NEW TOOLS
Friday, January 6, 2012

What a merry Christmas morning it was to me when I opened a box from my mom and dad and saw new pottery tools just for me!This is what the description for them said. "An imported line of handcrafted unique pottery tools. Designed by Dr. Dong-Hun Chung Professor at South Korea's Won-Kwang University.

The Doo-Woo collection offers tools for throwing and handbuilding which are as handsome as they are functional and as practical as they are incomparable. Constructed from stained, white birch and high-grade stainless steel, the tools are sized, both large and small, for the job at hand. From small trimming tools to massive tools for shaping and forming in the ancient Onggi tradition, Doo-Woo Tools are like none you have ever experienced."

Awesome, I've used many of the tools already for throwing on the wheel. They say that clothes make the man, well I think tools make the potter. It has been so much easier to manipulate the clay that it was when I had the basic student tool kit at my disposal. Although those get a job done, and maybe it's because I'm a little more practiced as well, but these tools have helped me make better looking forms, especially bowls. I haven't used the hand-building tools yet but I'm excited to use those too. Many thanks to my Mom and Dad who have supported my dream to make pots and explore my creativity. Thanks Dad for sitting down with me and looking at tools and things I thought would help my pottery. In my Christmas box there was also a caliper, a plaster bat,and an ultimate spout maker( I love to make pitchers, they're my favorite)Thank you, Thank you for believing in me!

100 EMPTY BOWLS
Monday, January 2, 2012

I was looking online one day at pottery's around Milwaukee and ran into a couple that participate in a fundraiser called Empty Bowls. The fundraiser helps with hunger in the area by selling bowls from local potters. I think this is really a great idea and such a good way to help so I've made a goal this year to make 100 bowls for the Empty Bowls fundraiser. This not only is a great way to help, but a little selfishly, it's going to help me learn how to make bowls a little more proficiently. I've already started and have 5 bowls so far that are thrown, trimmed and bone dry, ready to be fired. Woot woot! on a roll. Another selfish reason I suppose for doing this is that it gets me down at my wheel a lot more. I've allocated time in my day to throw, during Wesley's nap time and Addie's quite time. Sometimes Addie comes with me and so far it's worked great, but Mitch has also been home the past week and a half, so we'll see how it flies without him here, but I'm very optimistic it will work since Addie loves to play with clay. I have to buy some more clay and a clear coat glaze to cover my underglazes. I want to keep a running tab on the bowls I'm making so here's to sticking with it. Happy New Year.