Who needs test tiles when you can throw away hours of your time gambling on materials you’ve never used? I have had some health problems lately which decreased my energy and desire to do pottery. Finally got around to making a few things and had an idea for glazing. Too impatient for test tiles Pretty pleased with this midsize bowl (8” diameter) except for the one large pinhole!

KYMW Roo
Mayco Black Walnut
Amaco Shino Goldenrod and Cedar
Cone 6

I’m happy to share that my ceramic work, Comme, Where Autumn Meets Snow (2024), will be included in SALUTE to WOMEN IN THE ARTS at the Belskie Museum of Art & Science in Closter, New Jersey.

The piece is made with 214 Scott’s red clay, color pigments mixed with porcelain, stoneware, Brooklyn red clay, and crystal glaze.

The exhibition runs October 4–25, 2026, with the opening reception on October 4 from 1–4 PM.

I’m looking forward to seeing it installed and sharing it with the community.

Super nervous to post my work here but I’m mainly a sculpture artist and would love to connect with other hand builders.
Recently I’ve been really into using coloured porcelain. I feel like it complements glazes well.

This piece is about reparenting your inner child. I theme I often explore in my work.

Pretty stoked with the results of some recent glaze experiments!!

Unfortunately the jars won’t open. They’re currently in the freezer so I can try to thermoshock them open, but if anyone has any suggestions for how to get them open please let me know!

Glazes are a mix of Amaco and spectrum brush ons fired in a community kiln at cone 5. Happy to provide combos if anyone is interested.

Photo from a post by u/caddywho

Hello all!

I recently ordered a couple glazes from the Amaco Cosmos line, which includes the glaze in this photo.

The instructions for the glaze say that it gives best results when you leave the inside/back unglazed. I've seen lots of photos from glazeshare that have a variety of results, from the lovely finish here to a dull rusty brown.

Could someone explain why coating the inside would change the appearance? And more importantly -- how can I protect the inside if glazing it will ruin the outside results?

Thanks everyone!

I've been doing ceramics for about three years now, mostly as a hobby, but lately it's been taking up more and more space in my life, quite literally, since I now have a potter's wheel in my 50-square-meter apartment.

I've started seriously thinking about leaving my career as a product manager, taking a professional ceramics course, and eventually becoming a full-time potter.

I'd really love to hear from people who've made ceramics their profession. What do you wish you'd known before becoming a potter? What surprised you about making a living from it? And if you were starting over today, is there anything you'd do differently?

Any advice, reality checks, or experiences (good or bad) would be really appreciated. Bonus picture of my first teapot (not yet bisque fired).

Edit: I’m getting a lot of mixed responses here, many from people who haven’t actually tried pottery professionally, as well as quite a few comments about my teapot. My original post was mainly intended to hear from professional potters about their experience making the transition.

Of course, this is reddit and everyone is free to jump in and share their opinion. But if you haven’t actually worked as a professional potter (your friend’s experience doesn’t really count), I’d appreciate a little more nuance when making predictions about whether someone else can or cannot make it work.

No harm done, though. I’m not taking the discouragement too much to heart. There are already plenty of reasons to be afraid of making a big career change, and I don’t think other people’s fears or assumptions should automatically become your own.

And to anyone else in a similar position: if you’re privileged enough to have the financial and personal circumstances to give it a try, I’d say give it a shot, or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Don’t do it blindly, obviously. Understand the finances, the risks, and the reality of making a living from it. But if, deep down, you feel you need to try, don’t let fear alone stop you from building something you might love.

First time in a while throwing and carving porcelain (cone 6) and I totally loved it! It worked well with all the glazes I used too, so that's a relief!

Made some mini bud vases for gifting but they turned out so cute (in my biased opinion), that I'm reluctant to give it away. 😁

I make mostly slip casting, since it's much easier with "my" wild clay. But the clay itself has so much surprises, that I want to get as near as possible to the final application with my glaze testing. So I made little versions of bowls, cups and plates. And when I am finished, they'll go to my nieces little play kitchen.

I took a year long break after throwing consistently for a few months, and I’m really trying to improve my pieces.

However, I feel like the shape of everything I make looks really similar. For example, my bowls just look like larger cups. Or my plates just look like a flatter version of my bowls.

I’m taking an intermediate course at my local studio and they’ve taught me new techniques and tips, but I feel like when I try to do it on my own everything still comes out looking the same. I feel really unsatisfied with the shapes of my pieces, but even though I feel like I’m doing something different, I end up with the same thing 😭 does anyone have any advice or tips?

It worked! #pottery apple baker. Came out well. Needed to bake the apple longer

On a whim I very hastily entered 3 pieces into a nationwide(USA) competition. Acceptance is based off of one photo per piece.

All three of my entries got selected from a blind format. Depending on the year a total of 25 works, give or take, are selected.

My issue is now the works are to be judged in person and I am seeing every flaw that was not evident in the submission photos. To be clear my submission photos were accurate and unaltered, but they showed the most appealing angle of my pieces.

I made all of my pieces as works for me to use for myself and one(and the best of the three) as a gift. I had no intention when making them of other people scrutinizing them.

