The Pandemic brought life to a screeching halt for me, as I am sure it did with many of you. People deal with that sort of thing in different ways. While some artists I know went into overdrive during the Pandemic to keep busy, I pretty much stopped creating anything with ceramics. I feel that if I am unhappy, it will somehow show in my work, and I just didn't feel like making anything. There were no craft shows or fairs and it was not easy to get supplies for a while. I lost my motivation.
Well, I am getting back into the swing of things this year. It started with some clay I had that was getting a little too hard to throw on the wheel and a bit too groggy for my taste for wheel thrown items. It was early Spring 2021 and the desire to create something returned. I wanted to make a garden gnome, so I did. Then I made another. Then I just keep making things. The pending return of Spring after a long winter really motivated me. Maybe things were going to be back to normal this year. Well, they are not quite back to normal yet, but it's getting closer to normal.
I named my gnomes after two of my ancestors from Italy; my Great Great grandfather, Giuseppe and his son, my Great grandfather, Vittorio. I thought about selling them, but I grew too attached. Giuseppe is on the left and Vittorio is on the right. They are approximately 12" tall, fired to Cone 6 in an electric kiln.
Below is a photo gallery of how the 2nd gnome was made, which is pretty much how I make the first one. I started with two pinch pots joined together into a ball. I shaped it into a cylinder and opened it at the top. From there, I gave it a basic shape by pressing and pushing and eventually started adding and removing clay. Lastly, I added the hat. Hope you like the slideshow of the process.
Well, I am getting back into the swing of things this year. It started with some clay I had that was getting a little too hard to throw on the wheel and a bit too groggy for my taste for wheel thrown items. It was early Spring 2021 and the desire to create something returned. I wanted to make a garden gnome, so I did. Then I made another. Then I just keep making things. The pending return of Spring after a long winter really motivated me. Maybe things were going to be back to normal this year. Well, they are not quite back to normal yet, but it's getting closer to normal.
I named my gnomes after two of my ancestors from Italy; my Great Great grandfather, Giuseppe and his son, my Great grandfather, Vittorio. I thought about selling them, but I grew too attached. Giuseppe is on the left and Vittorio is on the right. They are approximately 12" tall, fired to Cone 6 in an electric kiln.
Below is a photo gallery of how the 2nd gnome was made, which is pretty much how I make the first one. I started with two pinch pots joined together into a ball. I shaped it into a cylinder and opened it at the top. From there, I gave it a basic shape by pressing and pushing and eventually started adding and removing clay. Lastly, I added the hat. Hope you like the slideshow of the process.
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