Pressed Bowl

I began this lesson planning to make a basket bowl using 1 inch slabs and weaving them over a bowl mold, but it just was not working for me, so I had a change of heart, squished all my slabs back together, and re-wedged the clay. When it was back into a ball shape, I pressed my thumb firmly into the center and began pinching to form it into a bowl shape. I was winging it, so I thought I'd just see where it would take me. Once I had a very thick bowl shape, I placed it into the center on an unglazed but fired bowl, a large bisque bowl. I knew this bowl was quite porous, so the clay would not stick when drying. If you try this with a glass, plastic,or metal bowl, you will have to line it with strips of newspaper in order for your pressed bowl to release from the mold. I worked up from the center of the clay pinched bowl I placed in the mold. I pushed and pressed the clay out and up with 2 thumbs together, pressing the clay forcefully against the inside of the mold until it reached the rim. Turn your work as you go, pressing firmly until the clay feels to be a uniform thickness. Then I switched to one thumb, forcing more clay from the center of the base, all the way around. It created a petal shape texture, so I continued until I was pretty happy with it. Then I took a sharp knife and trimmed the top edge, placing the knife flat on the top of the mold and

dragging it around the rim to make the clay bowl inside flush with the rim of the mold. I also formed a clay disk for the center of the petals, roughed up the bottom of the disk, added slurry, and pressed it into the bottom of the bowl to appear like a flower center.

At that point, I let it dry for about an hour. The porous bisque bowl absorbed water from the clay, and I was then able to release it from the mold. I turned it over carefully, and the clay bowl slipped right out. If you used newspaper strips, you may have to tug a little on your paper to get it started. Here is a photo of the pressed dish.(above right and left) I will do more trimming after it is leather hard.

 So, the moral of this story...if you are not happy with what you are making, squish it up again and try something new! See you next week.