a year of pottery and new pottery in the shop

Many years ago, I had a dream for the future of my family and business. My dream was to work alongside the people I loved. To collaborate on ideas and projects and live a life with love and creativity at the center. While my business is still evolving in all kinds of new and exciting ways, this last year I added pottery to the many things that we do over here. It was the best decision I've made. 

Over the last year, we have gathered together as a family and played, created and bonded over clay. My dad has shared his 40 plus years of knowledge and experience as a potter and has patiently taught us as much as he knows. Lucy went from being terrified of getting dirty to sitting at the wheel making  pots on her own. 

We've come together as a family to produce unique collections of pottery and out of all the wonderful things I get to do in my creative business, pottery has been the most profound and special. Each piece has been made with love, family and creativity at the center. While I won't be quitting my day job as an artist and teacher to become a potter, I am so excited for our future collaborations in clay!

pottery from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

We've got our last batch of pottery for the 2015 now in shop! Head on over to see the entire collection HERE

You can view my entire series of pottery post HERE

a fresh batch of pottery in the shop!

Ok you guys I have a fresh batch of pottery in the shop HERE. I've have a bunch of ring bowls that once again I am crazy in love with (I'm emotionally attached to each and every one of them). Instead of being thrown on the wheel they are slab bowls made by my mom and then glazed with pattern (with a tiny brush) by me and fired in our kiln. This time around I've got lots of bowls with navy blue glaze and black line work. These little bowls are perfect for jewelry, loose change, little snacks or anything small. I've also got a few really large serving bowls.

Read more about my history with pottery and my recent pottery collaborations HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

throwing a pot: the basics

For those of you new to my blog (or my background), my parents are potters and I've spent my entire life around clay.  I was introduced to clay long before painting and spent a great deal of time dabbling in pottery as a kid. Growing up my mom and dad ran a successful pottery business from their home studio- I spent my childhood watching my dad throw pots on the wheel and my mom run a wholesale tile business. My brother and I spent weekends and summers at craft shows and art galleries so it's really no surprise I grew up to be an artist!

Lately we have been spending a lot of time working with clay and today I have teamed up with my dad Jon to share the basics of throwing on the wheel. While I know clay, a wheel, glaze and a kiln are not easily accessible for everyone, I am hoping some of my pottery posts will inspire you to think about playing with clay or even try throwing on the wheel at least once in your life- I promise it will completely change your view of the creative process forever.

Throwing on the wheel is CRAZY DIFFICULT and even though I learned at an early age, it never stuck with me. My dad on the other hand is a pro and makes it look so easy! Back in college he was a photography major and after taking a pottery class, he fell in love with clay and the rest is history. He has been throwing for over 40 years and spent most of those years making a living selling pottery.

Today we have simplified the process in a handful of steps to give you an idea of how it all works! If anything, I hope that you reach the end of this post with a greater appreciation for handmade and hand crafted items.

Throwing on the wheel starts with pounding your clay into a ball. Then that clay ball gets thrown with force onto a wood bat. A wooden bat is a round removable piece of material (wood, plastic or hybrid material) that is placed on the wheel. The purpose of a bat is to easily remove the thrown pots from the wheel. 

Next the clay needs to be centered. This is often the trickiest step, especially for beginners.   I am terrible at centering my clay and I always have to ask for help! My husband Andy on the other hand, is really good because he has a lot of patience and some strong arms.

With wet hands, the clay gets cupped and squeezed into a tower shape and then pushed down- doing this a few times helps center and align the clay. 

Once the clay is centered, it is time to open things up. Poking a finger into the top of the clay is the beginning and then pulling the clay out until that hole becomes larger creates an opening.

The next step is to raise the walls. This process typically involves squeezing a sponge and your index finger against each other to  slowly raise the clay.

