Small ceramic bowl

Here is one of my small pots. I didn't have very many pieces in the high fire kiln yesterday, but next week, I should have quite a few pieces. I love ceramics. I go to bed at night thinking about how a can throw a bowl, or how it will be painted with my original drawings. I'm obsessed! There is so much to learn and so many steps, unlike painting. And at any step of the way, a piece can get ruined. I love the simplicity of making a pot. My work will never be perfect like so many potters strive to make a perfect piece without any blemishes, perfectly round etc. I think if a piece is too perfect, it looks like it is mass produced. My pieces will still have my whimsical touch, without taking it too seriously.

Here is what Ayumi Horie (one of my favorite potters) says about her pieces. "My cardinal rule is not to overwork a pot, but rather to throw it or assemble it with freshness and candor. If a tear develops, I patch it with a band-aid of clay; if a pot is accidentally dented, it becomes another thing that defines its character. There is great pleasure in understanding a pot’s history of making and seeing that it might have a certain awkwardness or vulnerability".

I just love that!


By Ayumi Horie