Introduction

[buckeye]

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

[scoobydoozie]

Hello, Buckeye and pleased to meet you!

 

I was born in Ohio, but have been in FL since I was 5. I've been painting cast ceramics for over 20 years off and on (currently on for the last 4 years) and am currently on week 5 of a six week wheel throwing class. I've thrown two times before in the past, but am looking to purchase my own wheel soon so I can become proficient. I've discovered that throwing takes lots of practice. Last week I made a breakthrough on how much water to use while throwing and keeping a sponge in my hand to wet the clay without stopping. That made my throwing so much more successful!

 

I very much enjoy throwing and can't wait to have more time at home to practice and get creative. My budget says I'll be buying myself a wheel for an early Christmas present! My ultimate goal is to make a set of dinnerware for myself and functional ware as gifts. I also plan on making decorative pieces to paint brushstoke patterns on. Currently, all my ceramics are for myself as a hobby. One day, I may consider selling at shows, but my skill level is a long way off from that for now. I'm currently 46, and am fortunate enough to have 30 years in my pension plan in another 6 years. Not sure what I will do in 6 years (stay or retire), but that gives me a lot of options for the future and I'm preparing now. Creativity will always be a part of my life, though as I'm a life long learner.

[buckeye]

Thanks for the reply and telling about yourself. Thats really exciting your doing a class right now and will be getting a wheel soon!

 

 

[Denice]

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

Buckeye my name is Denice I live in Wichita, KS I'm 59 years old I have been hooked on clay since my mother bought me a mosaic set when I was 5, I cut the hair off my dolls and thew them away and only wanted art kits from that day on. I had a lot of clay classes in high school and the went to college on a art scholarship, it took me awhile to get my degree because of the usual difficulties in life but finally finished. I have made functional work in the past my favorite is the tea pot. Since I have doing this so long I go through phases, I was making sculptural landscape pieces that were sold at galleries here in town but the economy is so bad here that many galleries closed. I have been making talavera tile murals and fountains for the last 2 years but I'm ready to head in a new direction, I have been designing work that can be shipped easier and safely than my past pieces and start a internet store, i hope the economy will be better by the time I get it together. I love you enthusiasm, keep studying and researching, soon you'll need a studio, my first area was a corner in the unheated garage but over the years each studio has gotten bigger and better. Have fun| Denice

[flowerdry]

Hello Buckeye & Scooby, nice to meet you. Forum members, greetings to you. I have enjoyed your posts and marvelled how willing to help everyone is. Thank you all.

 

I'm 58 years old and divorced for a little over 2 yrs. Thinking I was going to need to move after the divorce, I began clearing out stuff. I had taken a couple of pottery classes back in college and loved it. Looking at my collection of pottery tools I thought, "Well, I don't suppose I'll ever be able to do this again.", so I took everything to a thrift store. About 2 months later, someone told me about a community arts center in a nearby county and I checked it out. I have been taking 2 classes every week on Sat. ever since, and even took several evening classes at another center in Richmond. My pottery helped to get me through a tough time in my life. I have since sold some pieces at the art center and at a local fair, but that's just gravy and not the reason I do it.

 

I have been continually learning and improving and I hope that will never cease. I love those breakthroughs..the a ha! moments. I have my own wheel, a Shimpo "lite" that I can move fairly easily if I need to, and it's just right for me as it can center up to 20 lbs and that's all I will ever need. I still fire at the art center, cone 6, electric kiln. I haven't mixed my own glazes yet, but that's something I'd like to try. My next goal is to try and attend some pottery workshops..would have loved the one in Tuscany, but by the time I saw it, it was full.

 

To all my pottery friends on ceramic arts forum...happy potting!

[buckeye]

Hello Buckeye & Scooby, nice to meet you. Forum members, greetings to you. I have enjoyed your posts and marvelled how willing to help everyone is. Thank you all.

 

I'm 58 years old and divorced for a little over 2 yrs. Thinking I was going to need to move after the divorce, I began clearing out stuff. I had taken a couple of pottery classes back in college and loved it. Looking at my collection of pottery tools I thought, "Well, I don't suppose I'll ever be able to do this again.", so I took everything to a thrift store. About 2 months later, someone told me about a community arts center in a nearby county and I checked it out. I have been taking 2 classes every week on Sat. ever since, and even took several evening classes at another center in Richmond. My pottery helped to get me through a tough time in my life. I have since sold some pieces at the art center and at a local fair, but that's just gravy and not the reason I do it.

