Andover Pottery

Throwing a Lidded Jar on the Pottery Wheel Lidded jars have many uses. In the kitchen they can be used to store herbs, spices, tea etc. Other uses are storage for hair accessories, jewelry, office supplies etc. In this video I show the basic throwing technique I use to throw these covered jars. First the base and then the lid. The lids can be decorated with spirals or knobs can be added to the tops. This design would also work for garlic keepers if ventilation holes were applied through out the piece. Like any form, the more you make the quicker and more skilled you will become. Throwing a few extra lids is always a good idea. Sometimes extras are good fits for covered tea mugs to help keep your favorite warm beverage hot. www.andoverpottery.com

Using plant matter to press into clay to create nature inspired pottery pieces. Here's a video I made to show how I make my nature mugs.

As our lives seem to get busier each day, finding time to cook at home can be a challenge. Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to get serious about losing weight, so I joined Weight Watchers (now called WW) with my husband. In the course of 7 months I lost 20 pounds while my husband lost close to 40 lbs. and we have managed to keep it off. For us, the key to keeping the weight off is really all about lifestyle choices. For our family, major changes came down to eating fresh healthy foods, cooking at home and of course exercising regularly! (I love my Fitbit). For those of us who cook at home, having some key kitchen accessories can really make a difference. Here are some of my favorite pottery items that I use daily in my kitchen. Salt Cellar Utensil Holder Spoon Holder

Artistry in Handmade Dinnerware One of the things I find interesting about making pottery is that even when I really try to make pieces very similar they all come out slightly different, this is the essence of creating handmade work.  It's always a surprise to new pottery students when they glaze their first pieces, they are always surprised at the transformation. Below are some examples of the before and after that final firing. Pre Glaze Firing After Glaze Firing  Before Glaze Firing After Glaze Firing Before Glaze Firing After Glaze Firing www.andoverpottery.com

Making Dinnerware Plates One of the main focuses of my pottery journey includes the creation of unique dinnerware sets. Throwing plates can be very taxing on the shoulders and back especially as we get older. This is a method that I use which is by no means fool proof but it is much easier on the body. Here's a quick video that shows how I throw my plates on the pottery wheel using plaster forms. They still need to be trimmed after they are leather hard but this is how they start out. Using a rolled out slab of clay cut to fit, it's placed on the plaster form that is attached to the wheel head. Some pro's and cons: Pro's of this process are, more consistency in size and it's far less wear and tear on my shoulders. The disadvantages are, warping when drying, space needed for drying, expense of plaster forms and storage. There is a decent learning curve but if you make a lot of dinnerware it may be worth the investment. I bought my forms at www.theceramicshop.com...

Experimenting in the Studio For the past few weeks my mind has been flooded with new ideas and designs for future projects. One such project that I just finished was creating a small shot glass like container using various glazes and designs and attaching a small match strike paper to the bottom so that they may be used to hold matches. Here are two cups that I recently posted on my website. Here is a short video that I made to demonstrate how it works. www.andoverpottery.com