SANDRA@icicb.nci.nih.gov on fri 3 may 96
If you can't find another instructor, you should watch and watch and
watch other potters at work. Then do it, do it, do it yourself. I had a
similar experience when I first started. The instructor was a beginner at
throwing himself--but he would never have admitted it! He had no clue
as to how to make a handle! There were no other potters in the area.
So, I watched every clay person I could at craft fairs, demonstrations,
etc. And looked at lots of pots, and felt lots of pots. All the time I was
looking, I was also doing. I spent lots of time at first getting my skills
together. I learned by doing and trying to duplicate what I saw. It took
me a long time to duplicate handle-making, but now I can make any type
of handle. I still don't center clay like any body else does because I didn't
learn systematically, but it really doesn't matter. With clay, the only way
to learn is to do it. It's a skill you must train your hands and mind to do.
An excellent book for throwing is John Colbeck's The Technique of
Throwing. It has very detailed photographs of every stage of the
process. It may be still in print, I'm not sure. I used that book alot and i
made up for what was lacking in the instructor. You might consider
taking the class again and do it while looking at a book on throwing, then
practice like mad. That way you can ask your instructor specific
questions about what you are doing wrong, etc. Good Luck!
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