Pottery+Club

Pottery Club

 Pottery Club is an. activity that takes place after school every Wednesday. Anyone can come to hand build or work on clay. However only students involved in the actual Pottery Club can throw on the wheel because of the limited number of wheels.

 When making pottery there are a few main ways to form clay. The fastest way is working on a potters’ wheel to throw a pot or bowl. This is the quickest because you are working with wet clay that is easily formed and hollowed. When it is placed on the center of the wheel the speed is set at the wheels quickest rotation to center the ball of clay. From this point the potter only has to open and pull up the sides. After the walls are even, the wheel speed is slowed down and the shape of the pot is formed.

 When hand building or hand working, the artist can decide from a number of different techniques to create their piece. One technique is made from slabs. This way is created from big chunks of clay being smashed down into a long even slab. When the pieces are cut they can be scored and slipped together to fit like a puzzle. Scoring and slipping is a technique that attaches two pieces of clay together.

 Another technique is coiling. This technique is mainly used for taller pots. To use it you must roll out long coils and stack them. After the main shaped is determined, the coils are smoothed together to create a more finished and finer look.

 With all of these forms of creating pottery and ceramics, the type of clay used is important. In Pottery Club the main type used is Stoneware. White clay which is the best for coiling is too soft for throwing. Porcelain is the finest type of clay, however it is too expensive to use at school.