Vessels• Design a vessel inspired by a plant, flower,

fruit or other natural form. • Throughout history ceramic artists have

looked to these types of forms for inspiration. You may want to look to historical pots for ideas. For example, East Asian potters often used suggestions of petals. Wedgewood and other 19th century pottery often looked to vegetables and flowers for decorative surface treatments.

Objectives:

• Craftsmanship: Pay attention to details and overall quality of piece.

• Design/Composition: Use your creativity to make a unique vessel with inspiration from a plant, flower, or fruit. It should be functional and interesting to look at. It should feel balanced and unified by your use of textures, shapes, and/or colors.

• Effort: Use time and materials wisely. Do not be wasteful.

Song Dynasty Yaozhou Ware Porcelain Petal-shaped Vase with flower pattern

Song/Yuan Dynasty (c. 960-1368 CE) Medium: Painted potterySubject: Offering vesselSize: c. 35 ½” H, 23 ½” W

Wedgewood (English pottery company founded in 1759 and known for this type of stylized work)

Lynne Meade, contemporary artist from CaliforniaShe describes her inspiration for the flowing, graphic patterns of her carved porcelain vessels and tiles as “a strange fusion of Asian, Art Deco and Art Nouveau designs; and of the ceramic artists of Mata Ortiz in Mexico.”http://www.homeworkshop.com/2009/05/31/pathways-in-porcelain/

Vase, ca. 1885; Maker: Olivier de Sorra; Factory: Pierrefonds, French

Art Nouveau ("New Art"); style from 1880s until World War One; it was inspired by the natural world, botanical studies and often displays curving, flowing lines and forms.

Coffee service, 1900–1904 Designer: Léon Kann (French, active 1896–ca. 1915; active at Sèvres 1896–98, 1900–1908); Sèvres Manufactory (French, 1740–present) Hard-paste porcelain

Ruth Erickson for the Grueby Pottery Company, Boston, Mass. Vase with scrolled handles, 1900–1909. Earthenware with applied decoration. H. 10-1/2, Diam. 5-7/8 in.

Heather Knightcontemporary artist

Sketch at least 5 of your own ideas before proceeding.

You may use slabs, coils, pinch, modeling, paddling, the wheel, or any combination of these techniques.

Research ideas. Look through magazines and online for contemporary artist’s work or ceramics throughout history. Perhaps a specific culture inspires you and the type of form or decoration you decide to use.

Student Examples

Optional:• You may want to donate your vessel to the

Empty Bowl Supper held at Arcadia University. Consider the function of the bowl and that it should be able to hold soup.

• Proceeds benefit a local food shelter and Heifer International.

• If you have time, you may make two vessels so you can keep one and donate the other.

http://www.theclaystudio.org/

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/(ceramicartsdaily has many great tutorials; you can sign up and get weekly emails from them with lots of tips)

http://www.strictlyfunctionalpottery.net/sfpn2011.html

Websites to check out: