of the working week. One of the themes I have been developing is that of my “holey bowls,” a sample of which I show below:

These were made by rolling out clay and then using an existing bowl as a mold. From this I then cut holes and added a foot before firing to bisque and then experimenting with the glazes. I love the form and the use of “negative space” and seem to have a bit of an obsession with these at the moment.

Of course, as with many art pieces they are also a triumph in form over function, as a bowl with holes in it isn’t really a lot of use!

I hadn’t gone back to the wheel at all until yesterday when, after talking to several other artists in the center I realized that most had only been throwing for a year or so, so this gave me a confidence boost. I will add a few more images from these experiments once I have something decent to show, so stay tuned.

~Richard