Ask a Potter ~ The Power of Attraction

Sometimes you just have to ask a potter to get an answer. So we will be putting members of the Covert Potters to the test. Check in with us from time to time or click “Get The Feed” down to the left to subscribe to get all the juicy tidbits on life, pottery and the pursuit of clay…

Let’s start at the beginning. Very good place to start… I’ll stop before the doe, rae, me – or not. Today’s question is: Do you visualize your Art before creating? Do you know what it will look like before you begin? What's your process?

Chris: I sit and let it flow. Rare is the occasion where I sit down with a preconceived idea and work it out.

Sally Anne: I usually visualize new forms/shapes before I create them. I first try to see it completely in my head, working out how it is to be made. Do I need supports? What clay? What glaze? What techniques? I like to have it worked out in my mind before hand, than as I work, I might have to change or re-think something to conform to the reality of the situation.

I like to think about new pots as I drive, at my day job or when I go biking. It gets me through the day. I see the thinking process as the arty part of what I do. And I can do it pretty much any where. But once I get with clay, I’ve pretty much know how I’m going to proceed with what I’m making. Then again, I tried to make my baskets by throwing the bodies and altering them. That was a grand mistake. I realized I could get what I wanted by cutting/darting and forming the bodies and handles.

Celeste: When I create sculpture or carved work, yes I visualize the piece from the start. I do not use thumbnail sketches because I don’t want to spoil the creative process and I often change the silhouette if the carving or the form does not want to adhere to my preconceived idea.

We’d love to hear your questions for the Covert Potter. Please email us with any question you may have and we will try to get them answered as quickly as possible! Thank you