Art 2752
Chris Pickett
Project 3—Containment: Lidded Vessels
Spring 2010

Containment is the theme of this project. You will have an opportunity to build on your technical throwing skills while developing personal concepts. You will use proportion, edge, scale, and surface to make personalized pots about life in the 21st century. You will design lidded pots for a particular use and concept that are descriptive of our time.To begin think about what you would like your pots to contain. You may choose tangible or intangible subject matter. You could design a pot for chocolate truffles or a pot for political power. Your concept should be embodied in your choice of surface, color, and form. Design and make six lidded vessels. The vessels must be different from each other but they may reflect the same concept.

Research:
Look in the library or on the Internet look for lidded vessels from contemporary and historical sources. Look for lidded vessels that reflect their use. Browse the aisle just behind the stairs on the 2nd floor where the NK3 books are located (this aisle is mostly all ceramics). Print out at least 3 examples of lidded vessels that you find relevant to your concept. Tape, staple, or glue the copies into your sketchbooks along with any information you find. Draw 10 sketches in your sketchbook and then choose six of them to create.

You will be sharing your concepts and sketches with your peers in class on Thursday, Feb 25. We will be having an in class discussion and brainstorming session. I expect you to use your sketchbook to work out forms, surfaces, and colors.

Answer the following questions in your sketchbook:

1. What will your lidded vessels contain? What is relevant to a 21st century person? What do you have passion about in your daily life? How is that different today than in the past (i.e., 1920)?

2. What do you want to communicate about your subject to the user?

3. How will your form choices support your idea? E.g. weight, edge, foot, shape, lugs, knob, flange

4. What kind of surface will your pot have? How will you organize the surface treatment and relate it to the form and the concept?

Reading: Chapter 6: The Discipline of Function, Specifically the section on Lids, (pps 84 – 92)

Technical goals:

Make effective functional lids.

Throwing: Consistent wall thickness with vertical form and well formed lips.

Trimming: Well treated feet that support the form of the vessel. No heavy bottoms!

Glazing: Even glaze application of appropriate thickness. Clean line from waxing the foot.

Conceptual goals:

Making appropriate, expressive choice to promote your personal ideas.

How will you express your concept through scale, edge quality, form, foot treatment, and proportion of rim to foot, surface, and color?

Calendar:

February 18: Introduce project 3, Lid Demo, Project 2 and 3 Work Day

February 20 (Sat): Leatherhard/bone dry cups due (Project 2) on class cart

February 23: Project 3 Sketches Due for In Class Discussion, Load Cups (Project 2) into Bisque Kiln, Project 3 Demos and Work Day

February 25: Unload Cups (Project 2), Glaze Project 2, Work on Project 3 (Lidded Vessels)

February 28 (Sat): Glazed Cups (Project 2) Due on Class Cart

March 2: Unload Glazed Cups, Introduce Project 4 (Pouring Vessels)

March 4: Cup Critique (Project 2), Sketches for Proj 4 Due

March 6: Project 3 (6 Lidded Vessels) due on Class Cart to dry.

March 8th-12th: Spring Break ** Have Fun!

March 16th: Work Day Project 3 (Glaze Lidded Vessels) and Project 4 (Make Pouring Vessels)

March 18th: Work Day Project 4

**Sat, Mar 20: Glazed Lidded Vessels (Proj 3) Due on Class Cart by 2pm

March 23rd: Critique Project 3 (Lidded Vessels

AFA Library Resources:

Books on reserve:

Make It In Clay, John Toki, TT 920.S687 2001

Functional Pottery, Robin Hopper, TT 920.H66 2000 106-114 “Lidded Forms;” pgs. 139-144 “Lids and Covers; Chapter 12 “Pots for Storage;” pp. 165-169. Chap. 16 “Considerations”

The Technique of Throwing, John Colbeck, 738.142 C684p

Pottery on the Wheel, Elsbeth Woody, TT 920.W661975

A Potter’s Workbook, Clary Illian, NK 4225.I45 1999