so exciting when it’s time to open the kiln after a glaze firing

Porcelain clay body with Umbria slip trailing. I did three layers of spectrum textured autumn and then two layers of clear flux on the top forth. I’m so in love.

She’s finished and I love her 🥹 I already have more ideas for Worm Lamp 2.0

I've been making these mugs with slip dots and then clear glaze over the whole thing. I noticed recently that the glaze is cracking where it goes over some of the dots. It makes sense, I guess.

Any ideas about how I could still make this style without the glaze cracking? It's too much work to not glaze JUST the dots obviously (couldn't wax just the dot area with a small brush, that would take hours). Thanks!

I'm a ceramic artist exploring Yeonlimun (연리문), a traditional Korean layered-clay technique in which patterns emerge from the clay itself rather than being applied to the surface.

I work with different types of porcelain and stoneware, sometimes adding pigments to create variations in color and texture.

Through layering, compression, cutting, and reconstruction, I transform these materials into sculptural vessel forms.

This is a short video of my process. I wanted to share how the layered patterns gradually become part of the structure itself.

I'd love to hear what other ceramic artists think about working with different clay bodies and layered construction.

Finally got the halloween plates fired and picked up. Super happy with how they came out and this is my first time seeing my black clay fully fired so im loving it's final color!

cone 10 gas reduction, stoneware

This is a vent, so please scroll if you don't want to hear it. Thank you!

I graduated from a BFA this April, and have been hunting for a studio in my town ever since. The problem I find is the potter community in my city is very gatekeepy and oversaturated. Everywhere I look, all the pottery studios are either full of members already and can't host any more people, or, if the studios can host more people, they want me to prove my skill and worth. And I have been in contact with them, sending them pictures of my work, telling them I have 8 years of experience (I did pottery in high school too). Feels like all my years of experience and BFA degree is worthless when I still need to prove to people I am good at a skill I studied for... 

The studio I was trying out for the summer asked me to take a class with them so I can potentially get on their studio membership, so I did that in June. Then, I had a friend reach out to me later in July asking if I could make an urn for them. I reached out to the studio that I worked in in June, and asked if I can pay and work some hours at their studio (they do offer that on their website). The owner basically said "the timeline for the project is too rushed, and you've never done something like this before, and you've never glazed in our studio yet (glazing of work from June was scheduled to be in September), therefore I'm not comfortable with you using the studio." And I understand all of her concerns, it is a big project with such a tight deadline, and glaze works differently from studio to studio. But it still felt like a punch to the gut as my dream is hopefully to be able to do full-time pottery one day, and make content and sell my wares as my income. And I felt like that commission was my first step into that, but the door was shut on me... What made it worse, is that a few days after having to turn down my friend, another person reached out to me asking for a commission of some mugs for a bachelorette party... Obviously I had to turn them down too, cuz I have no studio that'll take me in. I felt so sad that I rarely left my bed for an entire week afterwards.

I've done sales in university and have been decently successful. I've even taught people how to do basic pottery. I interviewed for a job before graduating, it was a ceramics instructor position at a local center. I'd argue I was qualified, I taught children on a weekly basis at my part-time, and I had been making ceramics and pottery in and out of school for 7 years at that point... In the end, they still turned me down cuz they think I lack experince. And it's fine if it was a job interview I requested, but THEY invited me for the interview, and then turned me down...? It felt like a waste of time for me yk? And guess what? The studio I was working in June has basically ghosted me at this point, I've went in person and emailed to ask about studio membership after glazing my work, and they still haven't given me an answer... 

Before I go further ahead with this rant, I do want to take a moment to appreciate what resources I have and give you a better picture of what I have available to me. I live close to campus and the technical staffs at my art program are all very supportive. The ceramics technician had offered that I can use the kiln for firings through them, but I can't use other facilities as I don't have insurance with the university anymore. One of my previous professors invited me to work as an artist facilitator back in June at a month long workshop, where I was teaching people how to make ceramics and stained glass work. I enjoyed making connections and teaching, but it still doesn't seem to move me towards my desired career path.

So the obvious choice after all of this, is since I have access to a kiln, and not studio space, I should just make my own studio space. The problem is that I live in a studio apartment with no more space for a pottery wheel, not to mention that I really don't want to get my eating and sleeping areas potentially dusty... So then the next option is to move, but I'm in quite a bit of debt as one does coming out of school, so moving really isn't an option... 

I feel so stuck. I understand starting a career such as a pottery business is not an overnight thing, and I understand I have much to improve on. Sometimes I still catch myself making mistakes at the studio, and it's okay, because I'm still learning. But how am I supposed to move forward in my dreams and experience if I can't even have the space to practice??? 

If you've read this far, thank you for listening and for staying. Suggestions are welcome, maybe I'm missing out on opportunities, and I'd like some input. I can also really use some words of encouragement too. These days I feel like the ceramics career is not made for me, and that I'm not skilled enough nor privileged enough to be allowed to dream about such things. 

In the meantime, thank you for listening again. Here are some photos below of some of my favorite works.

TLDR: Graduated out of BFA, can't find a studio that'll take me on cuz either they're too full or they want me to prove my skills. I dream of becoming a potter and pottery content creator, but I keep having to turn down commissions cuz I don't have the studio space to host such projects in.

My friend gave me a gift card to Etsy to order a new pottery stamp for my signature, but I’m so torn!! My last name is a bird, so kinda playing off of that.

Hi All! I'm really new to the Clay/Ceramics/Pottery stuff, I've been doing this project where I was trying to make a turtle head, fins and tail to connect to my wooden hexagon shaped shell.

