Busy week in the studio. I carved up a large bowl I threw last week. The studio has been damp so everything is taking forever to dry, which can be a good thing. I also threw 20 yunomi style cups before carving so those could set while working on the bowl. And rolled out slabs for more tablets. The slow drying definitely is a benefit for preventing cracking of the slabs.

This bowl was a full day of carving. The link is a quick video of the process for the rim.
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The tablet project is moving forward in that I set a goal to roll out at least 3 slabs to carve. I started with the slabs as organic shapes but decided before falling asleep last night that I really wanted them more uniform. This morning I cut them and am happy about it. I want the tablets to be “in conversation with each other” and am paying close attention to negative space. I realized the process reminds me of doing cross-stitch pieces with my mom and my grandmother when I was younger and then designing my own in my 20’s. The process feels like stitches. Hmmmm…

And finally the cups…
I threw 20 cups. This is the most I have ever thrown of one object in a day. The shape is basically the same but I was not measuring anything except weight, which was just over 11oz. Being precise was irrelevant because of the distortions I would be making. I lost 5 cups in the trimming and then shaping. Some of the cups got too dry so cracked when I was shaping. That’s why I threw 20. I knew I would lose some and I want a substantial grouping in the end. With the original 5 I now have a total of 20. I want more.

The shaping has become all about how I handle each piece. I pick it up, turn in my hands, and where they rest, I dent. These have become so very personal. It is my personal response. And again with underglaze application, it is my response to the cup as it is in that moment. And again with the design on the surface. There was at least one (3rd from the right)I didn’t care for where I put lines the previous day so I smudged them. I left the smudging as it is all part of the process. This one is my favorite so far. It also has a crack on the rim that I brought into the design. I added my geometric design in search of order. I will need to sort out photography of these little sculpture vessels because a simple product photo doesn’t show the varied shapes. I wish I could put the complete set out for the cohort and reviewers to handle and engage with them. They want to be held, offered, presented, turned, felt and experienced.