FINAL - Semester Reflection

Final Blog Reflection

Unit 1: Slab Construction (Box)

Photo:

Never having a ceramics class before, what were your first impressions of the class through this project? Starting off in this class, I was really amazed. I found that everything moved at a really nice pace that I was able to keep up with. It instantly became my favorite class, one that I could look forward to coming to every other day. When I first came in, I was taken aback at how many different techniques there were. That being said, I think that we were able to ease into this unit very easily, and I was given just the right about of help to make this piece. This project familiarized me with all the techniques I would be using throughout this semester, so I think that it prepared me really well.

Unit 2: Coil Construction (Greek Vessel)

Photo:

Prior to starting this project, what were your doubts prior to creating? Before starting this project, I had seen all the exemplars. I was really intimidated by what the expectations were, so I doubted that I would be able to create something that was as good as the exemplars. I also was afraid of the whole process of building a vessel, because I wasn't sure how to cope with height and I was scared of my piece caving in or breaking. I later learned techniques which would help me achieve this vessel.

Unit 3: Undulated Slab (Tripod Mug)

Photo:

What did you find most satisfying and frustrating with creating your work? The most satisfying part of this piece, for me, was undulating the slab. I found that while doing this, I could really see my piece start to come together. I was able to see the final outcome, and I found the techniques we used really interesting. I found that I was really able to make my piece unique at this stage, and I could also think about what kind of texture I wanted, and the kind of handle I wanted too.

Unit 5: Sculptural Forms (Dessert Installation)

Photo:

What did you find most satisfying with creating your pieces? In this unit, I found the process of thinking up these desserts really fun. From there, it was fun to see them 'come to life' in clay, and it was nice to see how close I was able to get to the real dessert. It was nice to use previous and new techniques to create these desserts, because it really showcased everything that I learned this year. What was most frustrating? The most frustrating part of this was when I used Metallic Brown as a glaze. This turned out much darker than what I expected, and ended up turning my brown and chocolate piece black. I found this really frustrating because it changed the overall look of my piece. As seen in the donut, I tried to fix it with yellow, and that made it look moldy! That being said, I think that the general idea of what I was trying to make was still able to be portrayed.

Looking back at all your work, did this class meet all of your expectations as a student?

Personally, this class exceeded what I expected. I expected this class to be super fun, but I didn't expect to learn as much as I did. I definitely will be taking Ceramics 2 later on, when there's mores space! My work, I think, shows everything I've learned in this class, which is much more than I anticipated.

How could I have taught this course better?

Most of what I learned was taught very well, but the one thing that I think you could improve on is explaining more about glazing techniques. I remember that in the first unit, we had a very in depth demo about glazes. But later, after all the breaks we had been on, I had slightly forgotten some of the techniques, as I had not used them for a long time. So I think that we should maybe have a refresher demo about glazing techniques some time in the middle of the semester.

Which project was your favorite and your least? Why?

I really enjoyed the vessel unit because I felt like I was able to use a new technique successfully. I think that it's the piece I'm post proud of because it looks very professional. My least favorite unit was probably the dessert unit, only because there wasn't really a set guideline of what we were supposed to do. This made me a little confused, so I found that the process was a little confusing. I think that the time constraint also was a little hectic, and that I wasn't very sure on what to do for the glazing. Overall, there wasn't really one specific unit that I didn't like, because I really, genuinely, liked them all!

Thank you for such a wonderful semester in my favorite class!