KYancey on fri 2 nov 01
I'm not sure if this has been addressed on clayart or not,
so please excuse me if it has.
One major problem I have seen many beginning students do on
the potters wheel is to jerk their hands away from the
spinning mound of clay, way too fast. Sometimes it is
preceded with a microsecond of a little push. This will turn
a centered mound into the hula dance in a heartbeat. This is
also where I feel the hands on approach is appropriate.
beginners need to feel the gradual approach, the final
pressure applied, then the gradual release. When we as
experienced potters do it, it looks as though we come on and
off the clay quickly, but that is because of muscle
training. Our muscles just instinctively know how to relax
when the clay has centered.
By quickly removing your hands off of the clay, you are not
allowing a complete revolution of the clay within that
constant pressure, therefore one side gets the pressure,
while the other side gets none. The pressure from the hand
to the spinning clay must be gradually diminished.
At least, it's a method to try. Ken
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