Another Creative Outlet – Pottery
Cooking has long been a great creative outlet for me, but it isn’t the only one. When I was working I always wanted to learn how to make pottery. (No, it wasn’t after I saw Ghost…people always mention that to me.) Actually, I was inspired by what I saw each year at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. At the Art Fair you can find some of the most beautiful, unique, and creative pottery that you’ve ever seen. When I retired, I started taking ceramics classes at the Ann Arbor Art Center. It’s a wonderful community resource and I found a really talented and supportive teacher named Daria.
Recently, a friend of mine suggested that my food followers might be interested in my pottery…seeing my progress and some of my work. So here it is….please keep in mind that I haven’t been at this for long and it isn’t as easy as one might think. Having said that, I think some of the pieces are pretty good. The first group represents my very first year of effort. I will share my progress in another post.
The first group was “thrown” on a potter’s wheel. It’s a challenging process and takes years to really master and create more complex pieces, but it’s a good place to start. My instructor told me it took her three years to try the wheel again after her first attempts.
This three-color look is achieved by dipping the bowl into two different glazes. The overlap creates the third color.
This is one of my favorite glazes. It’s called Rutile Blue.
A small bowl can be turned into a cup…just add a handle.
Again, I used a slip and then carved the “lightening” pattern, followed by a glaze.
When the clay is still wet, you “paint” it with a paint called a slip. After it dries, you carve out a pattern and then fire the piece. After that I added a clear glaze.
Dugan's Kitchen 
Kathy, these are beautiful! I’ve heard you talk about your pottery work, but this is my first time seeing it and I am very impressed!
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Nice Work Kathy. You’re doing really well!
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I love that last one Kathy. Sooooo elegant!
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