Villarreal Ceramics on Etsy

Another great interview on Etsy on artist I admire: Villarreal Ceramics. Her ceramics painted with delicate, whimsical feathers are simply gorgeous. Read more on Etsy.

What does handmade mean to you?
Something that shows the hands of the maker, is sincere and can be shared.

Photos from Villarreal Ceramics / Etsy

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Rekindling the Kiln...

I took my second pottery course this Fall. I think I enjoyed it even more than my first course in the Spring, even though I was technically taking the same course again. I learned a ton of stuff and got to practice the techniques I'd learned in the Spring. Some things definitely felt easier the second time round and some techniques finally made sense to my hands. All in all, it was awesome.

I got to glaze and fire the teapot I made in the Spring. Despite my attempts to repair it, the handle is still/again unattached at the base, so I won't be putting my teapot to work in the kitchen.

Handles are something I need to work on. This little teacup is cute, but as you can see from the discolouration, also had to be repaired where the handle meets the cup.

I made a lot of pieces. Here are most of the blue ones...

I love how this mug turned out. The colours are perfectly wintery -- great for warm drinks! -- and the size is just right for warming your hands on.

This is my super-shiny bowl. I glazed it in clear over top of the colours, which worked nicely.

One technique I was really excited to learn was chattering. By holding a metal rib juuust on the surface of the piece while the wheel is spinning, you get repeated lines around the piece. The metal vibrating against the clay makes a cool sound when you're chattering.

The little cup above is my attempt at making an argyle pattern with the glaze.

This flat brown dish also has a light chattering round the rim.

In this class, I tried out lots of different kinds and combos of glazing, as this is most mysterious and unpredictable part for me. This bowl has a "lichen" glaze on it that adds a crackled surface. I only added a little bit on this bowl.

Nougat and olive was a glaze combo I found that I really liked, so I made a few pieces in these colours.

I haven't signed up for another course yet, but might have to join a local pottery club. First I have to figure out where I'm going to put all this pottery. Maybe I'll have to take a woodworking class to build a new shelf...

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All Fired Up

I finally got around to taking some more photos of my pottery from my first course. I took a ten-week class at my local community centre, and totally loved every minute of it.

(It was the first time I'd done pottery since grade 8, when I made a, um, bowl? pot? pencil holder? Heh.)

Every Wednesday night I'd some home exclaiming things like "Tonight I made a bowl! a BOWL! Eee!" and "I learned how to make a HANDLE!" And when I actually got to bring my first piece home... ahh! Amazing.

It's infinitely satisfying to eat and drink out of dishes that I made myself. I'm used to working with fabric or paper... having made something so, for lack of a better word, solid is a whole new feeling for me.

This lil' guy is the smallest piece I made - just from a tiny bit of clay left over from something else that fell over on the wheel! - but he's one of my faves.

This one was fun to make: a planter pot. You can't see it in this photo, but it has a drain hole in it. Now I just need a cute little succulent to plant in it.

I was super excited to make a teapot! I didn't get a chance to glaze it before the course ended, so it's only been bisque fired so far. Hopefully it's not too spilly when it pours!

I can't wait to take another class in the Fall and get back to the wheel.

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