Throwing on the wheel

In my pottery class on Wed. I got my first opportunity to sit at the wheel and form a piece of clay. It takes a lot of strength of your arms and shoulders and hands, and it's not as easy as it looks. I kept pulling the clay off of the wheel, while I was trying to keep my hands at 3 and 9 o'clock to "cone" the clay. Finally, I was able to poke a hole in it and then it came off the wheel again. Some others had similar troubles as I did, but one student was able to make her first pot after sitting at the wheel for just about 30 min. I guess it helps to just have fun with it and not try to be a perfectionist at getting the technique just right. After little instruction and few mistakes, she was able to poke the hole, and pull up the sides of her pot. It was pretty good for her first wheel throwing experience. Now I need not compare myself to others who get the hang of it quicker than I do, since I spent most of my time practicing on the wheel.

Next week, it's coil pots. That'll be fun b/c it's another free-forming pot that you do by hand. :) Can't wait to see how my first glazed salsa bowl turns out. The colors of the glaze are different in the bottle to how they turn out in the kiln. The underglazes, which I painted on before at Latest Glaze in Bloomington, retain their color from the bottle to after firing. We'll see how my pink and green pot turns into blue and turquoise.

All in all, it's a relaxing experience and I do better at the wheel when my eyes are closed. Looking forward to creating my first thrown pot. :)