 

I have been continually learning and improving and I hope that will never cease. I love those breakthroughs..the a ha! moments. I have my own wheel, a Shimpo "lite" that I can move fairly easily if I need to, and it's just right for me as it can center up to 20 lbs and that's all I will ever need. I still fire at the art center, cone 6, electric kiln. I haven't mixed my own glazes yet, but that's something I'd like to try. My next goal is to try and attend some pottery workshops..would have loved the one in Tuscany, but by the time I saw it, it was full.

 

To all my pottery friends on ceramic arts forum...happy potting!

 

 

 

I started a 4 week class about this time last year so I am very new and completely understand those A HA moments! Being on the wheel deffinently helps me with stress, it is one of the few things I have found that no matter how stressed I am when I am on the wheel it is all I think about, it is very therapeutic for me.

[Juli Long]

Hello, Buckeye, flowerdry, Denice and scooby and anyone else,

 

I am having was much fun as ya'll are having!! Like buckeye, obsessed and read everything I can get my hands on and try ever technique I can, and have finally figured out what I like doing

and what I don't. Love the sound of the wheel and usually play music that keeps that beat. I'm 53 years old married and kids are out of the house. My potting is a full-time hobby, but I would

love to take it further. I live in Texas, and in two weeks attending the two day Texas clay festival. Can't wait! Also, i'm getting a new kiln for my birthday to replace one of the two older models I

currently use. Yes, clay is a big stress reliever and dinner is mostly out as in take-out. Cone 6 stoneware, throw in the garage, and fire in the barn.

Juli

[buckeye]

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

Buckeye my name is Denice I live in Wichita, KS I'm 59 years old I have been hooked on clay since my mother bought me a mosaic set when I was 5, I cut the hair off my dolls and thew them away and only wanted art kits from that day on. I had a lot of clay classes in high school and the went to college on a art scholarship, it took me awhile to get my degree because of the usual difficulties in life but finally finished. I have made functional work in the past my favorite is the tea pot. Since I have doing this so long I go through phases, I was making sculptural landscape pieces that were sold at galleries here in town but the economy is so bad here that many galleries closed. I have been making talavera tile murals and fountains for the last 2 years but I'm ready to head in a new direction, I have been designing work that can be shipped easier and safely than my past pieces and start a internet store, i hope the economy will be better by the time I get it together. I love you enthusiasm, keep studying and researching, soon you'll need a studio, my first area was a corner in the unheated garage but over the years each studio has gotten bigger and better. Have fun| Denice

 

 

WOW you have been at it for a few years, would love to see your website, please send me a link if you dont mind. Its funny you mention tea pots, they are also my favorite to make!

[TypicalGirl]

Hola Buckeye!

I'm Cathi from California - the Mother Lode to be precise.

I've puttered in clay off and on over the years but got serious about 3 years ago.

I do mainly high fire reduction stuff, but as I'm waiting on delivery of my very first brand-spankin-new-factory-made kiln (Olympic DD9 thanks for asking), I converted my converted electric kiln to a raku kiln and have been rakuing to beat the band.

 

I live on 20 acres in the sierra foothills with a hubby and some critters - dog, cats, goats, horses) and both the better half and I work from home.

He's a programmer and musician. I was a hardware tech till we moved back to Cali in '05 and then I and my dad spent 3.5 years building the house DH and I now live in. The deal being that after said house was complete, I could concentrate on making clay and art my sole vocation.

Its starting to turn the corner.

 

One thing I do want to mention is that I took advantage of the Potters Council mentoring program and am now paired with a mentor to help me find some focus and refine my work.

If you're a member, I really recommend the program.

 

Anyhoo, nice to meetcha!

[Heidi]

Hi I'm Heidi living in Cape Town, South Africa. I am 45 yrs old and started pottery 2 years ago with once weekly classes on a Saturday morning. I was hooked after the first class and have been learning ever since. Besides my classes, I also learn via the internet and trying out lots of the stuff that I read about.

I have just bought an old second hand pottery wheel but I do my firing at the local pottery supply store. I haven't sold anything yet but have made lots of functional items as gifts for family, friends and colleagues - and learning in the process.

Nice to meet you all.

[Marc McMillan]

Howdy all.

Im in Northern California, am 42, and absolutely love the process of getting muddy. I got into ceramics in college years ago. My wife (girlfriend at the time) was taking a class and had to go on campus at night. Being the protective boyfriend I accompanied her. I brought my own books with the intent to study while she did her thing. She said "nope" and sat me at the wheel, plopped a lump of clay down and taught me the bascis. I was soon going with her every chance I got.

