The Quiet Rhythm of Making, June 30, 2026 Shelley Rosenstein
Time at the potters wheel to make a form begins after wedging the clay (to get rid of any air bubbles), determining what forms to create and weighing the clay lumps which will determine the size of the piece. Centering the clay lump is next, using centrifugal force to put the clay lump in synch with the turning of the wheel. Wedging again on the wheel is a rhythmic, repetitive that process redistributes the moisture content equally through the clay. After the clay is centered and wedged, one gently uses their thumbs pushing down in the center to open the mound of clay; then very slowly and carefully, one moves the thumbs apart, pushing down to create the bottom of the form. There are soft rubber tools the maker uses to compact at the clay bottom of the form.
Now the “throwing” begins— but this phrase is a misnomer. There is no throwing involved! After the form is opened and the bottom compressed, there is clay in a circle that is stretched slowly by linking the maker’s hands on the inside and outside of the wall while gently pulling upward. The rim must be compacted before each new pull upward. Throwing a cylinder consists of repeated movements and familiar adjustments— it is slow, steady work to achieve the height of the form while assuring that the wall is uniform in thickness and the rim is level with the wheel. One cannot rush the evolution of the form.
At this point, the form can become a shape: a bowl, a vase, a cup, a tumbler and the maker will determine, after the shape is formed, whether or not to alter the form to be asymmetrical or symmetrical. There are endless possibilities.
Hand Building is a completely different process that begins after wedging the clay. “Coil Building”: One can use a coil (a thin or thick long “snakelike” stretch of clay) created by rolling one’s hands over the clay lump repeatedly to achieve the uniform thickness and length of the required coil. Many coils are generally combined to build a form of one’s choosing— they can all be similar in thickness to create a symmetrical form or coils of various thickness can be combined to create a free-form or asymmetrical shape. Again there is endless variety possible but all coils must be attached to one another by a process called “scratch and slip.” This involves using a tool to roughen the clay surface that will be attached to another clay surface and dampening the attaching surfaces with softened, more liquid clay called slip. Slip can be brushed onto the attaching surfaces or smooshed with a finger. After the surfaces are attached, one uses a rib (a soft rubber or wooden tool) to smooth the surfaces together if desired. Sometime the coils are attached but not combined. It is the maker’s prerogative to determine how the surfaces are textured: smooth or rough or scratched. Again, there are endless possibilities!
“Slab” construction with clay involves creating a flat level sheet of clay (after wedging and smoothing the surfaces with a rib to remove all air bubbles) with a slab rolling machine or a rolling pin. The slabs can be cut and attached in any way you can think of (using the scratch and slip method). The size and shape of the form is determined by the maker. But you cannot create a form that is completely closed, containing air because the clay will blow up in the kiln when fired! So, if you want a completely closed form, you must poke small holes into the surface to release the air inside.
In general, there must be a certainty of the form one is seeking whether using a potters wheel, coil construction, slab construction or a combination of any of these building methods. Most makers have an idea when they begin forming the clay; others begin working and the form dictates where the clay will move, as well as its thickness, texture, smoothness or roughness.
Each artist has a personal response to the clay, like a signature or finger print. As described above, the possibilities are endless. And these methods of forming clay, a very pliable material, have been in use for centuries. Considering these endless possibilities makes the forming of clay a quiet, rhythmic thoughtful journey.
