If water didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have pottery—not just because water can help #clay formation in nature or because we use water to mold clay, but because we simply needed a way to transport liquid. The development of pottery meant that people could live further away from a water source. In this piece, the connection between #pottery and water has become symbolic of life-giving, cleansing, ritual use, refreshment, fluidity and healing. Access to clean water shouldn’t be taken for granted.
pottery
Osa is a Nigerian-American pottery artist using traditional Nigerian and African techniques in a modern studio. She's just started a PeerTube channel featuring her works, you can follow at:
If the videos haven't federated to your server yet, you can browse them at https://makertube.net/a/potterybyosa/videos
You can also follow her general non-video account at @potterybyosa@mastodon.social
#FeaturedPeerTube #Pottery #Nigeria #Africa #AfricanArt #PeerTube #PeerTubers
I think I enjoy hand building and wheel throwing equally. My upcoming online workshop (previous post) will focus on hand building because it’s the most accessible way to make pottery—no equipment needed. I went through a phase of forming teapots with #PinchPots—yes, like the ones kindergartners make. You take two pinch pots, let them firm up, and then join them together at the rim to create a vessel. It’s a simple technique with endless possibilities. #pottery
I taught myself crochet from lots of Youtube videos, just so I could use scrap wool yarn to make a round thing, soak it in slip, fling it onto a slump mold, and then turn it into a bowl-type thingy. (photos attached)
Lessons are being learned as I work through this process. I'm slowly inching towards success.
This vase was a custom order for a couple’s 9th wedding anniversary. They wanted something they could pass down to future generations and thought a ceramic piece would make a good commemorative heirloom. They mentioned their love for terracotta amaryllis, a variety I’d never heard of. Terracotta literally means “baked earth” so I was excited to render the flower in clay tones using a mixture of pink Alabama #clay and a clay called Newman Red from California. #pottery
I'd love some advice from #pottery folk. I've switched from a brush-on glaze to dipped. It's working well, except for two problems:
#1: The glaze doesn't seem to stick to the rim of the cups very well.
#2: The glaze cracks as it cools, rendering the cups functionally useless. I assume this is because of a mis-match between the thermal coefficients of expansion, but I'm not sure. Do I just need a different clay? Or can I tweak the glaze?
Private instance, so boosts = ❤️
Still warm from the kiln, covered in warm earth tones—I’m so relieved this piece came out successfully on the other side of firing. I worked on it over the course of a month and remembered to document moments of process which I think I’ll share in a thread.
The most important thing to know is that I consider this pot a collaboration. I coordinated the colors, but I didn’t choose them. Each clay tone was a surprise and a gift, and that’s where my excitement about this piece lies. #pottery
Every potter is a bit of a pyromaniac. As soon as the temperature drops below 60°F, it’s fire season. I have an entire body of work that I only make in the winter because I fire #pottery in my outdoor woodfire kiln. #Permaculture geeks will love this: I built a #RocketKiln with post consumer materials based on the design of the rocket stove. I also use post consumer waste as fuel. I’m excited to share this process with you over the next couple of months. More info: https://potterybyosa.com/blogs/clay-people/portrait-of-a-kiln-lisas-orrs-rocket-kiln
Before I can switch gears and begin on my smoke fired pots, I’ve got to finish up this last batch. It’ll be a mixture of smaller sized tableware, a couple of lamps and some larger pieces for an upcoming show. I’m in the carving and decorating phase of the cycle now. Next comes the bisque fire, glazing and then firing one last time. The pottery cycle reminds me of the cycle of the moon. My next online sale will be on Saturday, November 22nd. #pottery #ceramics #WIP
A rare snippet of my decorating process. Here I’m filling in the monstera pattern on this planter with terra sigillata (a watery, refined clay slip) made with clay from Ontario. This is much different than painting—it’s basically glaze application. The difference is, I’m applying three layers of terra sig to achieve my desired result. If I apply the sig too thinly, it will come out brown. Three coats (and proper firing) gives me a rich olive green with a bit of variegation. #pottery #ceramics
Edited 246d ago
![Avatar for Mia [data-css=poetic]](/proxy/identity_icon/288817399110413826/c020510171.jpeg){kind=icon}
#ArtAdventCalendar 2025 Day 20: Meema's tulip bowl.
My grandmother (my Meema) painted a tulip bowl still life when she was 16; her painting now hangs in my home. I was admiring the bowl's shape and thought, "maybe I could make that!"