 

Fast forward several years and I fell back into it. I bought a kiln (already had the wheel) and have been doing it very often ever since. It is so truly relaxing that I can forget about work. I do it mainly for fun, giving pieces away mostly, but I hope to begin selling more if only to pay for materials.

 

Best to all.

Marc Mc

[buckeye]

Hola Buckeye!

I'm Cathi from California - the Mother Lode to be precise.

I've puttered in clay off and on over the years but got serious about 3 years ago.

I do mainly high fire reduction stuff, but as I'm waiting on delivery of my very first brand-spankin-new-factory-made kiln (Olympic DD9 thanks for asking), I converted my converted electric kiln to a raku kiln and have been rakuing to beat the band.

 

I live on 20 acres in the sierra foothills with a hubby and some critters - dog, cats, goats, horses) and both the better half and I work from home.

He's a programmer and musician. I was a hardware tech till we moved back to Cali in '05 and then I and my dad spent 3.5 years building the house DH and I now live in. The deal being that after said house was complete, I could concentrate on making clay and art my sole vocation.

Its starting to turn the corner.

 

One thing I do want to mention is that I took advantage of the Potters Council mentoring program and am now paired with a mentor to help me find some focus and refine my work.

If you're a member, I really recommend the program.

 

Anyhoo, nice to meetcha!

 

 

That would be my dream! living on some land and especially close to gold country! I am very into metal detecting! My brother bought 50 acres last year, lot of beautiful woods, on the river.. I have told him one day he is going to go down and find I have built a small cabin and me and the dogs are squatters!

[Denice]

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

Buckeye my name is Denice I live in Wichita, KS I'm 59 years old I have been hooked on clay since my mother bought me a mosaic set when I was 5, I cut the hair off my dolls and thew them away and only wanted art kits from that day on. I had a lot of clay classes in high school and the went to college on a art scholarship, it took me awhile to get my degree because of the usual difficulties in life but finally finished. I have made functional work in the past my favorite is the tea pot. Since I have doing this so long I go through phases, I was making sculptural landscape pieces that were sold at galleries here in town but the economy is so bad here that many galleries closed. I have been making talavera tile murals and fountains for the last 2 years but I'm ready to head in a new direction, I have been designing work that can be shipped easier and safely than my past pieces and start a internet store, i hope the economy will be better by the time I get it together. I love you enthusiasm, keep studying and researching, soon you'll need a studio, my first area was a corner in the unheated garage but over the years each studio has gotten bigger and better. Have fun| Denice

 

 

WOW you have been at it for a few years, would love to see your website, please send me a link if you dont mind. Its funny you mention tea pots, they are also my favorite to make!

 

Buckeye I don't have a web site yet, I'm not very computer literate, I need to learn how to set one up. I hate to ask my husband I already keep him busy helping me with large projects in my studio, last night we were hanging a wall fountain. It's 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide It still has to be plumbed, wired, molding and spills installed I'm hoping to get it finished before cold weather sets in. When I get it finished I intend to post a picture of it but I will need help to do that I don't even know how to post a picture. I need a good book on operating computers I am such a visual learner I can learn anything from a book. Denice

[Pres]

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

 

Hi Buckeye,

I am 62 years young. I am now retired after teaching HS for 36 years. Most of those years I taught Ceramics to budding potters either as teen age students or adults. I got involved in clay probably first when making mudpies as a kid, but formally in college. I responded well to the feel of the clay, the process and the intensity I would get from losing myself in the studio for hours. I throw, slab construct, and combine techniques. I have grown up getting used to the newer technologies in the studio, the extruder, newer tools, slab rollers and other things. I also have taught 3D animation and use the program to model pots at times that I would like to make. All in all it is sooooo much fun, and so gratifying to create each new piece whether part of a series, or a stand alone.

[buckeye]

Denice - by no means am I an expert but if you ever need some help I have built several simple ones and even a few forums for metal detecting. I could at least get you started on the right path.

 

Pres - if thats your profile pic you sure dont look your age! I am very new to this but I find myself thinking about throwing all the time. I woke up at 4:00 this morning with an idea in my head and got to work on throwing a few pieces. that is so awesome your still so pationate about it after so many years

[Pres]

Denice - by no means am I an expert but if you ever need some help I have built several simple ones and even a few forums for metal detecting. I could at least get you started on the right path.

