Rough Week

So last week was a rough one when it came to my art. I had a desire to throw but once I found the time to do so, nothing turned out right. I think I'm getting to ambitious and trying to make too many pieces at once. I have several local galleries where I want to sell my work but I do not have enough finished pieces to sell yet so I'm feeling some pressure to get some work done.

I had planned on getting Christmas gifts thrown and fired so I wouldn't worry about them any longer and could focus on some fun pieces like my turtle bowls and snake mugs, some of my "critter creations" as I call them. So last week I set out to make most of my Christmas gifts as well as a few other pieces. I took three days off of work for a small vacation and gave Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon solely to pottery. I threw 15 pieces within those two days but few ended up turning out to be what I had originally intended. For example, I had wanted to throw a tea pot that looks like an elephant but by the time I got around to throwing the trunk I completely forgot my original design and the trunk ended up largely out of proportion. The tea pot is now just a plain tea pot:

I plan to glaze it with some crazy color like a bright yellow or green so its not so boring. I have not given up on my original idea either, I will attempt the elephant tea pot again...possibly this evening.

Other pieces that emerged this week are several jars that I just threw with no real plan for them. They turned out all right but nothing really special:

This is a jar I threw that later resembled an apple...so I went with it. I did have to include a little critter though, hence the worm poking out of the lid.

This was a lidded jar that needed a handle so I made one out of a snake.

I'm hoping once I glaze and fire the jars I will like them more, but right now they just seem basic. I'm really striving to make pieces that stand out and get people's attention. Something that, when in a gallery surrounded by other pottery, will stop someone; catch someones eye. I know I am still a beginner and have a lot to learn, that my pieces are not yet very complex and difficult to make, so right now what I want is for my work to be fun and unique and to stand out. I want my pieces to make people smile when they see them and for people to say "I've never seen something like that before."