Making Lids, Galleries, and Handles For My New Kyushus

The above textured kyushus on the left required a lot more fussing than the ones on the right which are assembled from parts which don't need any alteration.

When texturing a pot's wall, one invariably adds a number of steps to realize the desired outcome: 

The first video shows how I add a gallery to the teapot's body after carving away some clay with a cheese cutting. When a make a teapot body, I generally "split the rim" in half to create a gallery, but in this case it's easier to just add a gallery for the lid to rest in.

The second video shows how I form the lid prior to the final trimming to give shape to the knob. Usually I'll make a few extras lids just in case I haven't measured correctly with the calipers.

The last video shows how I add texture to a thrown handle by wacking it with the sharp edge of a piece of wood. 

Of course there are many other steps to making these teapots, such as trimming and cutting the "foot," drilling out drainage holes, and adding a spout which, as I mentioned in my previous post, can be a disaster if you don't get it right. 

These guys have really taken up a lot of studio time and as a production potter I'm not used to slowing down so much. But I know from past experience that in order to push the creative cart forward, you have to continue to learn new skills and expand your vocabulary of possibilities.

Since I'm now intrigued with revealing the beauty of clay itself—how without glaze one's appreciation for the raw material might bring a totally different experience—it is worth the time and effort to explore new ways of adding interest to the surface. Over the course of making and remaking these kyusus, I am beginning to refine my approach and look forward to applying them to other forms.