sing to Tom Paxton's tune of "Wasn't That a Party" Could-a been the ball clay, might-a been the tin. Could-a been the three or four cone packs, I don't know, But look at ... Read More

Last week I showed a piece painted with underglazes in a slip painting technique. This piece was done very free and loose, but that is not at all the breadth ... Read More

I just finished reading Alison Mayes' article on ceramic artist and sculptor, Joe Fafard. Fafard has been delighting people for more than forty years with his renditions of farm animals ... Read More

It actually all began with a Guatemalan chemist, Fernando Mazariegos. He developed a design for a water filter that could be made to insure even the poorest communities across the ... Read More

Chuck Wissinger, Lara Byer, and Hilary Duncan have almost certainly never met. Even so, they share a common thread in their approach to clay. Both of these potter-artists create work ... Read More

Photo © 2009 Beth E Peterson Slip painting is a wonderful way to meld the worlds of ceramics, drawing, and painting. In this piece, I first incised the outline of the ... Read More

Pottery often has feet. We trim them out on the wheel, or carve them out of the bottom of a pot. We sometimes model them then stick them to the ... Read More

For all we talk about clay as if it was a unified, singular substance, various clays are hardly the same. Not only can colors and maturation temperatures vary widely, but ... Read More

Making pottery handles can be a real exercise in frustration, especially if you have not mastered the fine art of controlling how your pots are drying. In fact, we've been ... Read More

I love seeing what other potters are doing, and look forward to getting email submissions for the monthly pottery projects. Now, I will include links to your own website, online ... Read More

The last two days I've been very busy in my pottery studio. One thing I have definitely noticed whenever I'm too long out of my studio: I start dreaming about ... Read More

Image Courtesy of Ken Vickers I recently had the very great pleasure of interviewing potter and game-maker, Anna Vickers. The above set is one she crafted for the game, Score Four. ... Read More

Photo © 2009 Beth E Peterson Sometimes the unfortunate happens in the bisque kiln and a foot detaches from a pot, or in this case a slab-built plate. One thing you ... Read More

George Ohr, the self-proclaimed Mad Potter of Biloxi, made pots more than a century ago that look like they are from the hands of a modern potter. The pots take ... Read More

Glass workers and potters have a lot in common. For one thing, both sets of people like to work with things that need extremely high temperatures. Usually, though, glass furnaces ... Read More

Sandra Grauschopf, About.com's own Guide to Contest and Sweepstakes, recently shared her photographs of the pottery created by the first people who settled the Canary Islands. I've put those together ... Read More

"Pottery with a Past: Stoneware in Early America" is a new exhibit that opened on May 29th at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. The ... Read More

I wouldn't have expected to find words of wisdom on being creative coming from a site on internet marketing software. Shame on me for being narrow-minded! Angela Booth wrote just ... Read More

Photo © 2009 Beth E Peterson I don't know about you, but I use a lot of buckets. I use them for scraps and recycling, for glazes, for clean-up water, ... Read More

'Oldest pottery' found in China, proclaims the headline of an article by Jason Palmer. And by all accounts, this has been an exciting find. Although a new pottery dating technique ... Read More

Near Worcester, MA is the Old Sturbridge Village, a interpretive historical site. Kim Ring's wonderful article, Hot event in Sturbridge: 1830s-style kiln to light night sky, shows us how both modern ... Read More

Would you like that as the name of a clay body? I personally think it's pretty catchy. And it gets better...it really is a clay body! Matt and Dave, of Matt ... Read More

Yes, indeed! Pablo Picasso did work in clay, as well as paints and found objects. Although he did do a few ceramic pieces from start to finish, most of the ... Read More

Muddyhands asked a great question on the forum: "I just want my vice [potting] to become self-supporting.... My biggest issue is what to charge. Does anyone have a loose rule ... Read More

Pottery can be used to add real levels of elegance and distinction to your dining experience. This month, I hope to see some wonderful ideas and work about adding those ... Read More

Photo © 2009 Beth E Peterson Have you ever seen an interesting design on the lid of some jar or bottle going through your house? Make a bisque stamp from it, ... Read More

I love teachers, especially art teachers. Sharing interesting and valuable information is only one part of the teaching process. A good teacher also helps guide their students in the process ... Read More

In wandering the web this morning, I came across this statement by Kozmique on the HippyMom.com forum: "I hate glazing and haven't done it enough to get any good at ... Read More