For a seasoned pro like my dad, this process is easy- after years of making pottery, he knows by instinct exactly how much water and pressure it takes to raise the walls of a pot. On the other hand I am still a rookie and always seem to squeeze too hard, use too much water or overwork the clay which means things can fall a part. Thankfully clay is forgiving and mistakes can be fixed.

The process of raising the walls can also include altering the shape of the pot- pressure, pulling, even using a variety of tools can change the shape of a pot.

All of these steps put together look a little something like this:

throwing a pot: the basics with jon burke from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

See what I mean about it looking easy! This video was barely edited which means it took my dad 1 minute and 17 seconds to throw a simple bowl. I have been watching him do this since I was a kid and it never ever gets old!

Once a pot is finished, it needs to dry and then it will get trimmed when the clay is firm enough to be handled without damage but not quite dry. Trimming totally transforms a pot, can clean up mistakes and even change the shape. I'll be sharing this process in the coming weeks.

Looking to try working with clay or throwing on the wheel? There are all kinds of resources out there for learning how to throw, here are a few:

• There are TONS of videos and "how to" pottery resources online. If throwing on the wheel is calling to you, start by doing a little research. Ceramic Arts Daily is a great resource and has all kinds of information on in their forums. You can also find all kinds of video tutorials on YouTube that show all kinds of different potters throwing!

• The best way to learn is in person so I would recommend starting by doing a little research to see what is in your area. Often community colleges or art centers will have pottery classes. This is a great way to learn and have the opportunity to use equipment.

• Another option would be to see if there are local potters in your area who teach workshops or would be willing to give private lessons. I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to learn from an experienced potter and good teacher!

• There are clay companies and pottery supply stores around the country, especially in larger cities. This is where you are able to buy clay and pottery supplies but often they also offer workshops. A quick internet search will be able to tell you if there is something in your area.

You can check out my entire series of pottery posts HERE and stay tuned for more clay inspiration coming your way!

creating with a kid- playing with clay

If you follow me on Instagram or frequent my blog you will know that we spend A LOT of time making art as a family and I get asked lots of questions about our process. Once in a while I like to share my thoughts on "creating with a kid" here on the blog. (Please note that I am not a childhood development expert or a kids' art teacher- I am simply a mom who is an artist!)

While I have been drawing and painting since childhood, the earliest memories I have of creating are playing with clay. My parents are potters who have always worked from their home studio and I've spent my entire life around clay. I have very vivid memories of molding and sculpting pinch pots, I can remember my brother and I buzzing with excitement to open the kiln to see our fired projects, I remember sitting on my dad's lap while he taught me how to throw on the wheel and spent hours in the studio while my he made pots. While I never became a potter (not yet), the entire process of taking a lump of clay and turning it into something beautiful is something so familiar and entwined into my memories and creative identity. I am convinced that it played a big role in my development as an artist and a creative person.

As I have shared in past posts, it is important for us to incorporate Lucy into as many creative projects as possible. And while it makes no difference if Lucy grows up to be an artist, we do want her to be a creative thinker. I believe creativity and the ability to think in a creative way it one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. 

Lately, we have been introducing new things to her and one of her favorites is working with clay. I shared a few weeks back, Lucy has been asking for and LOVING new challenges/techniques and clay seems to be right up her ally! Gone is her fear of getting clay on her hands and in it's place is a curiosity and joy that comes with the process. With my parents down the street, we have access to a lot of materials that she can experiment with and get creative in new and different ways.

play with clay from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

While I believe that just about any creative process (drawing, painting, crafting, etc) is wonderful for kids- playing with clay is magic! Today I am sharing some of my thoughts, insight and tips for introducing clay to kids (or anyone of any age).

SENSORY PLAY:

Clay is a wonderful sensory development activity for kids (and adults). From rolling and squeezing to forming and sculpting the clay, it can be a really great activity for young kids to grow and development their dexterity and sense of touch. Lucy started playing with PlayDoh and initially just loved the way it felt to squeeze handfuls of it through her fingers. While she really enjoys building things from clay, at three she still loves the way it feels to squish, roll and smash that clay, heck, at 40 years old I still love the ways it feels! 

