Making Trays with handles

Yesterday was Tray Day. Actually made the 2 days before. At least thats when I formed them by taking a slab and draping it into a mold with an extruded edge. After gently pressing the clay in to the mold with as little water as possible the edges are cut and left to dry a bit.


























After they dry a bit handles are added. When they are dry enough to remove from the mold I bevel the edges on the top. I sometimes do slip trailing on the surface and occasionally a stamp
combined with that.

I use special pieces of wall board cut with notches for the handles to put on top to avoid warping. Then I switch to a heavy weight in the middle to avoid a bottom pucker up so to speak.
Finally after they are dry I bevel the bottom edges and smooth with a damp sponge.
Since I use porcelain this works very well and results in a smooth beveled edge.

I love making these but the take up a lot of drying space and time to dry.

Teaching Examples from Oregon Pottery Showcase

As I said previously my wife and I opened Throwing Mud Gallery. The front part is a Gallery. But the back part is a pottery school.
I teach wheel throwing basics to up to 7 students.














Handbuilding is taught as well and we have been working textures in their projects. At the Oregon Potters showcase I found some great pieces to buy for myself oooops should have said as examples for the class to teach and inspire. The first 2 pieces are by Rhoda Fleishman, The Next 2 pieces are the legendary ( at least in the Northwest also check way back in Ceramics Monthly) Ellen Currens and finally Kvalheim Studios













































































These pieces will show my students what great pieces can be made without a potters wheel. The trip to Oregon was very beneficial for the school in my opinion.Can't wait to show them to the classes.

Trip to Oregon Pottery Showcase

I tried starting a blog last year and never followed thru. This year I will follow thru.

Many new thing have happened in my life recently. After being a potter for 27 yr. My wife and I decided to open a store and gallery. Called Throwing Mud Gallery throwingmudgallery.com

I will comment in the future about the store set up. We have a school and have around 25 or so students after being open only 3 months.

The gallery sells my pottery and others. Also many other forms of Fine Crafts. Jewelry, wood glass etc.

Stocking the store with others work has bee more work than anticipated.

In order to stock the gallery we went to The Best of the Northwest Crafts Show earlier this month or was it March? I forget. We found many great artists and brought their work into the store, either thru wholesale or consignment.
Since then my wife and I have been steadily adding more artists and have over 30 currently , more to come soon.

Today we went to Oregon to attend the Oregon Potters Showcase. This is put on by the Oregon Potters Association. http://www.oregonpotters.org/index.htm I must say it was an amazing show of all potters. It was the 29th year they have done this. It is a cooperative effort that includes all levels of talent.

We trekked to Oregon only 2 hrs away. We picked up a few potters work for the store. These will be added to the stores blog soon. We also made contact with some great potters to potentially carry them in our gallery.

Among them Patrick Horsley, Don Sprague, Craig Martell, Rhoda Fleishma, ( Starting top to bottom) also Cynthia Spencer, Ginger Steel (Insomnia Pottery) not pictured.