Fall Ceramics in Progress

I wasn't sure I would go to the ceramics drop-in workshop today, but after a frustrating morning, I was glad I did.  There were not too many people, so I was able to focus, and make some really good progress on more new pieces.  Although I ended up rushing at the end, I took a few moments to take some photos while I worked.

These are two bowls I started on Sunday.  The bowl at top with 3 Davidii leaf impressions, just needed some cleaning up the rim.  Otherwise it is ready to go to bisque firing.  The sunflower leaf bowl at bottom is the piece which cracked a few times, and I patched it up.  So I'll see if it survives the bisque firing.

In the meantime, I made 3 more today, so out of all 4, then at least some of them should survive.  This time, I shaved the big central vein so it wouldn't split the dish.

I touched up and finished my strawberry dish from last session :

While the Davidii tree still has leaves on it, I decided to make a second bowl with the leaf imprints.  This one is splattered with Brown slip, and has a rolled under rim, not exactly a hollow rim, but something like it.  By the end of today's class, I was able to take it out of the mold, but set it in the cellar to dry upside down.  I've made the mistake previously of turning a bowl upright, and having it flop.  So this time, I may have learned from that mistake.  :-)

Instead I made a *different* mistake with this bowl.  The sun was coming through the window, so I decided to set the bowl in the mold, onto the wheel, turning at low speed, so it would dry evenly.  I set it down on the wheel, and then plugged in and started the wheel.  But instead of placing the pedal on the ground, I tried to press the pedal with my hand, and it was stiff, so when I pressed it, it started at high speed, sending the piece flying through the air.  I reached out to catch it, poking 3 fingers through the bowl.  Having already pretty much finished the bowl, I decided to patch it up and save it.  Here it is after the patching :

Then I started this funky little bowl, which may or may not survive the bisque either, but I sure hope it does :