Student pottery - and a peek out the window

Things are moving along with the expansion and the gallery is close to being ready for us.  We now have a view of the water from our expanded area!  I took the picture below from the new area.

We're at the end of another 6-week session of pottery classes and I wanted to share some interesting pieces that Mark unloaded from the kiln today:

These two vases were hand built, using two slabs of clay.  The student added some fun texture, gave them a bit of a bend and then attached them together with slip and more clay. 

Cute house that could be a bird house or a candle holder.  I love the glaze in that small bowl.

A nice size colander - the two glaze colors work really nicely together.

LOVE the black and white decorations on these pieces - all 3 made by different students.

Nice decorations and glaze colors on these mugs and vases.

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.

Creativity

Like Mark always tell students in his classes, "You're only limited by your own creativity"

Communion Ware

Dwight has been taking pottery classes at Throwing Mud Gallery for about 1 year or so.  One of his recent projects is a traveling communion set for the pastor at his church.  He learned how to make small goblets for the wine, along with a small plate for the bread/wafer, and a decanter for the wine.

His other hobby is woodwork, so he customized a wood treasure box to hold the pottery.

His pastor is very lucky to receive such a unique gift - it turned out great!

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.

Nobody told me I couldn't, so I did!

Debra has only been learning how to make pottery on a wheel for a few weeks. Today, we were surprised to see the size of the bowl she was throwing!

 

We all gathered around to admire her work - amazed that she was already throwing such a large piece.  She told us that she wanted a big bowl, and nobody told her she couldn't make one yet (after only a few lessons), so she did it!

Quite impressive!

Mark also unloaded a kiln with some student pottery and I wanted to share a couple of the interesting pieces.

This is a slab bowl, and the really unique feature is the outside where a lot of texture was added. The glaze that was chosen really accentuates the textures.

One of our pottery students has been busy at the hand building table making bird houses.  She really knows how to add interest with clay and textures.

We have started registration for our next 6-week session of classes beginning the week of January 2 and running through February 11. Class fee is $160 for 6 weeks of instruction, extra open studio time for practice, 25 pounds of clay, glazes and firing.

You also can try to throw a large bowl or make a birdhouse

...and we won't tell you that you can't.