So here is my Meema's tulip bowl, brought to life.
#pottery #ceramics #WheelThrowing #RecursiveArt #MyWork #ArtAdventCalendarKZeta
Edited 264d ago
This is the first piece from my Birthplace Series. The brick red tones come from #clay collected from a duck pond I used to visit when I was a toddler and the photo image is of me and my childhood best friend at that pond when we were probably three or four years old. It’s very bittersweet, realizing that my birthplace isn’t exactly home to me after my last visit. Also, many years ago, I found an obituary for my friend online. We’d lost touch after I moved away at age 5. #pottery
#Pottery #Ceramics #Crochet #FiberArts
Hot out of the kiln: my latest experiment combining a crocheted round thing with ceramic slip. I feel that I'm getting closer.
Photos show: 1) the crocheted round thing (cotton yarn); 2) freshly soaked in slip and placed in the slump mold; 3) after glazing with Korean Celadon, right side up; 4) after glazing with Korean Celadon, upside down.
This needs a foot. I'll do that in the next experiment.
![The crocheted round thing was soaked in B-Mix slip for about an hour before shaking off the excess slip and placing it in a slump mold lined with paper towels. The towels soaked up some of the excess moisture from the slip. [Note: the slump mold was a failed bowl that I made and repurposed.]](/proxy/post_attachment/1078440/995e05a5cc.jpeg "The crocheted round thing was soaked in B-Mix slip for about an hour before shaking off the excess slip and placing it in a slump mold lined with paper towels. The towels soaked up some of the excess moisture from the slip. [Note: the slump mold was a failed bowl that I made and repurposed.]")
I made two Terra Cotta ollas to sink into one of my raised garden bed. You fill these with water and the water slowly seeps through the porous clay into the dirt. The roots of the plants are attracted to this slow water seepage and surround the pots. I'm testing these near my tomato plants and hoping for the best. (photos attached)
Here's a ceramic hedgehog, fierce defender of whatever you store inside its belly. I'm new to this community and I'm a bit like this hedgehog. Since certain social media platforms are showing their true colors, I'm backing off and trying to find a safe place to settle, to share creative stuff, knowledge and fun without generating profit for scary billionaires. This might just be that place but I have no idea how it works yet. cheers!
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#hedgehog #pottery #ceramics #art #introduction
Edited 1y ago
Here's a ceramic hedgehog, fierce defender of whatever you store inside its belly. I'm new to this community and I'm a bit like this hedgehog. Since certain social media platforms are showing their true colors, I'm backing off and trying to find a safe place to settle, to share creative stuff, knowledge and fun without generating profit for scary billionaires. This might just be that place but I have no idea how it works yet. cheers!
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#hedgehog #pottery #ceramics #art #introduction
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#hedgehog #pottery #ceramics #art #introduction
The black on this mug comes from terra sigillata made from a ball of manganese-rich New Mexico clay my friend gave me. After they’re done firing, I lightly sand the exterior of each mug with a fine-grain sandpaper. The handles become smooth and soft to the touch.
#pottery #ceramics #handmade #craft #art
Edited 1y ago
This mug is shaping up to be a sturdy one. I’ve been thickening my handles lately so they sit more comfortably in the hand. I realized the mugs I reach for most, made by others, tend to have a certain softness and girth to the handle, so that’s the direction I’m following.
It’s all small adjustments over time, the kind that add up over decades. The goal is a pot that feels special to its owner, but not so delicately precious that it ends up sitting untouched on a shelf. #pottery #beautility
Edited 167d ago
Just shipped out these pieces for “Clay As Place: The Transient Object” at Red Lodge Clay Center, May 2026.
From my statement:
“As I decorate with these different clays, I am automatically transported back to the origins of the material. A small ball of #clay is a piece of a place that I can bring back home with me, into my studio, to create meaningful works that are then sent back out into the world—Clay As Place, The Transient Object.”
“I take mud and turn it into something tangible, hopeful even. But hope feels like a tricky companion in times like these. I’ve been thinking about how politics and climate impacts those of us running small, local #pottery studios. Our work depends not just on creativity, but also on stability—a steady supply of materials, the ability to ship, a community that can afford to buy #handmade work, and galleries that can stay open. All of those feel increasingly precarious.”
https://pagekellyzephyrvalleyceramics.substack.com/p/making-pots-in-hard-times