back behind the wheel

To get my hands back into clay, I sat down and threw a bunch of bowls. I have not worked at a wheel for a few years, and was happy to find that it is just like riding a bike. My hands remembered what to do. Here is the beginning of small bowls, they are drying a bit, and then will be ready for me to trim out the foot.
The final step in throwing a bowl is trimming the foot. It is during the trimming stage that the bowl's personality comes through. I generally like this part, unless I am unable to center the piece on the foam. If the bowl's sides are uneven, it is impossible to center, and the foot ends up all wonky, which could be charming, but mostly it's just frustrating.

There are many ways to secure the bowl upside down in order to trim it. After trying many different methods, I found the foam to be the most bowl-friendly. The surface of the foam grips and holds the bowl in place without damaging the sides or the inside in any way.



The foot is trimmed so it contrasts the fullness of the bowl. I am inspired by the proportions of Japanese bowls, the ones where the basin floats above a delicate foot.