In Ceramics this semester, I have really started to personalize my projects and I have started to realize who I am as an artist. I am fully aware of my strengths and weaknesses and I create/plan accordingly in order to produce my best work, yet still improve. This semester, rather than simply throwing a glaze on my projects and calling them good, I have focused more of the glazing process and the home decor aspect of them. I want them to fit into my home and add to the beauty of it rather than take away with bold ugly bright colors. No loud yellows or pinks, but more blues, whites, and greens.  My pieces are large yet practical, and are all made for a specific use. They evoke in the viewer a sense of awe and amazement at their nearly perfect shapes and foot rings, yet at the same time I want them to be used not just looked at.
             This semester alone, I have made several ceramics pieces that follow my theme of usable home decor. I have started experimenting with larger plates, such as pie plates glazed a variety of blue and white colors, I have made three pitchers and I improve their quality with each one. I've made many bowls of all sizes for all uses, a beautiful shadow green set of three small vases, a small white and blue cake plate, a clear and blue teapot, a mug, a lidded piece, a large vase etc.. Most of my pieces are simple pieces made on the wheel with no added dimensions or carvings, Most of them have a flared lip and they are typically glazed in multiple or overlapping colors.
             The most important thing to know is the creation process. All my projects were made in a day on the wheel. For most of them, I start by pulling up a cylinder and then shaping out my project from there, either by choking it at the top and blowing out the base or what have you. After trimming the base with either a stick tool or a number 7 tool, and stringing it VERY carefully, and prying it off the wheel without destroying it, I put it in the cupboard. One of my projects, my purple bowl, I accidentally stabbed right through it while prying it off my wheel, but I managed to save it and you can hardly tell. The next day I re-string them and get them off the bat, then foot them. Because I am a perfectionist. my foot rings usually take 10-15 mins, but are pretty much perfect. I use the wire loop tool to make the base as smooth as possible and then carve my name and the date with my pin tool into the bottom of every project. After footing them, I set them into the cupboard on a flat surface so as to not destroy my foot ring, and let them dry, unless it requires a handle or a lid or a spout. In that case, I pull the handle before I foot, and then attach it after I'm done footing, once the handle hardens a bit. Then I'd put the whole piece in a bag for a couple days so that the handle and the main piece will start to dry at the same rate so it won't fall off. Once the project is dry, it is bisqued and then glazed. 
             Like I have said, I have spend a lot more time on the glazing this semester than I have done previously. Glazing is usually regarded as one of the quickest steps, yet it should be taken more seriously, because it is one of the most important. I avoid the louder obnoxious colors and stick to the more simple elegant colors. Usually I overlap two colors such as dark blue and shadow green, blue and turquoise, or blue and white. I completely overlapped the dark blue and shadow green for my most recent pitcher and the colors blended beautifully creating designs in the glaze, drips, and many more amazing unintended colors. When overlapping my colors, I have to glaze once, wait for it to dry, and then glaze again so it can take a couple days. I don't always dip my glaze on, but sometimes I pour the glaze on from a little cup, and sometimes it is necessary to paint it on. When overlapping two colors, I make sure to have a large center overlap so my glaze turns out with three equal sections of color. 
           Being my third semester of ceramics, I am now able to concentrate more of the smaller more precise aspects of my throwing and glazing. I have concentrated more of making my projects have an equal thickness all throughout them. This is harder to do, because I tend to make them all with a thicker base, so it forces me to pull up all the clay from the bottom and to use it all. Also, I have become aware of the flared lip to width ratio of the projects. Depending on how wide the piece is affects how big of a lip it should have to create a balanced piece. In addition, I have started concentrated on my foot rings, and paying attention to them so that they are flat, and do not wobble when set down. Wobble is not okay! Lastly, I have paid more attention to my handle making and attaching, I like them to look as if they were done professionally so it takes me quite some time to attach anything, making sure it is done perfectly.   All these details, along with my careful glazing habits and perfectionism in every aspect of ceramics aid in the creation of many exciting new pieces all made with love and for a purpose, so as to add beauty to the home. 

    My theme this semester is using natural colors to make my pieces more practical for their intended use. To do this, I start with a need, and I make my projects accordingly, so that they will be used day to day. When glazing, I think practical. No loud yellows or pinks, but more subtle blues, greens and whites that can and will look good in the home.
    This year, I have made a variety of different projects. I have started experimenting with larger plates, such as pie plates, I have made a couple pitchers, many bowls of all sizes, a nice set of three of vases, a small cake plate, a teapot, a mug, a lidded project and a nice larger vase etc.
    In making all of my projects, I used bagged clay for the most part and threw them on the wheel, footing them the next day and attaching whatever necessary then too. For my pie plates, I simply grabbed a much larger block of clay and pulled out very wide for the base leaving a thicker base so I could string them and foot them. For my pitchers I just made, I pulled up a tall cylinder and used by blue tool to widen the base and then choked the top and flared out one spot on the lip. For my handle, I attached them both very similarly. On pitcher is taller and skinnier and the other is shorter and wider. For my bowls, depending on the size, I pull up a wide cylinder and using my blue tool just press outward from the inside of the cylinder to make the bowl!. For my vases, I made them in a span of two consecutive days and they're all fairly small, glazed a beautiful shadow green. My cake plate is actually an upside down pie plate attached to a clyinder that I made that has no bottom. I make sure that after attaching two things I bag them up for a couple days to allow the clay to dry out at the same rate so they will not detach.
    While glazing is usually regarded as one of the quickest steps of the process, it should be taken seriously, because it is one of the most important steps. Simply throwing a glaze on there is not sufficient. This year, I have been a lot more careful on how I glaze my pieces. I purposefully choose the more natural colors such as greens, dark blues and purples, and whites and avoid the brighter blues, pinks and yellows. I do this because I want all my projects to decorate and brighten up the home with their beauty. I want them to be relatable and able to easily fit into the home.
    As this is my third semester of ceramics, I am really starting to emphasize on the smaller details of my projects now that I have mastered the beginning steps. I have started making things a lot thinner and with equal thickness all the way through the project. Also I have become more aware of the width to lip flare ratio so I made more balanced looking project. And thirdly, I have begun making my projects with a sturdier foot ring so they do not wobble when you set them down! All these details, along with my careful glazing habits and perfectionism in every aspect of ceramics aid in the creation of many exciting new pieces all made with love and for a purpose, and to add beauty to the home.

I. What: 
    This year in ceramics I made a ton. Most of my pieces are fairly large, and are thrown of the wheel. They all are smooth with no wheel marks and are glazed in a couple colors each. And most, but not all of them have a flared lip and a vase form.
    I have made a teapot, many bowls, plates, pitchers, a mug, pie plates, a cake plate etc.
II. How: 
    I made most of these projects on the wheel during one period. Some of them required two pieces put together, such as my cake plate, and others required a handle to be attached, a lid to be made, or a spout to be added for my teapot, lidded project etc. 
    For each project I typically pull up a tall cylinder and depending on what I am making the widtch and height will vary. Then from there I shape the clay accordingly, always cutting the lip to keep it centered. 
    The next day I foot them all, and attach whatever is necessary, then once they are dry I bisque them and glaze them.  
III. Why: 
    My theme for ceramics this year is that all my projects use more natural colors such as blues, whites, turquoise and greens, that also give them a more practical feel, and they were all created for a more specific use. I wanted them all to be used day to day. Not just looked at on display.