30cm Coil Pot
During the coil pot unit, I encountered many new techniques that enabled me to construct a tall coil vessel with unique designs and style. Coil pot allows the artists to produce a versatile craftsmanship and artistry. Since the pot had to display visible coil work on the exterior surface, I attempted to design various patterns by rolling coils into different shapes and formation. I learned that the thickness of each coil is importance since irregular layers of coils would not be able to support its structure as a whole. For strength, I had to smooth the clay together on the inside of the piece, which took a lot of careful and meticulous work. In the beginning of the unit, I had hard time forming similar sized coils for uniformity but through learning basic techniques for making coils, I felt more comfortable. Larger the structure is, stronger the pot had to be in order to hold up coils. Along with 30cm coil pot, world culture pot was also an arduous task since I had to research specific cultural pot and try to incorporate their styles into creating my own. This pot was dissimilar to the 30cm pot because the coils were blended to create a smooth surface for decorations. Consequently, it took patience and time to build a stable structure. In case of the world culture pot, I also found carving the designs difficult because it led to creating breaks in the pot. I faced some difficulties regarding cracks because I let the pot dry too quickly. I learned that it is crucial that the coils join well during construction to avoid cracking or separation during firing process. Therefore, I overcame the problem by keeping the clay soft and moisturized. My specific strength during this unit was that I was diligent in slip and scoring each coil. On the other hand, my weakness was the process of widening or narrowing the size of the pot. I could not manage to demonstrate dramatic contrast in enlarging the pot. Since last unit, I managed time in more efficient manner and concentrated more during class. I enjoy how I am learning to become a real artist each day and learning to apply the skills into my own style of a pot.