TIP: You don't need access to a fancy pottery studio to get your kids playing with clay! Play-Doh, air dry clay, homemade dough, modeling clay, EVEN MUD are all materials that work great for sensory play.

GROW THAT IMAGINATION:

Lucy loves to create a story around the things that she makes and using clay to create a narrative has been a really fun way for her to express herself. When working with clay you can make things that are not possible with drawing, painting and 2-D techniques- you are able to create dimensional objects. Though this process a child can actually create things from their experiences or imagination that become real! Right now this seems to be Lucy's favorite part of clay play- she spends a lot of time creating objects that interest her (lizards, pizza, worms, shoes, people) and then has fun playing and acting out a story with her creations. Clay has been a really amazing way to cultivate imagination and her passion for story telling. 

TIPS: I treat the clay process much like we do the rest of our art projects- I give very little direction or input about what to do. My goal is encourage Lucy to explore the materials on her own. I let her use her imagination to make discoveries through experimentation and play.

When we are creating alongside each other we spend a lot of time talking about her stories and the characters that she is creating. Instead of telling her what to do and how to create something, I spend a lot of time asking open ended questions to help her develop and grow her creations.

CALM AND THERAPEUTIC:

I don't know if any of you have ever pounded, squeezed or molded clay but it is incredibly soothing and therapeutic. Lucy has loved playing with clay since she was tiny and is one of the few activities where she is ALWAYS focussed and calm for a LONG time. Working with clay, especially hand building, is such an engaging process. I have found that it is a great activity when we want things to transition or quiet down. At three years old, life can be overwhelming and Lucy can struggle with coming down after a big day, relaxing after a meltdown and challenged at times with the ability to focus. I know that pulling out clay will instantly create a quiet, peaceful environment and provide an outlet for her to relieve some stress.

LEARN TO EMBRACE MISTAKES:

If there was ever a medium that teaches you that mistakes are ok it is clay! Clay is one of the few materials that you have a lot of control and influence over. In a moment your clay creations can get ruined- a hole, a rip, a collapse can all happen but you can also repair and build things back up quickly and easily. Unlike drawing and painting, there is a little more forgiveness and flexibility in working with clay. As an artist I know that this is an AMAZING lesson to learn! Often when making art, we get so wrapped up in perfection and fear of making a mistake. Working with clay has the ability to teach you that mistakes can be repaired and you have the power to fix them. Lucy, whether she knows it or not, is learning to problem solve and embrace mistakes when she is playing with clay. When her pot crumbles on the wheel from too much water, she is able (with some help) to build it back up again and form it back into a new pot.

THROWING ON THE WHEEL:

In my opinion everyone should try to throw a pot on the wheel at least once in their life! It is an incredibly thrilling (and humbling) experience that will change your view of the creative process forever. For a child it is FUN, like A TON OF FUN activity that combines sensory play with creativity. Getting to form a lump of clay into something functional with your hands is incredibly empowering and is a wonderful way to create an experience for a kid to feel proud of their accomplishment. Throwing on a wheel can be challenging with a toddler-  Lucy started out very unsure and nervous about the process but with a little time and help from my dad she is now comfortable and loves the process. Her big brown eyes light up when that lump of clay turns into a pot. Currently she loves changing the shape of a pot with her hands and gets a big kick out of using a sponge and different tools to manipulate the pot.

TIPS: Finding a space and a place to throw on a wheel can be tricky. Often bigger cities have community craft space, pottery studios and classes where you can learn and use a wheel and fire pottery in a kiln.

Finding resources for kids, especially toddlers can be a little tricky. I recommend doing some research to see if you have any local potters in your area. Try reaching out to see if they ever open up their studio space for a demo, firing pottery, teaching classes or volunteer their time. Growing up my parents would were always doing pottery demos at Sunday school, birthday parties and community gatherings.

