For years in the Great Smoky Mountains, and Appalachia as a whole, pottery has played an important role in the lives of people who’ve lived in our beautiful mountains. Before the rise of industry and machines took the world by storm, making your own vessels was far easier since the mountains made it difficult to get into town, as well as provided a cheaper option than buying one that was already made.
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Watching someone throw a piece of pottery on a potter’s wheel can be a mesmerizing experience. It may even make you think about what it would be like to throw a piece on the wheel yourself. Fortunately, ceramics are almost universally beloved, and classes to help you get started on your ceramic-making journey are generally offered somewhere near you. If you do find a pottery-making class that you want to sign up for, here are a couple of tips that will help you as you prepare to head into your first pottery class.
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People love pottery for the same reason people love to paint, it’s immersive and it’s relaxing. Sure, it takes time, but in the end, it’s worth it when you get the final product. There’s also a lot of steps and tools that go into creating pottery. This can be intimidating to some, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, you can learn eight pottery terms to help you make some sense of what’s happening in the studio, and to up your game in the gallery.
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For someone new to the world of pottery, the language that experienced potters share with one another can be intimidating. If you are just starting out with ceramic-making, have no fear. In time, you will be able to converse with even the most experienced of potters. In the meantime, though, you’ll need to learn some of the basics to get started out. The tools that ceramicists use daily are a big part of the ceramic-making process, and it’s important to understand what they are used for. From ribs to wire cutters and calipers, here is a comprehensive list of basic pottery tools to know if you’re a budding potter.
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If you’ve ever been to Fowler’s Clay Works odds are you have come across the friendly-face of Ms. Brenda Cotter. Ms. Brenda is a Gatlinburg native and a joy of a human to be around. We sat down with Ms. Brenda to talk about Gatlinburg over the years and how it developed into a thriving arts and crafts area.
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