Current Works & Finishing Projects
Student Intern Spotlight by Sophia M.
At Verdi EcoSchool, high school students are required to complete a series of immersive internships designed to offer each student a real-world connection to an area of interest or passion. Students gain valuable work experience, sharpen professional communication skills and gain a deeper understanding of their own abilities. The Student Intern Spotlight series will share student reflections of their experiences.
I haven't been able to use the wheel yet- We work with real deal clay, which is harder to handle repurposed clay. people can get frustrated and throw away the hobby because they dive in too deep at a beginners level.
I am working on pinch plates - it feels like playing with playdough and you have tools to mold it together with water. Honestly I prefer pinching which looks handmade. You can tell it is pinch work because of the dents,curves and imperfections. Work thrown on the wheel is smooth and uniform, and you can see streaks like rings from their hands.
People say that making a plate is hard because it is so Shallow and can fall apart upon picking up; they can break if they are not made thick enough. Another fun thing about pottery is when you are going to glaze it. You must be careful because of the drip marks.
The very first thing you do after you make your pottery is to bisque it, which is like a pre-burn. From there you can decide what kind of glaze you want to put on your project. There are different types of glazes. There is glaze with a glass finish and a glaze with a matte finish, which looks like a colorful version of what you originally started with. The next step is to put this glaze in the kiln .
There are different ways to glaze. There are certain designs you can achieve by stamping or using imprinted silicone sheets, hand painting these after the bisquing process or another option is to dunk your project into large buckets of glaze. You would wax the area’s you do not want the glaze to stick.
If the wax gets anywhere else that isn't intended you have to bisque it again or you won't be able to dip it correctly and it will have a strange patching. After you finish the project you would return your project to the shelf to collect later and to also add any finishing touches that you deem fit.
My new mug is finally able to come home with me. I was able to wrap it up and gift it to my grandmother. My grandmother really enjoys and prefers hand made gifts so this was a perfect opportunity.
I decided to start up a few new projects and I hope I can return soon to finish them up. I started a little heart bowl with a face in it to hold my keys. I made a simplistic rectangle to hold my tooth brush and I made a keychain I hope to finish before Christmas to give to my boyfriend. I am making a plan to go back soon to finalize my last few projects.
I’d like to thank Seagrass Pottery for having me as an intern and I appreciate all they have taught me. I will take this with me and hopefully turn it into a new hobby.
