Final Blogpost

Final Blog Reflection

Unit 1: Slab Construction (Box)

Never having a ceramics class before, what were your first impressions of the class through this project? Prior to taking this class, the only experience I’ve had with ceramics was when I went to the Japan ceramics interim last year, and that was only working with the potter’s wheel. When doing this project, I realized that this class was a lot more challenging than I expected, and it required a lot of focus and creativity. Although I have taken other art courses in previous years, this class was a new and refreshing experience for me to be able to make art by using a different material.

Unit 2: Coil Construction (Greek Vessel)

Prior to starting this project, what were your doubts prior to creating? When the class was introduced to this project, I remember thinking to myself that this construction would be very difficult, but after a while, I realized that this was not the case. Before I knew about coiling, I’ve always wondered about how the vessels that students created were able to look so symmetric and tall without using a potter’s wheel, but this type of skill made me realize that sometimes, creating complicated artwork only requires simple methods. For this unit overall, I really learned the importance of glazes and how it can affect your entire outlook of your piece. Here, I realized that with glazes, the results can sometimes come out unexpected and not what you originally wanted.

Unit 3: Undulated Slab (Tripod Mug)

What did you find most satisfying and frustrating with creating your work? My favourite part with this piece was sculpting the angulation of the mug. In previous units before this one, I only used simple forms or a template to give shape to my pieces, but for the mug, I really had to focus on my sculpting for the mug’s body with only my hands. I also liked how each person had to have a different way to add creativity to their mugs since we all had similar forms. While it was the most satisfying part, I think that the angulating the mug was also the most frustrating because it was difficult to make sure the clay had no cracks. Since angulating the piece requires the clay to stretch out, I had to constantly make sure that the clay was moist enough to work with.

Unit 4: Sculptural Forms (Dessert Installation)

What did you find most satisfying with creating your pieces? With this project, the most satisfying part for me was the fact that we were free to do whatever dessert we wanted. Because of this, each person had to come up with their own creative designs, resulting in a variety of different works. Also, since the desserts looked better with more colors, I liked how this project gave me the opportunity to use all the bright and bold glazes that I would probably not use with my other pieces. What was most frustrating? The most difficult part of this project for me was the timing. Because I wanted to make each dessert done well with a lot of detail, I ended up spending more time for each piece than I originally planned. I wish I had more time to spend for each one, that way the desserts could turn out with a better quality.

Looking back at all your work, did this class meet all of your expectations as a student?

This class definitely met all of expectations as a student. As an art student, taking this class was a very refreshing experience for me to be able to be exposed to a different form of art. As someone who had barely any previous experience with ceramics, this class definitely led me to be even more interested in this subject than I was before taking this course. Creating pieces and learning new techniques in this course was a very therapeutic and satisfying process for me since it requires me to use more of my hands than just my brain.

How could I have taught this course better?

I think that all the units and how they were introduced were already great the way they are, but one thing that I wish was different about the course this semester was the timing for the last unit with the desserts. I wish we were given more time to construct the dessert pieces, that way they could have ended up with a better quality overall.

Which project was your favorite and your least? Why?

My favorite project would probably be the coil construction. Although the result wasn’t my favorite piece of the semester, the process of constructing my vase was the most therapeutic and insightful for me. My least favorite project was the slab construction. I think this was because the construction process was quite basic and plain compared to the other units. Even though it wasn’t my favorite, I still think that this project is necessary as the first unit of this course as a starting base for students who are new to ceramics.

I will miss each of you, have a wonderful break.

Cloudy With A Chance of Desserts

Cloudy With a Chance of Desserts
Reference 1:	Reference 2:	Reference 3:
Method: -marshmallows: three, short slab cylinders -slip and score the marshmallows together and make sure there is a hole in the middle for the skewer -smaller pieces of clay for additives Glaze: Cotton x3 for marshmallow Brick red x3 for scarf Chocolate brown x3 for melted chocolate	Method: -print out a mickey mouse template to trace the outline and the facial features -use template to cut out two thin slabs (cookie) and one thick slab (ice cream) -slip and score the pieces together and then put it a popsicle stick hole Glaze: Cotton x3 for ice cream Metallic brown x1 for cookies	Method: -three small slabs, shape it into the strawberry shape (similar to a cone) -use Mr. P’s pen tool to create the strawberry seeds effect -skewer the three strawberries, leave a hole -slip and score the edges Glaze: Brick red x3 for strawberries Chocolate brown x3 for melted chocolate Granny smith x3 for leaves
Construction:	Construction:	Construction:
Post Fire Glaze:	Post Fire Glaze:	Post Fire Glaze:
Reference 4:	Reference 5:	Reference 6:
Method: -print out a gingerbread man template to trace the outline -use a thin rolled out slab to cut out the gingerbread man Glaze: Cotton x3 for white outline Slip trail for buttons Straw x1 for the cookie	Method: -strawberry shaped slab for hat -short cylinder shape for marshmallow -use smaller pieces of clay for additives Glaze: Cotton x3 for marshmallows Chocolate brown x3 for melted chocolate Brick red x3 for strawberry Slip trail for buttons	Method: -trace and cut out a piece of clay out of the newer stacks in a rough shape of a reindeer -use the thick slip as icing to draw Glaze: Straw x1 for the cookie Brick red x3 for antlers Chocolate brown x3 for face
Construction:	Construction:	Construction:
Post Fire Glaze:	Post Fire Glaze:	Post Fire Glaze:

