90% Of Pottery Are These Boring Tasks

I’m a sucker for the making of pots, the joyous throwing and trimming, but what comes after, the waxing, glazing and firing, is more of a laborious task that normally ends up being highly repetitive. I don’t mind the work, I keep my headphones on and listen to stories throughout the day, yet I definitely experience more pain in my hands from these processes, as compared to throwing and trimming. Specifically, it’s the grasping of pots as I fettle the surface clean, as the fingers that are gripped so tightly around the object cannot move, otherwise they rub down the surface and create thin patches that show in the finished pots. This means that the hand that holds the pots is tensed for hours on end with my fingers pressed against a relatively powdery surface, if I squeeze too hard, the clay can fracture and come off of the vessel and too loose a grip means my digits glide across the surface, again creating thin spots. It’s hard to describe, but essentially this hand becomes a vice whilst the other carefully cleans the surface. It’s a skill, just like any other in the making process. #pottery #glazing #glaze #howto #craftsmanship #ceramics