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The "Perfect" Bowl
Posted – March 03, 2010
As a graphic designer – and a somewhat obsessive perfectionist – I found it humbling, to say the least, to find myself in a beginner’s wheel class throwing lopsided pots glazed in horrible, dripping colors. I learned enormous respect for the instructors at Clayworks who make it look so easy. Eventually I decided to set self-imposed limits. My goal was simply to throw a “perfect” bowl – forget about elaborate teapots with handles, spouts, and lids. Just a simple round bowl. Not so simple… it takes skill and repetition to throw the most basic form, and I was continually frustrated. Very gradually, I started to understand how wet clay reacts between your hands and the wheel, the right amount of pressure to keep the form from collapsing. My bowls were becoming more refined and symmetrical, less heavy and deformed. Even the glazing process, another science in itself, began to seem less mysterious, even fun. And just as I was beginning to get the hang of it, I had to give it up because of time and lower back issues. I’ll be back, though… and I will make a perfect bowl.