2025 Bowls

This spring, I aimed to enhance my wheel-throwing techniques for crafting bowls, focusing on skill refinement. For the Empty Bowl Project, I used a glossy black glaze inside to highlight the bowl’s empty space, contrasting with a matte white exterior. Sharp glaze lines and exposed natural clay at the rim emphasized this contrast. For functional bowls (cooking, nested, and ramekins), I prioritized consistent shapes and weights. I also experimented with a B-mix clay body, throwing off the hump.
Observations on B-mix: Compared to studio clay, B-mix was firmer with a finer texture, requiring more water and producing more slip during throwing. It was prone to cracking during drying, and a few vases cracked during Raku firing. Trimming B-mix yielded a finer, almost burnished finish. Moving forward, I’ll avoid B-mix for Raku and use it only in cone 6 and 10 kilns.