 

Pres - if thats your profile pic you sure dont look your age! I am very new to this but I find myself thinking about throwing all the time. I woke up at 4:00 this morning with an idea in my head and got to work on throwing a few pieces. that is so awesome your still so pationate about it after so many years

 

 

Profile pic is from 2 winters ago-thanks for the complement. I probably will remain passionate about the clay every day til my last.

[Denice]

Denice - by no means am I an expert but if you ever need some help I have built several simple ones and even a few forums for metal detecting. I could at least get you started on the right path.

 

Pres - if thats your profile pic you sure dont look your age! I am very new to this but I find myself thinking about throwing all the time. I woke up at 4:00 this morning with an idea in my head and got to work on throwing a few pieces. that is so awesome your still so pationate about it after so many years

 

Buckeye Thanks for the offer of help, I think I need some one on one help. I have new neighbors next door and they have 5 kids starting at 15 years old to 22 I'm sure one of them has to be a computer geek that I can hire to help me. Now if I can only make the time. like you I wake up in the middle of the night with and idea with a new project. I keep a pad and pencil by my bedside to write them down, sometimes when I read them in the morning and I didn't write enough information down and it doesn't make any sense, but it's still a good way to capture some of those midnight thoughts. Denice

[Chris Campbell]

I know I should probably start a new topic for this but whatever .... Website building is SO EASY now ... software geeks have written programs that let the rest of us build sites as simply as using Word ... Pick a template then build with cut and paste. If you have a Mac I highly recommend Sandvox software that is priced well below $100 ... You can have your site up and running in a day. You can easily edit and add content yourself without having to wait for anyone else to make time for you. I am totally not a techie and I was able to transfer from my old site to the new one in hours, not days.

[scoobydoozie]

I know I should probably start a new topic for this but whatever .... Website building is SO EASY now ... software geeks have written programs that let the rest of us build sites as simply as using Word ... Pick a template then build with cut and paste. If you have a Mac I highly recommend Sandvox software that is priced well below $100 ... You can have your site up and running in a day. You can easily edit and add content yourself without having to wait for anyone else to make time for you. I am totally not a techie and I was able to transfer from my old site to the new one in hours, not days.

 

 

Hi, Chris! I love your posts and even more now as I'm a "Mac" too! lol...

[Brrwobig]

Hi Buckeye, I'm Bev from Nebraska. From your user name, I can tell you probably aren't a fan of my state right now. (Congrats on the win over Illinois though)

I'm 56 and pottery is how I keep myself sane. I carry the mail as a rural letter carrier to make a living. Hope to leave the USPS in a year or so and concentrate more on my pottery. I've had my hands in clay since high school. My dad made me a kick wheel back then, one I still use to trim with.

 

At present I show/sell my wares at regional Renaissance Faires for the most part. Stumbled onto the Renaissance Faire scene back in 1985. Seems to be a nice fit for the work I do. I do both functional and whimsical ware (dragons, gargoyles etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

[Guest JBaymore]

On the subject of "introductions".........

 

Don't forget that as a member of this Ceramic Arts Daily forum you can put information about yourself into your member profile and also include images in the gallery section.

 

If you are a Potters Council member... you can also get an Artist Portfolio listing set up.

 

best,

 

................john

[buckeye]

Hi Buckeye, I'm Bev from Nebraska. From your user name, I can tell you probably aren't a fan of my state right now. (Congrats on the win over Illinois though)

I'm 56 and pottery is how I keep myself sane. I carry the mail as a rural letter carrier to make a living. Hope to leave the USPS in a year or so and concentrate more on my pottery. I've had my hands in clay since high school. My dad made me a kick wheel back then, one I still use to trim with.

 

At present I show/sell my wares at regional Renaissance Faires for the most part. Stumbled onto the Renaissance Faire scene back in 1985. Seems to be a nice fit for the work I do. I do both functional and whimsical ware (dragons, gargoyles etc.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I am 35, live here in Ohio and got into pottery last year after doing a small workshop. I fell in love and soon had a brand new wheel. The workshop I took helped me with the basics and I couldnt tell you how many hours I have spent surfing the internet for articles or watching youtube videos. So far I have only worked in high fire stonewares and made functional pieces. I have made everything I have wanted to so far after a lot of reading, research and videos but of course I still find things on a regular basis that I want to try.

 

For me it is a hobby, passion and I must admit even an obsession! I find myself throwing pottery for long hours at a time and even day after day then I get burned out, concentrate on other stuff and come back to it when I am ready, even when I am taking a few days off though I am thinking about what I am going to throw next!

