QothW: Which intrigues you and motivates you most when working with or looking at pots: Form or Surface?

[Pres]

Hi folks, I have been considering aesthetic decisions of late and thought. . . throw it out to the community!  When it comes to making your work, are you more concerned with surface or with form?  I have often started worked on pots trying to get a great functional form for the pot I am making, and yet in the end much of my effort in the work is about texturing the surface, either through decorating in the wet clay or through layers of glaze and inglaze decoration. I keep remembering an old art adage: reward those who look closer at the small parts of your work. I love surprises in the glazing where one glaze interacts with another to give me something new or how one glaze breaks over a texture to expose a different aspect of another glaze. One of ther reasons for years I worked to fire slow down to form crystals in the glazes.

QothW: Which intrigues you and motivates you most when working with or looking at pots: Form or Surface? 

 

best,

Pres

[Denice]

I think designing and making a surface decorations that goes with that form is the most important part of the process for me.   I make a lot of coiled and slab type pieces and for some reason after they are fired they don't look as well balanced as they did in the green ware stage.   A good design on it distracts from many imperfections, I am usually the only one who notices them or cares.  Some people call me a perfectionist,  I have gotten better at tolerating imperfection.   I use to go through my shop and throw away all of my work and start anew on a regular basis.  Denice

[Pres]

Been there done that, at some point you have to come to balance with imperfection, perfection and purpose. I have never made a perfect pot.

 

best,

Pres

[Magnolia Mud Research]

21 hours ago, Pres said:

Been there done that, at some point you have to come to balance with imperfection, perfection and purpose. I have never made a perfect pot.

A perfect pot is one that with "imperfections" galore and is interesting! 

LT

[JohnnyK]

I think that it's the glaze that makes the piece. No matter what you do the piece, it's the glaze and what you do with the glaze that gives the piece its life!

[Min]

I find this to be a bit of a chicken or egg question. I love the look of pots when they are freshly thrown. I see bisque as a bit lifeless and glazed pots, like we all know glaze(s) can make or break a pot. Years ago the local potters group I used to belong to had a hands on project where we all make a bisqued mug or two and then put them on a table and someone else took the mug home and glazed it. It was interesting to see my familiar mug shape with someones else's glazes on them. Functionally they were fine but they didn't look right to me. Tying this back to the QoTW, I think that we consider the finish (washes, glazes etc) for a piece before or as the pot is being designed or formed. For finished work I don't know if there can be a conscious decision to separate the two during the first initial look but I'll definitely look past the surface to the form if given the inclination.

[LeeU]

My so-called "Artist Statement" is WYSIWYG: It's Intentional. 

For me, the aesthetic decisions that comprise making work are:  some external or internal sight/sound/thought that generates some spark that--often unbidden--presents itself as having something to do with creative expression; conscious reflection/idea exploration;  maybe a dose of nostalgia (anything from the warm & comforting "happy-happy" to the icy fire of the worst of the worst);  hopefully some well-reasoned discernment and, then; physically & mentally attending to form and surface (I don't think of glaze as surface, only the clay body),  and finally;  anything applied on top of the clay, including glaze and any after-fire embellishments.

[Bam2015]

Interesting question!

For me it is surface rather than form. I admire a well made pot, and while one should not try to cover up a poorly made pot with glazes or underglazes, I think the true personality of the potter and the pot is seen in the surface details. 

Betty

[Hulk]

Been thinking (on an' off) 'bout this one, and although I'd like to proclaim that form is first, Min's chicken/egg is where I fall back to, particularly when looking at pots. That the form is first in fact - temporally - well, there's that; for working with pots, form is first for me.

There is, often, something compelling about an oops pot that makes it special, hearty agreement there.

Just over four years ago, found this forum (looking for wheel, then kiln reviews and info); am still finding the topics, posts, personalities ...interesting, thought provoking, informative, compelling.

[Pyewackette]

I don't see how they can be separated.  Also - surface doesn't HAVE to mean glaze.

[Pres]

@Pyewackette Never said in the lead in discussion before I asked the question that Surface was only about glaze, Surface for me is about texture, pattern, movement, direction, shadow and reflection, color, shape, line and so much more.  At the same time Surface and Form are parts of the same entity . . . ceramic object.

 

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I work hard on the functionality of the form 1st. This is a key part of my work-it has to perform as intended well. The glaze also needs to fit into that process. It needs to add to the  form in function then at the same time be spectacular . That will make it sell well work well and make for happy users

I like the forms to clean easy on fluids inside and look snappy on the outside which is the second process after the functionality of that form

[Bill Kielb]

For me I would say form first, from afar it’s the primary attractant. Surface and decoration are supportive … and….. sometimes good from far turns into far from good. Both are equally important though, but my first impression is generally to be attracted by the form which could include display, lighting shadows etc… bad surface can ruin a great form though.

[GEP]

There are two things that intrigue me. I get excited when I see a pot that looks highly functional, and I can picture myself using it all the time. And I get excited when I see someone doing something truly original. It doesn't need to be strange or avant garde to be original. I just like seeing evidence of someone pursuing their own vision, and not just trying to emulate known styles. Like others I'm having a hard time deciding if form or surface are more important. Functionality and originality require both elements. . 

[Roberta12]

I cannot choose.    It's the whole thing for me.

r.

[Pyewackette]

 

  @Pres - never said you did.  Was responding mostly to this and similar comments:

On 5/23/2022 at 12:20 PM, JohnnyK said:

I think that it's the glaze that makes the piece. No matter what you do the piece, it's the glaze and what you do with the glaze that gives the piece its life!

I find the clay body itself most interesting.  Glaze just covers up the beauty of the clay itself.  Don't get me wrong - I like a nice glaze, especially on utilitarian pieces like cups and bowls.  But when I CAN get away without it to show the clay itself, I'm happiest.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Pyewackette

[Pres]

Understood, and take note that most of the questions I ask are to evoke a wide variety of responses. I look  on  a question with few responses as being a failure, and one that gets  discussion and lots of answers a success. Part of the game.

 

best,

Pres

[LeeU]

I had to reconsider my response-I was deceiving myself!  I do consider glaze as surface.  I came to that realization the other day after making a form, with lots of texture, and immediately started imagining how I would treat it with various glazes--to create an even more interesting form & surface! 

On 5/23/2022 at 2:07 PM, LeeU said:

(I don't think of glaze as surface, only the clay body)

 

[Pres]

2 minutes ago, LeeU said:

I had to reconsider my response-I was deceiving myself!  I do consider glaze as surface.  I came to that realization the other day after making a form, with lots of texture, and immediately started imagining how I would treat it with various glazes--to create an even more interesting form & surface! 

 

GOTCHA!  :-)

[Pyewackette]

Certainly glaze is A way to treat the surface.  Just not the only way.