The Flower
6.5″ x 4″
White earthenware clay
The Orb
4.5″ x 4.5″
White earthenware clay
Sunset/Night bowl
7″ x 4″
white earthenware clay, glaze
Maroon Mug
Red earthenware clay, glaze
Manatee Teapot
Red earthenware clay, glaze
The artworks above demonstrate my growth as a student by showing how I have improved with certain qualities, such as developing art making skills and using tools in an appropriate and safe way.
It is visibly seen that my artwork has improved drastically. The Flower and The Orb, two of my older works from the beginning of the year, are not entirely smooth and they are glazed very sloppily. Compared to the Manatee Teapot, they lack in quality. The Manatee Teapot, my most recent work, is smoother and glazed more evenly. It is much more clean and neat. The Flower was made simply by pinching and adding the petals and other embellishments on with slip. I didn’t even score the surface of the clay, which I would know to do now. The Manatee Teapot had a much more complicated process. I had to make an enclosed pinched form, smooth it, and carve out a hole for the lid and neck. I then had to make the head and tail, adding them on carefully by scoring and using slip. I added fins the same way. I then smoothed out the whole form before adding underglaze. Then, I took a needle carving tool and etched into the surface of the firm yet plastic clay. Finally, after it was bisque fired, I added a few coats of clear glaze. The final result was very neat and pleasing, even so that it got to be displayed at the Art Haus.
I’ve also learned how to use tools more efficiently. My carving work in The Orb and the Sunset/Night bowl is messy and poorly done. In fact, the carving done in the bowl is probably unnoticeable. In my Maroon Mug and Manatee Teapot, I used the same type of tool- a needle, to carve into these. They are obviously done much better than my older works, and I was able to create fascinating patterns and add small details. If I needed to add thicker lines, it was done with the tip of a pencil. Overall, I’ve learned how to add details that are neater and much better.
If I could redo a project, it would be The Flower. I feel like I could make the form much smoother and even. I would smooth out the surface of the pinch pot and the petals by using a rubber rib or smooth edge scraper. Then, I’d add a foot and the petals using both scoring with the serated edge scraper and slip. I’d ensure that everything was well connected before I’d add details on the petals and side of the pot using a needle tool, doing this using the sgraffito method. I’d then bisque fire the underglaze-covered vessel, then I’d add a clear glaze on top and glaze fire it. The result would be a stronger, detailed, neat pinch pot that bests the previous one.