The Little Pot That Could (and did)

This poor bowl. I swear; it has more luck than a cow in India. It was one of the first pieces I threw that was worth keeping. It is a little thick, so it took forever to dry to a leathery consistency (what you're looking for when you want to trim a pot). In one of my "gotta-get-it-done-yesterday" moments, I had the bright idea of setting it in front of the wall heater in the pottery studio. The Pottery God on duty was not pleased with my 'hurry up' attitude. I came back about a hour later to find it drying well . . . . but a hook from the wall had fallen off and landed in the bowl, cutting the rim.

I cried, I nashed my teeth, I shook my fist at the sky, screaming, "Why, Pottery God, why?" Alright. I really didn't do any of that. I made a sharp expletive and told the other two students in the room that my pot was ruined. One women looked at it and said, "Why not put a cut in the other side to make it look intentional?" Boy, did that blow all the hot air out of my sail; to be replaced with the cool breeze of salvation (as in, the pot could be salvaged).

So, took her advice and put another cut into the rim. Later, when trimming, I couldn't get the bottom straight. I cut and it wobbled; I cut more and it wobbled; I cut more and the pot asked to be put in a Dali painting. Finally, I got something that was half-way straight.

So, last Saturday, when it was time to glaze, I figured this was the pot to experiment on. Because, if any of my pots would survive an experiment, this would be the one. Was I right or what?!?! I dipped it in a brown glaze and then partially dipped it in a seaweed colored glaze. Now, we had been told that the seaweed glaze was giving our teacher, and her husband, who mixes the glazes, fits because of its viscosity. So, use with caution. I gleefully put it on this pot.

This glaze does have some 'issues' that teacher and her husband are working on. The viscosity causes the glaze to 'pool' at the bottom (instead of just drip off). I have the dried drop of glaze on another side of this pot to show for that. I could sand it off, but I think it gives this pot character (you can see this same effect on another pot that I posted yesterday) and is just another chapter to The Little Pot That Could.