This past year, I attempted to teach myself how to throw on the potter's wheel. "Diamond Babies," a series of vessels, are the fruit of my labor. My first attempt was an absolute disaster, who knew clay could be so demanding and stubborn? I enlisted the help of friend who had recently studied the art of throwing in Japan and eagerly began to absorb all that I could about the technique of controlling clay. Little did I know that the kind of throwing he had learned was not traditional throwing, but a type called "throwing off the hump," which added an extra element to mix and proved to be much more difficult to learn. The struggle taught me grace and patience, it showed me how to tame the constantly spinning mass of clay. As I began to grasp some sort of understanding of centering and the concept of "pulling up" I became absolutely consumed with throwing.
I discovered the work of George Ohr and became heavily influenced by his work. I started to make these vessels that were manipulated, twisted and contorted. I was interested in Ohr's mastery of glazes and became obsessed with mixing and experimenting with my own. I decided to add in another element of mixed media by throwing glass frit into the belly of the pots and playing around with the color and melting points of both the glaze and the glass. Here are some detail shots of the insides:
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