Last week I was reintroduced to the infamous pinch pot. We were assigned to make a pair of pinch pots and try to form it into a shape of our choosing. At first I decided to make a basic pinch pot, but then I realized that I could make geometric forms from this basic pinch pot. So I reshaped it, and ended up on making a square and triangle shaped pinch pot. This was a new technique formed with an old technique. I used my old knowledge of making a pinch pot and then using my new knowledge, I reshaped it. It was hard at first due to to it cracking and it not wanting to stay in shape. So then I let it get shaped into the way I wanted and then the next day when it was harder, I shaped it again. I increased my skill in shaping by using tools that I had previously used. For example I used the metal scraper to get more finer edges and then I used the metal smoother to smooth it down. This gave me more of a flat geometric surface. Also an old technique I applied to this newly shaped geometric pot was adding a lid. In pottery one I had made a lid, and so this year I applied my lid-making skills to this geometric shaped pinch pot. So overall I used old techniques like my knowledge of making basic pinch pots and lids, and the use of old tools  int order to apply it to a new technique, which was reshaping a pinch pot into a geometric shape.

After my basket was fired I reached a new dilemma, how to color it. At first I thought that I would paint my smaller bowl with colors, but then I realized I could use test tiles to experiment on. I used 3 test tiles to see which color would be beneficial to me. I layered some colors and for others I combined. My first test tile was  layering fudge brown, then caramel and then I repeated that again. For the second one I mixed the same colors I previously mentioned before. For my final test tile I layered straw then antique then straw. When they came out of the kiln, they all turned out beautiful. I was worried about some of the colors. I ended up using the last one on my small bowl before applying it to my basket. I was worried about how the basket would turn out because what if I had used the wrong ratios, or applied to thin or thick of a stroke of glaze. I still do not know whether or not the small basket turned out good because it is still firing. So now I am hoping that the colors worked out. The thing I learned from testing things out and creating test tiles is that it is great to always think before you act. If I had just went and painted my basket without even considering other options who could have know how it would have turned out. But because I stopped and thought about other options I became more confident in my choices.This also shows how taking risks by experimenting instead of just painting the unknown on your final IRREVERSIBLE piece is much better of an idea than just jumping into action.

test tiles

painted bowl

painted bowl

painted bowl