Student Pottery

Time again for another edition of "what came out of the kiln today".

The glaze colors on this mug look fabulous together!  I think when other people see this combination, we're going to see more of it coming out of the kiln.

This blue is one of my favorite colors - I love the combination of colors.  Looks very midcentury style to me.

Masako's little animals are so cute!  I especially like the siamese cat.

We always have lots of bowls that come out of the kiln in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Here's a closer look at the decoration inside the yellow bowl

Lovely!

We have started registration for our next session of pottery classes beginning the week of June 24th. Why not learn a new skill the summer?  We have morning and evening classes to fit your schedule.  We love to show off our studio, so stop in and see us.  We're here everyday except Sunday.

Annual Student Pottery Sale

If you read this blog or our Facebook Page, you have seen some of the pottery made by our talented students.  This weekend is YOUR opportunity to support these new potters and buy some pottery at fantastic prices!

You can preview the pottery during Tacoma 3rd Thursday Art Mingle, May 16 from 5 to 8 pm.  We will have an Opening Reception Friday, May 17 from 5:30 to 7:30, and pottery will be available for purchase through Saturday, May 18 or until it's gone.

 

A portion of the sales will be donated to the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which supports the Emergency Food Network.

Student Pottery

Time to share a few more items, made by Throwing Mud Gallery students.

These two glazes blended together really nice, making for beautiful mugs.  Texture was added to the handle for added interest.

Another example of glazes that blend really nicely together.  What a great little pitcher/creamer!

We are registering now for classes beginning the week of April 1st.  There are still 1 or 2 spots open in each of our classes, except Thursday morning. 

You too can learn how to make beautiful pottery like this!

Student Pottery

Thought it was time to share some pots that are fresh from the kiln this week!

All of the above pieces are built by hand starting with a slab of clay put through our slab roller.  We have several different texture mats, rollers, molds and other household items that we use to add interest to the pottery pieces.  The way the glazes work on the texture adds an additional interesting element.

Making goblets take some patience and experience.  The stem and the cup are made separately on the wheel and then added together.  The student used one of our new glazes, which came out beautifully!

Pots from Pottery Class

I would estimate that we probably fire an average of 5 kiln loads each week - some bisque and some glazed.  Mark unloaded a kiln on Saturday and I took pictures of a few of the pieces.

Two people made great casserole/serving dishes and the glaze combinations are wonderful!

This is one of our most popular glaze colors and this particular vase came out beautifully.

Sometimes we have students who want to go more into creating sculptures with clay rather than functional items.  Even though Mark is not a sculpture, he can teach the basic properties of clay, building techniques, and glazing. The rest is up to your own creativity.

Student Pottery

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the pieces recently unloaded from the kiln that were made by our students.

I know Mark is excited about a piece when I hear him say "wow - look at this!"  The interaction of these two glazes is just stunning.

These two bowls are so elegant in their simplicity.

Obviously, there's much more to pottery than bowls ....like jars with lids.

I love the garlic handle on this garlic jar!  People are so creative!

There are a few pottery students who have been making pumpkins for fall decoration.  This one came out really great!

We still have space in our evening classes that begin the week of October 29th.  You too could learn how to make beautiful things like this! Come by the studio and talk to us about it.  You can register online, but Mark really likes to meet you in person and show off the studio.

Of course we also have lots of pottery and other beautiful handcrafted items in the gallery that you can buy and take home today!

More student pottery to share....

A couple of days ago, Mark unloaded another kiln full of student pottery.  We have some creative potters at Throwing Mud Gallery!

What came out of the kiln today....

It's been awhile since I shared a peek at some of the pieces that were unloaded from the kiln.  I know I'm a bit biased, but we have some talented potters here at Throwing Mud Gallery!

Debbie has such a talent, not only with throwing pots, but making clay figures in clay that she uses for handles or accents.

The way this plate and bowl are glazed gives it an interesting geometric look.  What a great set!

This is a good size serving bowl for a side dish or salad.

 

Some people think that bowls are "boring", but you can add a lot of interest to them by changing the shape of the rim.

This beautiful wall pocket for flowers is made from a slab of clay.  The glaze perfectly accents the flower texture and will be gorgeous filled with some bright colored flowers.

Events This Week

Thursday, May 17th is Tacoma Art Walk!  We will be open until 8pm

Because of a family wedding this weekend, the studio and gallery will be closing at 3:30 on Friday, May 18th, and at 2:00 on Saturday, May 19th.

We had good response to our student pottery sale over the weekend and will be leaving the pottery up on display in the gallery for another day or two.

First Annual Student Pottery Sale!

Throwing Mud Gallery will have a sale of students' works during our first student sale to be held Saturday, May 12th from 10 am to 4 pm!

This is a chance to purchase handmade pottery items at great prices and support The Emergency Food Network.

The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, May 11th from 6 to 8 pm.

Pottery Class pots

Here's a peak at some of the pieces from the latest kiln firing:
Another teapot!   This one has an added bamboo handle

I like the way this bowl was glazed...almost gives it a geometric look inside

Great colors on this mug

Debbie threw some great butter dishes and made a sheep and a fish out of clay to use as the handle....so clever

You can create interest with a bowl by either adding handles, or fluting the edges.

Online registration is now available for our next session of classes, beginning the week of May 7th. 

Now's your chance to learn how to make pottery like some of our students.

Teapots

As I mentioned yesterday, one of our students made two teapots.  She spent a lot of time working on them and we were eager to see how they turned out.

Carrie took her first pottery class in September and has progressed quite nicely in an amazingly short amount of time!

Nice job!   It's time for a cup of tea...

Student pottery

There were some nice pieces that came out of the kiln the other day.  It's always a little like Christmas to open the lid and see what's inside.

Some of the more experienced potters are learning how to make mugs and lidded vessels. 

They're also playing around the glazes and finding some great combinations!

This tray came out very nicely - I like how the person used the texture roller and the glaze colors that they chose.

We're unloading another kiln later today (of course when I saw "we", I mean Mark).  One of our students made two teapots and we're excited to see how they turned out.

Are you interested in learning how to make pieces like this?  We're registering now for our next 6-week session of classes beginning March 26th.  You can register online, or come by the store!

Unloaded a kiln

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the pots made by Throwing Mud Gallery pottery students. Mark unloaded a kiln this morning:

Seems like mugs seems to be a popular item lately.  I like the texture on the handle of this mug:

Here's a nice little vase, again with interesting texture:

Mark helped this student make a goblet.  It is made by throwing 2 different pieces and them putting them together.

I love the story about this lidded casserole dish. It was made in 1976 by one of our pottery students, but it had never been glazed. She kept the raw bisque pot all these years and brought it in to show Mark and see if he thought they could glaze and fire it. 

It only took 35 years, but didn't it turn out great?