Welcome to my demonstration videos
Throwing a skinny neck bottleSo many people want to see how I throw skinny neck bottles. My method is certainly not the best or only way to get to this end but in this video, I will show you how I get from start to finish. This video is a bit lengthy but if you are not in a hurry, sit down with your favorite beverage and enjoy the demonstration - I have added a little relaxing music just for your pleasure.
I would love to hear from you and hear your comments - all are welcome. Click on this text to be linked to the demonstration |
Two Part Bottle Demonstration
Throwing the neck and the body separately
I wrote an article for "Pottery Making Illustrated" entited - A Pain in the Neck. The article described how I teach my students to throw necks off the hump and the body of the bottle separately and then assemble them when they are leather hard.
Some feel this is teaching my students to be lazy but the reality is it is giving them valuable experience and time focusing on throwing the necks without the challenge of a pot supporting the neck that might be slumping or moving in a way that makes throwing the neck much more challenging. Throwing the necks off the hump gives the student valuable time learning the intricacies of throwing the necks. Having said that, it is much better to throw the piece all in one pass - the transition from body to neck is much easier when the neck is part of the original piece. Check out the demonstrations below and give it a try - I would love to know what your thoughts are. Click on these links below to view the demonstrations: Throwing the Neck Demonstration Throwing the Body of the Bottle Attaching the Neck to the Bottle |
Expanding the Form
In this demonstration, we will take the basic bottle form and talk about expanding the form to a more exaggerated body. I have always loved bottles with more girth but until I watched demonstration by Ted Secombe, I never really considered the piece as a living object breathing in and holding a deep breath. Ted explained that the form is most perfect if you can imagine it as a living being inhaling a big breath and we, as potters, are attempting to catch the form at the peak of this imaginary inhale. We sat there and drew in a deep breath and when I could not take in another fraction of air, I had embodied the form I am trying to capture when shaping these bottles. If you take a look at Ted's work, you can see he is a master at perfect form. Take a look at this video and let me know what your thoughts are. Check out the work of one of Australia's contemporary master potters - Ted Secombe - by clicking here. Click the link below to view my demonstration Expanding the Form |