MAKING A COILED VESSEL
Kay Franz
The first hand building technique I was taught in college was making a coiled pot. The brief overview below shows a few of the steps in my process.
In this image I’ve already created the base work starting with a small circular shaped slab bottom.
Each coll added raises the wall of the piece. I work inside and outside to shape the work as each layer is added. Pressure from the inside widens the piece. Pressure from the outside draws the piece upward.
With each added coil I blend the new to the old, smoothing out the surface once the new coil is well attached and blended.
A fettling/potter’s knife smoothes the outer surface. A curved plastic rib smooths the inside.
I wanted this piece to close inward. Coils are added and paddled with a wooden paddle to bring the sides inward.
Finishing and shaping the mouth of the vessel.
Once the vessel is built I use a number of tools to create textures.
Some of the tools I use in creating textures.
Before the first firing, while the work is bone dry, several layers of a very fine white slip are added to surface and then burnished. For the second firing dark textures are created by rubbing ceramic stains into the surface to enhance textures.
Just a few recently fired coiled pieces.