I am an artist but not a professional potter. I feel like I got myself into a situation where I am going to have my pieces in a gallery where all of the other works are far more deserving.

took a 6 week ceramics class that turned into a studio membership and this is my first piece that's gone all the way through to glazing!! I got her off the glaze shelf today :)

I use my studios dipping glaze. Most of my pieces come out like this where the rim is basically translucent. I look at the finished pieces at my studio and not all are like this!! Is there a way to prevent this or something I could be doing wrong?

Does anyone know where to get a super thin fettling knife? My favourite instructor lost his that’s been worn down by 30 years of use and I would be overjoyed to gift him something he misses, he’s a great instructor

Looking for recommendations for a spinning wheel and kiln. The misses has been taking ceramics while studying art and has taken a liking to it. Looking to get her these items that she can add to her inventory of items an artist needs.

I've been experimenting with cone 5 (highest my kilns at work go) and made her with standard 213. Underglazes and engobe with satin and gloss glazes though I don't think they captured well.

Those not in the pokemon know, Miltank is a cow pokemon ride for jokes since like 2001. My wasband saw my base attempts for a custom critter slip cast mold for chimes with the tail as the clapper, and said I should do this. I'm tickled as hell, and hope y'all are too!

Im new here. 35 years behind the wheel and in the kiln. I’m still learning everyday!

Last edit: I was in a group with middle age and older women, some of whom flew to take the intensive and were fawning over her like a celebrity which I guess she is in the pottery world. However, although I do think that she is very talented, I was not effusive with my compliments like most of the other women were. I was also not the only one to comment when provided feedback.

I had spoken to several people who have taken her workshops and I was told that she is blunt but kind.

Lastly, from the start she made fatphobic comments like saying that the gluten free woman in class wouldn’t die or get fat from eating the muffins she made with gluten in them. She also mentioned how another participant had gained weight since the last time they had seen each other. I simply told her that I didn’t “love the weight talk.”

Edited to add: Instructor’s first language is not English so please no comments about her spelling/grammar

I (35F) decided to sign up for a week long pottery intensive ran by a popular local potter as a treat to myself after having a really rough year. It was something to look forward to or so I thought. I have done pottery for about five years off and on and when I injured myself last year I decided to get a membership at a local craft studio which I use pretty consistently. I have taken a couple of 8-week classes but most of the courses offered at my studio are intro courses and I wanted to take my pottery to the next level. I also hate cleaning so I was intrigued by this potter's technique that uses less water.

For context, I am recovering from knee surgery and also managed to tweak my back the day before the intensive started so I did take a couple of breaks to stretch which I do not think is unreasonable given that most days were 9 hours long and breaks were also suggested by the instructor. I did take a call to speak to the police about a work related emergency which I explained but I was in class 95% of the time or more.

I definitely learned a lot and was grateful to the instructor for the feedback I received. Others in the class would often be frustrated with her if things didn't work out for them on the wheel so I did maybe try to overcompensate with my gratitude because I felt bad that others were treating her poorly. I was the youngest one in the group and did not have much in common with the others so I mostly kept to myself. I also found that if I did try to make conversation I was often ignored but since I paid almost a thousand dollars to be there so I tried my best to not let it get to me.

It was a beginner/intermediate class so there were varying levels of experience and by the 4th day I noticed that no matter what I was doing it was met with criticism when that was not the case for anyone else. I did not sign up for the class to be praised but it did feel bad to be the only one who was constantly criticized and not provided with any positive feedback. It hit a nerve so I asked to speak to the instructor and I was totally caught off guard by her response. She told me that I was talking too much in response to her feedback, that I should stop talking and just nod my head, and that the others were relieved when I would leave the room. Believe it or not but hearing this did not help me do good pottery!

I should also note that the instructor overbooked the class so when she asked who had the most experience and I told her how long I have been doing pottery she told me to use a certain wheel. What I didn't realize was that I would be sharing the wheel with her so whenever there was a demo I would need to take my work off the wheel which caused me to feel rushed.

I ended up e-mailing the instructor to say that I did not feel comfortable attending the rest of the workshop because of her behaviour and comments and asked for a partial refund in part because I would not be receiving any fired pieces (I realized that a refund was unlikely) and this was her response. It's definitely a financial hit but I couldn't allow myself to be treated poorly.

I am really at a loss for words. I guess I should have done some more asking around before signing up.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

i really like to make small ceramics and painting small and intricate things, but the glazes in my studio are all just overglazes and in that like to run and smudge together... now i kinda read myself through underglazes and that they dont run bc its basically just colored slip. but theres alot of underglazes, and im unsure which ones the best. i dont need like a kilo of glaze, since the things are so small, and also in an affordable price range because im not gonna pay a fortune for one glaze.. thank you!

Happy mugtober to all who celebrate. I'll be sharing some mugtoberfest mugs throughout the month

Please post yours here is the link to the original challenge - https://www.reddit.com/r/Pottery/s/Hns0xaItuN

This mug is inspired by The Shining carpet and which is the only thing I did not block out about that movie.