Gabby

In your question I see two lines, the line between first and second and between second and toss. There are some standards I think should be relevant to anyone making pottery for sale. For example, if it doesn't work for its intended function or work safely for that function, or if you know it will not be as robust in use as your items typically are (like the interior crack situation you describe), it is tossed (or repurposed as shards for mosaic or something) rather than sold as a second. The line between first and second needs to vary by person. One potter's best ever pot might be a complete embarrassment to a highly, highly proficient potter. These two will be selling their work at very different price points to account for the great difference in quality. That very high quality potter should not even sell as a second something that looks like the work of a far less proficient one. But the less technically developed potter shouldn't be embarrassed to sell pots that represent his best work in the moment just because he hopes at some point to be, and be considered, highly skilled. It is very important that pottery is accessible to people across a range of price points, and that purpose is best met when different potters work in different niches.

Pres, the wedding jar is just gorgeous.

I don't know whether this is what you are asking, but if you look just below the title for this thread, also in this ICAN forum, you will see all the past week's questions and answers.

The tactile aspect is huge, the feeling of creating the three dimensional object in space so directly. This is why it matters to me also which clay I use. There is something too of raising the object on the wheel from a lump to a functional form with a combination of use of hands and the spin of the wheel that evokes life bursting forth from the Earth, like a seedling breaking ground and pushing upward with nurturing, regardless of the outside climate. For me the process is not automatic, so I also enjoy the concentration it entails.

While I am new to making pottery, having first sat at a wheel only one year ago, I have had decades to notice that I am drawn to particular shapes of things much more than to others. For example at a craft exhibition, you would not see me standing long before bud vases or anything tall and thin. I am looking as I write at a sheet I got off the internet of the 23 classic shapes of tea bowls, which is what I am mostly doing at present. Broadly speaking they are of two types with specific function in mind. The winter shapes have a smaller opening relative to volume than the spring shapes, because the smaller surface area of liquid keeps the beverage hot longer. But function aside, I find that I prefer the winter shapes for their steeper sides, say those with an angle relative to the horizontal of 60 to 90 degrees. And I like proportions that are somewhere between square/round and golden ratio. As I have written elsewhere, I am more inclined to the rhino or hippo than to the giraffe or the gazelle. The "wooden bowl shape" on my sheet is close to a half sphere. The Goki type looks similar but with more jowl at the bottom. The half cylinder is what it sounds like and wider than it is tall. There are waisted types of these which differ only by being brought in slightly at the middle. I like all these shapes more than I like the shapes with the ever widening mouths, curved or straight lip, like the summer bowls. I prefer a sturdy look to a delicate look and usually texture over smooth.

I'll take a stab at this, Lee. The things that make the second maybe more appealing to a woman than a man might be: 1) A flat rather than bowl-like shape makes a collection of rings, pins, and earrings less likely to end up in a tangled heap at the bottom. No one cares if keys and coins end up in a heap. 2) The lacy-type appearance of the decoration of the second might be more a woman's choice than a man's. Looking at colors, my first thought was of my dropping my son off at college and realizing it was way, way hotter than I had expected. I asked him whether he thought I should pick him up a few cooler t-shirts at Target before I left him off. He said yes but added, "Mommy, please get neutral colors. Boys my age will be wearing mostly neutral colors." Having written this, I called my husband over to ask which he liked better and why. He said he liked the top better. He said he didn't like the "bumpy fence-type thing "on the bottom one, while the top one looks "rustically elegant."

This is an intriguing question that I too find difficult to answer. As I do not sell work, I am guided only by my taste and don't think in terms of masculine or feminine or what might have broad or targeted appeal. I am female. I like simple forms that are not delicate and definitely not tall and thin. Some of what I do is, in fact, fairly squat. (My favorite dog is the English Bull). But then, I have made pieces in which I have carved in an image of a specific female orangutan about to have a birthday and will soon do a sturdy mug for a friend with either a carved in or painted version of her Newfie-mix. Is that feminine work then?

Here are two possibilities, though they may have been addressed here before: 1. Do you have favorite shapes or forms now in your work? If you do, how have these favorites changed over time? (What made me think of this was the current discussion of throwing huge planter pots, because I can see that is of great interest to some and of no interest to me- neither the very, very large nor the very small and light). 2. Do you keep a sketchbook in support of your work? If so, what is your practice- how do you use it?

Until about ten years ago, I usually played oldies as background to almost anything I was doing- work, leisure reading, driving, anything. Then I got a bulldog puppy who, when she napped, snored like a 300 pound guy. Bullies sleep a lot, and one can hear it throughout the house. It was a beautiful sound. I used to say she was the Pavarotti of snoring. She was beautiful to look at also. Since she died, I don't play music as background to anything other than driving. I prefer listening to the sounds of my old house, the street noise, the birds, and even the planes I can hear from inside. My neighborhood is really quiet even though the homes aren't very far apart, so it is centering to hear the same sounds that have surrounded me these 30 plus years in this house.

As a beginner, I have taken classes to get started and also use books as very central resources. Right now I am reading two, one about throwing and another about techniques in Japanese ceramics. While I do watch youtubes some, I have found taking a class live to be a much more effective way to learn to throw, as the teacher could, for example, watch me to tell me what flaws she noticed in what I was doing. I read articles on this site and read the various threads and lurked for almost two years before making my first post. I do ask questions of potters and other artists I see at art fairs, study pots I see through glass at the museum, and buy some pottery in order to examine it closely and frequently.

Winter tea bowls in red clay, part of a series I call "Wild Heart." They will all have a red accent somewhere on the bowl. I have hand-built some using a simple template that gives them a squared shape at the base above the foot ring, and I threw a couple this morning. But it is too cold, really, to go very long at all. Today I threw wearing a thermal shirt, thermal pants, and a down vest.