Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Straight sides, refining the top and hollowing a foot—these bud vases are dead simple forms really, which is probably why I like trimming them so much.
I know you see me trimming a lot but in reality, it’s a huge part of my craft. Not every maker trims such a lot, many potters throw much finer and only trim a little, others leave more weight and trim back, as long as you end up with balanced forms that aren’t bottom heavy, the way you get there doesn’t really matter, (as long as you aren’t taking three years to complete each form). There’s far less turning to be done on many of my shapes, mugs in particular, but I still do it, aiming for very thin walls.
I trained in a capacity where many of the shapes didn’t need trimming. They were weighty, but again balanced, and all that was done to finish their bases was thumbing smooth the bottom corner and slightly indented the floor of the pot itself, (this way when they were raised up on waddings, the base wouldn’t sag, causing the vessel to spin). Yet, in my own work I’ve always been interested in sharp edges, lines, forms that are often trickier to throw than their curved counterparts, for that reason I often leave vessels thicker in places, as I feel I have more control at the leather hard stage to create the shapes I have in my mind’s eye.
Like I always say, (as this comment comes up a lot, “Why don’t you throw your pots to their final shape?”), wouldn’t it be dull if we all made pots in the same way, and why question somebody that’s obviously enjoying the way they create.
#pottery #vase #flowervase #maker #craftsmanship #studiopottery
Straight sides, refining the top and hollowing a foot—these bud vases are dead simple forms really, which is probably why I like trimming them so much.
I know you see me trimming a lot but in reality, it’s a huge part of my craft. Not every maker trims such a lot, many potters throw much finer and only trim a little, others leave more weight and trim back, as long as you end up with balanced forms that aren’t bottom heavy, the way you get there doesn’t really matter, (as long as you aren’t taking three years to complete each form). There’s far less turning to be done on many of my shapes, mugs in particular, but I still do it, aiming for very thin walls.
I trained in a capacity where many of the shapes didn’t need trimming. They were weighty, but again balanced, and all that was done to finish their bases was thumbing smooth the bottom corner and slightly indented the floor of the pot itself, (this way when they were raised up on waddings, the base wouldn’t sag, causing the vessel to spin). Yet, in my own work I’ve always been interested in sharp edges, lines, forms that are often trickier to throw than their curved counterparts, for that reason I often leave vessels thicker in places, as I feel I have more control at the leather hard stage to create the shapes I have in my mind’s eye.
Like I always say, (as this comment comes up a lot, “Why don’t you throw your pots to their final shape?”), wouldn’t it be dull if we all made pots in the same way, and why question somebody that’s obviously enjoying the way they create.
#pottery #vase #flowervase #maker #craftsmanship #studiopottery