Another option is to actually purchase your own materials and supplies. There are all kinds of pottery materials, even simple wheels made for kids to experience the process in a smaller way.

You can read all of my "creating with a kid" series HERE

You can read more about my family and pottery HERE, HERE and HERE

fresh batch of bowls in the shop!

I've got a fresh batch of bowls in the shop HERE. Instead of being thrown on the wheel they are slab bowls made by my mom and then glazed with pattern (with a tiny brush) by me and fired in our kiln. These little bowls are perfect for jewelry, loose change, little snacks or anything small. 

Read more about my history with pottery and my recent pottery collaborations HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

a pottery collaboration (now in the shop)

I am super happy to announce that the first batch of collaborative pottery is now in THE SHOP! 

For those of you new to the blog of if you missed my previous pottery posts (HERE, HERE and HERE)- my parents are potters and I've spent my entire life around clay.  I was introduced to clay long before painting and spent a great deal of time dabbling in pottery as a kid. Growing up my mom and dad ran a successful pottery business from their home studio- I spent my childhood watching my dad throw pots on the wheel and my mom run a wholesale tile business. For the last couple of years I've been tossing around some ideas about collaborating with my parents on some fun clay pieces and FINALLY I have time in my schedule to make it happen. 

The first batch of pottery is cups. I love unique glasses and cups- I use them for storing paint brushes, supplies, for flowers and for beverages. So I enlisted my dad to make some really simple, tall, skinny cups without handles that I could then paint with my designs. Since I am crazy passionate about handmade products and about sharing the creative process I thought it would be fun to share our process, the time and the love that went into this first batch.

This is my dad- he has been throwing pots since his early 20's and is crazy good at it! I've been watching him transform a lump of clay into something beautiful since I was a kid and I am always in awe of how amazing the process is!

         throw from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

After the cups were finished they needed to be trimmed this happens when the clay is firm enough to be handled without damage but not quite dry.

Trimming removes the excess clay typically on lower part of the pot and helps to refine and clean up the shape. Once the pots are trimmed they are ready to dry (here is Oregon it takes a couple of days for pots to dry- even longer during the wet cold winter months).

After the cup dried, they were ready for the first firing in the kiln called a bisque firing. A bisque firing is what transforms that clay into ceramic material. It is also (typically) a necessary step in the glazing process.

Then was time to glaze everything- I used what is called an underglaze for this process (Duncan E-Z Stroke in jet black).  This process was really time consuming for me since it involved lots of brushwork. And since I have a crazy busy schedule during the day, the only way I could fit this project in was to work on it in small chunks of time each evening after Lucy went to bed or early in the morning.

In the last few years, I have spent most of my time on sharing inspiration and teaching so it felt really nice to just sit and create something new. It was totally worth the late nights, stiff neck and cramped hand muscles :)

After everything was glazed, it was time to wax the bottom of the cups! For those new to pottery, you are probably thinking...Another step?! How many steps does it take to make a pretty cup? I'm here to tell you it takes a lot of steps! 

Applying wax to the bottom of pottery is often necessary to keep liquid glaze off the bottom of the cup. Since we dip the cups into a clear shiny glaze, we want to keep that glaze off the bottom otherwise it will stick to the kiln shelves. The wax resist keeps the clear glaze off the cup and then burns away in the kiln. Yes, even Lucy got in on the action waxing a couple of bowls that she glazed!

And then each cup gets dipped into a big bucket of clear glaze and yes it is green but it fires clear.

The last step was to fire the cups again and then unload the kiln. This has always been my favorite part of the entire process- there is nothing better than seeing the final transformation!

And there you have it friends! A peek inside the the pot making process. This was so much fun for me and really special to get to work with my dad. I've got another batch of pots coming soon- this time around it will be bowls made by my mom and glazed by me so stay tuned for more of our family collaborations. In the meantime all pottery is now in the shop HERE.