the good and the bad

As well as being a studio potter, I am also the Ceramics Technician in the Ceramics Studio at Mohawk College in Hamilton. This is a wonderfully equipped studio with 16 wheels, 5 electric kilns, and a 16 cu.ft. Geil Kiln. We run continuing education classes most days of the week and have about 100 students. I find this environment inspiring. The students are always asking great questions and some produce really beautiful work. Of course there are also those who don't listen and never ask the right question, but that happens every where. Some times well meaning students also learn the hard lessons the hard way. One of the day students was admiring this wonderfully decorated square platter and picked it up. Lesson learned as she had it fall apart in her hands. ' don't touch the work that isn't yours', even if it is with good intentions.


I fired the Gas kiln this week and so I was there for 12 hrs yesterday. This always affords me a little time to make. Teapots were on the bill as usual and also some new cups. The teapot is made with 'Tony's Hot Bod' a clay body from PSH and decorated with Robin Hoppers white slip. The cups are porcelain, decorated with a roulette. The platter is about 16" and is slab built with roulette patchwork decoration. It has a thrown foot ring. I find if I make for about the first hour I'm there, I can trim and assemble in the last hour.