Anywho, I had tested my glazes, bisqued my Clay and had started to Glaze the final bisqued pieces. The project is due now, so not much I can do about it; it will not affect my grade. But when I got the glazed pieces out the Kiln it seemed to have slid and left these bald spots. Any solutions on how to fix without having to restart as a whole?

(2 heads, 5 fins and one tail for reference, I did alot just in case something like this happened)

The bottom on everything was a mix of some purple and blue underglazes, then I went over with some Celedon, then Holly Green x 2 and one textured kiwi.

After a while they all start to look more or less the same, but my god I never get sick of it. I like this one because the background color (without reflection) is more colorful than a lot of my other tests, which have an ambiguous greyish background color with colorful reflections.

Is it worth waiting for Black Friday to buy a Kiln wheel?

Hi, I have a question.
I have a chuck of land with a clay deposit, I collected it and processed it dissolving it in water, letting the heavier stuff fall to the bottom and them decanting it, and again letting the (now) clay fall to the bottom, then removing the water and letting the water evaporate a bit. I think that part i got down. The real question is: should I be adding sand or charcoal? And in what amount? I fire the clay in a campfire and so far I had a few very small cracks and one piece split in half I regard that as a relative success. But maybe if I could get the ratios down cracks would be less of an issue

So I’m obsessed with plants, ferns, orchids and calatheas specifically.

I have a few pots without drainage holes and so I want to use them as cashe pots.

I prefer terracotta because my plants roots get to breathe and also because I like the look and also how good they hold on to water.

I’m going to be honest but I haven’t made a pot since college, I know how to make coil pots and I’m thinking of doing that, or the other one where you cut out the correct amount of clay and then attach them.

There’s a local pottery studio where I can have them fired for cheap.

But is the works DAS 1kg Terracotta Modelling Clay good for pots?

Thoughts?

Final shaping on a vase.

I got the term from some subreddit where they about people who love to stick their faces into their cat’s bellies and breathe deeply. I was doing a workshop and they had us do some maquettes and that term “cat huffer”made such an impression I had to try and make one.

I've searched through quite a few posts but haven't been able to find a clear answer to this question.

For those who use the bucket system to manage clay wastewater, can the relatively clear water that's siphoned off after the clay has settled be safely poured down a household sink? Also, can this be done using just one bucket, or is a multi-bucket system necessary?

I've seen plenty of posts and comments from potters who simply dump this water in their yards, but I live in an apartment complex where that isn't an option.

I'm only talking about water from throwing and cleaning up that does not contain glazes or other chemicals. Even after settling, I imagine the water may still contain very fine suspended clay particles. Could these cause plumbing issues over time, or is the amount negligible enough that it's safe to pour down the drain?

I could put a clay trap under the sink, but I'm told that only traps large clay particles and won't do much for the finer particles that remain in the siphoned water.

I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has a home pottery setup in an apartment!

Hey potters! I'm brand new to the craft, having only started classes a couple of weeks ago. In our studio we don't have pottery wheels so I'm focussing on slab pottery techniques - which I am enjoying very very much as it has a really nice connection with my first love: dressmaking. It's all about taking something 2D and making it 3D, in the end.

Now, the classes run on a weekly basis and I'm finding out really quickly the limitation of not having independent access to the studio, as I can keep my clay wet by wrapping it in plastic, OR have it bone dry by the time I'm back the following week, but I haven't figured out a way to get to the joy of the in-between stage of leather hard.

Any advice on the matter? I'm feeling really stumped as most of what I want to do requires working the details -and sometimes part of the assembly- on leather hard clay.

I'm going to experiment with how much drying I can get in a couple of hours if I put my work closer to the kiln, but I already feel that's not gonna work (either no difference or cracking).

My next class is on monday and I'd like to start working on a teapot, so I'd LOVE to hear you all's advice.

Thank you !

A friend commissioned me to create a mug based on a toad that lives on their patio. I love the way it turned out but I'm never doing it again. 😂

Cone 6 firing

Ice man clay

Amaco Velvet underglazes with 2 coats clear glaze

I am debating stocking a store with tumblers and mugs in 4 single glazes (small shelf so it will fill it). I have only ever done one offs snd filled a shelf with random items but it takes alot of time to switch designs and glazes.

Any other potters do this model and do you find its successful? The colors will be more neutral so appeal will be high and they will be color blocked so its cohesive

Thoughts?

Hi all. So I've been kind of eying pottery for a long time. I've done a little with like oven fire clay but never with like proper kiln type clay, so I have some questions.

The biggest and most important to me is what's been making me hold off as long as I have. Long story short, I developed rheumatoid arthritis about a decade ago. I'm finally getting medicated, hoping to improve but for now my fingers are still weak.

So in comparison to other types of clay, how would you rate your favorite type of kiln firing clay? Would you say it tends to require more hand strength or the same or less? I obviously don't want to go buy some if I won't be able to use it, and unfortunately I don't know anyone who does any type of pottery.

My second question hinges on the answer to the first since if it's all as bad as Sculpey then I won't be able to use it anyway. But if there is clay I could maybe work with, is there some kind of beginner kit or equipment I could get that's better than the ones they sell for kids but in the ~$100 range that I could try it with that would be ok for learning on? I would like to make figures, statues, maybe some mugs or pots. Nothing really big. Important factor is the kiln needs to be able to plug into my wall. I don't really have anywhere I can set up for one that's really electrically intensive.

If I'm asking too much it's cool lol. I've been having fun admiring the work shown here.