AN ALL TIME FAVORITE

Retired Air Force Servicewoman,

1994 Whitney High graduate,

and Outstanding Ceramics student for me back in the day,

Wendy Hertel,

came to visit me in my classroom this past school year.

She wondered if she still possessed her throwing skills on the potter's wheel.

I told her to go for it while she was visiting.

What was so amazing 

was that after all those years she remembered where I kept the clay tools.

the batts, and the clay.

I loved how she made herself at home,

as if she had never left.

The current students were fascinated with her,

and her confidence.

What wasn't surprising to me was that she had retained all her throwing skills.

We all do who learned this global skill,

like riding a bike,

like learning how to draw, ski, walk.

She threw two pots.  

What she didn't have time to do was to come back the next day and trim the bowls.

So I told her I'd do it for her then mail one to her and keep the other.

This one was my favorite of the two,

thus the packing fuff around it.

It's flying off this week to Maryland where Wendy retired.

What Wendy doesn't know is that I blew it when I was trimming the piece.

I accidently went thru the bottom and made a hole in it.

Dang!!

That's what I should have said in my classroom in front of the kids,

hee hee.

I think I might have said something else.

Opps.

Anyways,

I believe I've told you all before that I love when something goes arye

because it forces me to come up with a more creative solution.

And I was bound and determined to save this piece.

So to her thrown pot, 

I handbuild a false bottom and allowed the seam to show.

Then I found a cool stamp and pressed it into the center.

I also took that stamp and pressed it around the outside top lip

and allowed the lip to stretch and buckle a bit so it would work visually with the organic seam

in center of piece.

To finish off the pot I first bisqued then glaze fired it to 2400 degrees.

Before it went into the glaze fire I stained the whole piece with Red Iron Oxide,

then dipped it into Transparent glaze.

I love how it turned out and I so hope Wendy will as well.

Farewell sweet pot,

godspeed as you make your way to her.