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

 

 

 

Bev, I am a huge OSU fan but its ok, I am not one of those crazy fans that holds a grudge against a state and its occupants I would love to see some of your work. thanks for introducing yourself!

[Dancing Earth Creations]

Hi Buckeye and all,

I'm Karen from Santa Fe. In 1996 I took a class with my daughter at Santa Fe Clay and loved it but at that time wasn't able to commit to the time and expense to learn it. In 2003 after my youngest was out of school I decided to follow an old dream and went to college in Olympia, WA. While there I took a ceramic class to relieve the stress of reading and writing and that was that. I bought a Shimpo wheel and put it in my tiny kitchen. After graduating I came back to my old job in Santa Fe that paid enough to fund my ceramic addiction. I started classes again at Santa Fe Clay, went to workshops, and took classes at the community college which has a high fire soda kiln. Also read, read, read. This summer I bought an L&L electric kiln so I'm not taking classes while I experiment with cone 6 glazes. I'm really hooked on the soda kiln so will probably end up doing a combination of the two. I ship my pots to my daughter in PA to sell at a local shop in her area. I don't make much from them but I am relieved I don't have to spend time selling them. After working my day job, I'd rather be making pots.

 

Since I love to learn and try new things ceramics is perfect--never ending learning. Creating ceramics is often my way of dealing with a very stressful boss and job. Instead of obsessing about the situation, I think about a pot I want to make and how I could finish it. I try to carry a sketch book with me although a little difficult to do when I'm swimming and wondering how I could get the reflections I see in the water on a pot! I have made sculptural and functional ware and really like combining the two. The last couple of years I've focused on getting better on the wheel. I'm fortunate to live in a place with so many awesome potters and resources to continue learning. Also appreciate the help I've received from this forum. I like potters.

[Davic]

name='buckeye'

Being brand new to the forum I thought I would take a minute to introduce myself, I hope its ok to post this here.

 

I would love to hear from others, how you got into this, if you do it for fun or do it for a living if you throw more functional or decorative pieces etc. anything! I want to hear it

 

 

 

Hello Buckeye,

I got started about 10 years ago, it started by coincidence, I had no prior knowledge or interest in ceramics at all, but one day a lady friend of my wife had just hired a pottery wheel, she was in the very early learning stages and was having problems centering the clay, we were watching her as she tried to give us a demo, she gave up and said to me you have a go and see what you think of it, I did manage it after a few attempts, it was only about 2 pound of clay, anyway I did manage a crude small pot, after that is started to interest me to the point where I hired a wheel also and found it very fascinating, enough then to buy my own wheel, mainly used terracotta clay, making Vases, urns, garden type pots etc, sold a few through a shop, but got frustrated with not having my own kiln, the community centre where I took my pottery for firing made errors, like opening the kiln too quick after firing, other peoples items exploding and taking mine with them, so I built my own kiln LPG gas fired, I actually gave it up after about 2 years, which is now 8 years ago, I finished up donating around 100 pieces to the Animal welfare society for them to sell through their shop, I simply ran out of room, it's ok making them but you either need to sell or donate, it doesn't take too long to run out of room, most of these items were thrown from 8 to 12 pounds of clay, I couldn't do that size at this stage, I've lost the touch, so I'll start smaller again and get bigger as I get the feel of the clay again, and as you now know I have made a late come back re- my first post and introduction on this forum.

[Dancing Earth Creations]

but got frustrated with not having my own kiln, the community centre where I took my pottery for firing made errors, like opening the kiln too quick after firing, other peoples items exploding and taking mine with them, so I built my own kiln LPG gas fired, I actually gave it up after about 2 years, which is now 8 years ago, I finished up donating around 100 pieces to the Animal welfare society for them to sell through their shop, I simply ran out of room, it's ok making them but you either need to sell or donate, it doesn't take too long to run out of room

 

 

Can relate to these frustrations! I love the soda kiln at the community college but also got frustrated for these same reasons. I wish I could build my own soda kiln but it's not feasible where I live. I also wouldn't want to do all the work of it myself since I have limited time to make pots. Maybe someday when I retire.

 

my daughter's workplace closed so the past 9 months I didn't have anywhere to sell my pots. I was trying to talk myself into going to a flea market to sell them but then she found two other places that wanted to sell them so I just shipped her 5 boxes and sent two boxes to family. Now I have room to make more.