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To throw plates and large forms on the potters wheel, I use octagonal boards called "bats" which can be attached to the wheel head, then the pot thrown on top of the bat and the whole bat removed with the pot to prevent slumping or warping. To easily attach and remove the bats, I have two locating pins in the wheel head, and two corresponding wholes in each bat. This video slide show demonstrat...

This video is about Throwing Tea Cups 2020 5 6

The process of making pots is as important to me as the finished work. There is a calm, meditative quality to throwing, particularly throwing on the kick wheel, which gives me a sense of peace in troubled times. It was this attention to the beauty of process which made Mingei and my time studying with Shimaka sensei in Mashiko so life changing for me. Isolation is a potter's natural state. It w...

Sakura season is soon upon us, and I have created a new series of Tenmoku sake cups for Hanami! They are designed to reflect the Cherry Blossom in the surface of the Sake so that you can enjoy the view of the blossom even as you bow your head to drink！These are the works I was so eager to unpack from the last firing, and I am so pleased with all the subtle and spectacular results! もう直ぐ桜の季節ですね〜花...

Finishing the last trimming on 27cm plates for a 96 piece dinner setting, where every piece is an individual work of art! Everything takes a long time to dry at this time of year because of the heavy snow, and the pots cannot be dried outside because, at an air temperature of minus 9, they will freeze! 正餐用食器類一式のための9寸皿の削りが終わりました！10人分の一式で、全部で96個の作品となります！今、雪の季節で、なかなか乾かない。天日干しできません、外の気温は−9度でさくひんが氷ます！

Throwing cups like these entails throwing to a set height pointer and using a throwing rib to define the outside profile. These would be of intermediate level, following on from throwing basic cylinders.

How to throw basic cylinders. These cylinders are thrown with 300 grams of clay, to a height of about 80mm and a diameter of about 70mm. They are to be used as green tea cups or for a small course item in Japanese cuisine. These are purposely thrown loosely, leaving the throwing rings as fresh as possible. Making a few boards of these is good practice for basic skills and a nice refresh for adv...

On Tuesday last, the 2nd of October, I was making small plates of various sizes. The smallest were 110mm diameter, the largest were 200mm, so the number of plates you can throw from a single 12kg hump varies. They are thrown using a throwing rib in order to leave a smoothly curved upper surface. Regardless of size, the method is basically the same, though generally I would only throw up to 270m...

How to Throw Rice Bowls Off The Hump As I am preparing for my next exhibition, I would like to share some videos of my process. I will also be posting them on my youtube channel so that you can access them any time. Monday, October 1st, I made rice bowls. This video shows how I throw small rice bowls, diameter 130mm, depth 55mm, using 4 tools; a bamboo dragonfly tool to measure them, a metal th...

Opening the last firing, brick by brick...

How to make a Wedging Wire for Pottery. 陶芸用の切り糸の作り方。

Demonstrating how to attach handles to demitasse coffee cups, by Euan Craig in his studio in Minakami, Japan.

Trimming and decorating plates for an upcoming exhibition in Japan.

Trimming pots takes as much time and skill as making them. On the Kick Wheel the process is very intimate, interacting with forces of momentum and torque, and the unique character and potential of both the clay and the tools. It takes years of practice to master oneself, to temper your actions and allow the forces of nature to create beauty that is unique in every single vessel.

The Kick Wheel

Wedging Clay-粘土の混ぜ合わせ

Sashimi Plates, Trimming & Decorating

Trimming a Rice Bowl

Throwing rice bowls

How to Throw Cylinders

Getting a handle on cups

The Last Mug

Out of the Ruins; The rebirth of Shoji Hamada's Noborigama

A New Kiln Shed 窯小屋作り