In more than one way, clay is your basic building block. Whether it’s a creation story that has man molded and shaped from dust, or its use to make bricks for adobe homes, or the Great Pyramids. Even the first “books” – cuneiform tablets – were etched into clay tablets. With such a heritage, it’s no wonder clay is such a popular material to work with.
What Do I Need To Start? If you’ve seen the movie Ghost – who hasn’t? – you know the sensuousness that comes with throwing a pot. And the feeling is (almost) the same if you’re doing it solo. To start, you’ll need a block of clay (buy it from a local ceramics supply shop) that you knead with your hands, while keeping it moist. (Don’t make it too wet, or it’ll lose its stability and turn to mud.) Then you’ll center it in the middle of the wheel, and start shaping it as the wheel rotates. They come either foot-pedal controlled, or with an adjustable electronic motor. We’d suggest the latter because you’ll be concentrating a lot on your hands and the clay; keeping your foot moving up and down at a steady pace will be a distraction.
Patience and a light touch are important here: Unless you’re intentionally going for abstract, symmetry is key to a well-thrown piece. If one hand exerts a little more pressure than the other, the clay will start to fold inwards, and your piece will lose its balance. (You’ll also be concerned about the thickness of the piece. It should be well-balanced that way, too.)
The beauty of working on the wheel is that if you do make a mistake (which is perfectly natural when you’re starting out), all you have to do is collapse the clay and start all over. You haven’t “ruined” anything. You should also use some small potter’s tools to help shape the clay. Including rubber or wooden ribs, wooden or metal modeling tools, a needle tool, and a wire for cutting the pot off the wheel.
After you have your piece formed the way you like, you’ll let it sit and dry for a spell – how long depends on the size and thickness of the piece. It must be bone dry before it’s loaded into the kiln for the bisque firing. This process hardens the clay and makes it ready for glazing -- dipping the bisqued pot or painting it with a liquid glaze (to give it color or stay neutral), and firing it in a kiln to melt the glaze and stabilize your piece.
Harrison McIntosh, Black and Green bowl, Doug Hill photograph
