Ceramics: Gifts from the Kiln Gods

Why is it when I first build a pot, I love the product of that initial effort, but then try to do it again, attempting to refine the shape or try a different glaze, it then utterly disappoints me? I loved the first butter dish I ever constructed from reclaimed clay. And so I made two more. A square handled turquoise one.

Well dagnabit, there's a big crack, and that border of robin's egg blue looks ridiculous. And how is that lid not gonna slide off in some way from the dish?

I also made a pink glazed butter dish from the same electric brown clay. I like the round handle, but again I need to have that lid butt up against edges on the bottom dish in order to anchor it.

I have to not be disheartened by these glaring mistakes and learn from them. And take what I do like into the next make.

Yep, I'll put these butter dishes in the sacrificial yard in front of the ceramics studio. Maybe someone will find a use for them. I do have a partially constructed butter dish from sandstone buff to return to tomorrow. Also on a happier note, I do like my new soup bowl to reside in the  workplace.

I know I wanted the edges of the bowl imperfect, BUT there's handmade and there's homemade and my bowl is leaning toward the latter. And so I'm gonna fashion a tool for smoothing the edges and making them consistent in thickness from a tool I saw a potter use on Instagram. She had cut a U into a credit card and ran the U around the edge. Genius I thought. I like my bowl though.

I like the size and proportion. I like the Power Turquoise on the inside of the bowl and the Matte Turquoise on the exterior of the bowl. I will definitely make more.