clay: preliminary form of an autobiographical bottle + greenware grogzilla salt cellar + finished prism pillow

My clay mate teacher, Zan made an autobiographical bottle in her Master of Arts education program at Boston University, and I’d been wanting to do the same. Years ago, I had watched Nancy Selvin demonstrate how to make one along with having us in her workshop make our own silkscreen stencil on some ancient digital printer/screen maker. But first according to Zan, I needed to make a preliminary form.          

 

Templates for my bottle are done, and it remains atop the slabs of smooth red clay I had rolled out last Saturday in the community studio.

Zan had also assigned me to take a chunk of Grogzilla and to pinch a pot. I vaguely remember a theme of decay. This clay has a very rough texture from flashing kaolin, 4 types of grog, heavy sand, and feldspar inclusions that pop to the surface during firing and resemble dinosaur teeth.

And so during my last hour of work, I pinched a pot. And it started to resemble a teacup, but no one should have to drink from a vessel that's going to hurt the mouth. And so the pinch pot turned into a salt cellar. I made it obvious with text.                

  

It was when I put the salt cellar on the greenware shelf that I remembered it was supposed to be a small flower vase.

I'm hoping that as the pot dries, its surface will become craggier. I do like the rim color above of Zan's finished pot. I wonder if she applied slip as well as a clear glaze. The pink brown of the unglazed surface makes it the perfect vessel for Himalayan salt. I will probably glaze just the inside and then dip the rim in clear and leave the text and the rest of the pot unglazed.

I came home to this bouquet. Spring is definitely here.

My Friday night was spent eating leftovers and finishing this pillow.

I don't know if I love it as much as the first prism pillow of orange, coral and peach, but it's done. And I like done. Though I will likely change those colors to blue and turquoise and gray come summer.