Tripod Mug

Tripod mug
Insert pre fire photo here:
Construction
What skills, techniques, or process did you employ to create your mug? With the process of constructing the mugs, everyone in the class had a similar approach to creating their own pieces. We applied the same techniques and processes that we have learned over the course of this semester so far, such as slipping-and-scoring to create the circular tube which we eventually turned into the mug. We also employed the technique of angulation like we did for the coil construction, but instead of having a template, I used a wooden rib tool and my hands to curve parts of the mug inwards and push some parts outwards. For the decorative aspect of my mug, I decided to add on a single large flower design on the lower half to make the overall appearance more interesting and unique. How does your final construction look? Also describe the difficulties in construction. My final construction has a very obvious angulation, with a thick, curvy handle and a single additive for decoration. For me, the most difficult part of the construction was trying to angulate the mug for it to curve in general. The clay itself isn't very thick, and so when trying to push the clay outwards to create the body, it was hard trying to make sure there weren't any cracks even after spraying the clay with water and making sure it was moist and soft enough.
Glazing
Insert Pre fired Glaze photo:	Insert your post fire Glaze photo:
Glaze Record and technique: Exterior: 3 coats of arctic blue as the base glaze for the mug, then two coats over it with frosted turquoise. For the flower, I did three coats of cherry blossom, and two coats of chun plum in the middle and a few strokes on the petals. Interior: 3 coats of arctic blue over 2 coats of frosted turquoise.
Final thoughts about your mug with a selfie of your mug: Overall, I'm really happy and satisfied with how my mug construction turned out, especially the glazes. When it was fired in the kiln a second time, the color of the glazes came out really similar to what I originally expected. This is definitely my favourite piece of the semester, but I think that if I could change something about it, I would try to find darker pink glazes for the flower decoration, or maybe add more layers of the chun plum glaze over the cherry blossom to get a bolder shade.

Coil Construction Part 2

Greek Vessel (Coil Unit)

CONSTRUCTION

Photo of the vessel that you based your work on	Sample Sketch
Vessel name and description: From Ottoman, Turkey in the 19th century and is used for household storage. What do you like about the shape and form? I like this shape and form because the angulations of the vessel aren't too rounded, but not too sharp either. For example, I like how the angulation between the body and the neck of the vessel is very prominent, but the edge is softened so that it forms a curve instead of a sharp angle. I also prefer wider lips over vases that end with a small opening. The vessel also has quite an elevated foot, giving the whole piece more height and sophistication overall.
Greenware Photo
Construction Reflection
Do you feel that you have a good grasp of the coil technique? It took a while for me to finally get used to coiling, but creating one vessel was enough to get a good grasp of the coil technique. At first, it was harder because I wasn't familiar with the texture and features of the clay, and so I had trouble with smoothing out the clay and making sure the vessel wasn't too thin or thick. What area did you struggle in constructing your vessel? The area of construction that I struggled most in was creating the foot and lip, mostly because they were the last features of the vessel that I had to construct and I didn't have enough time to focus on those two parts. Because I had a very wide lip with respect to the body of my piece, it was hard to make sure the clay wasn't too soft and that it didn't droop down or become sloppy. I needed Mr. P's help with finalizing the lip by creating the edge using the wooden tool because it was hard for me to do it without ruining the thickness of the edge. What area did you enjoy most in constructing the vessel? My favorite part in constructing the vessel was the blending and shaping of the piece using template just after adding in a new coil on top. It was satisfying for me to continuously shape the vessel into the cardboard template and smoothen out the surface to make sure there aren't any dents or imperfections using the rubber tool. What area do you feel that you needed more instruction? The area that I needed more instruction with was constructing the foot. Because I spent a longer time creating the body than the rest of the people in my class, I wasn't able to create an elevated foot like I originally wanted to and so I only had time to create a short base. Mr. P helped me construct the majority of my foot, and after watching the demos and trying it out myself, I realized that a skill I still need to work on is to be able to cut out perfect circles using the knife when the slab is spun on the wheel.

GLAZING

Glaze Record
List your glazes: Amaco (PC) Blue Rutile and Amaco (PC) Ancient Jasper Describe your application: I applied three base coats of the Blue Rutile glaze, and four coats of Ancient Jasper over the Blue Rutile, but only on the top half of the piece
Pre-fired Glazes	First Post fire Glazes
First post fired Details	Second post fired Glazes
Final Reflection
Describe how you feel over all about the project, technique, and glazing. Even though we've only done two construction projects, I already feel like coiling is and still will be my favorite even after we do more constructions. I find the coiling technique really interesting because the process is so simple and repetitive, but it can create any type of vessel without losing symmetry or shape.  With the glazing portion of this project, the post fired glaze looked nothing like I expected it to look like, but I am still quite satisfied with the final result from the first-post glaze fire. The colors were a lot darker and duller than I thought it would be, but I still love the way the ancient jasper creates a drooping effect on the blue rutile base as the two colors combine together. However, because air bubbles were formed on the surface during the first glaze firing, my vessel had to be re-fired a second time to smoothen out surface. I think that because it was exposed to even more heat, the glaze turned even darker than it already was, causing the ancient jasper to become a black-red, and the blue bottom to become brown.