While making my projects, I tried to keep my projects simple and obvious so the glazing could stand out. The first project I made that represented my theme, was a dog bowl. The dog bowl, though a complex project, was fairly simple. When I glazed I used mostly clear, while using pink to accentuate the inside and the carvings on the outside. This simple glazing job added characteristics to the bowl that it would not have had otherwise. On my pitcher project, I aimed to make an even more simple project then before. I created a simple, small pitcher. I glazed this project only in yellow, to keep it simple. The solid color added emphasis to the texture of my pitcher that was hardly noticeable beforehand. The yellow shows the lines that are created on the sides of the project, and it would not have turned out this well if I used a more complex glazing technique. My third project that follows my theme was another bowl. This vase starts wide and gets more narrow towards the bottom and has a simple lip at the top. I glazed it with a simple blue glaze at the top half, but once it starts to become narrower I used a clear glaze. This glazing technique draws attention to the top half of the project, rather than the bottom half. This relates to my theme because the project was simple and the simple glazing added a new affect that would not have been there without it.
While making my projects, I focused a lot on having clear shapes. I didn't want the project itself to be messy or confusing or else the designs would not have the affect I want. While throwing I tried to improve my technique of pulling walls and creating smooth and level surfaces. I tried to make my projects as close to perfect as possible so my glazing would be able to be used in a meaningful way that would properly accent the art. Besides working on my actual throwing techniques, this theme helped me see that the glazing does not have to be complex in order to it to be good. The simple glazing on these projects does more for the projects than complex glazing ever could. This semester I also learned the importance of clear glaze. Though I was never a fan before, I have learned to love the clear glaze because it shows the natural beauty of the projects. This added a simple, yet pleasing aspect to the project.
The goal of this theme was to be able to create something unique and then use glazes to emphasize the artistic elements of it. This theme greatly juxtaposes my theme for last year which was complex glazing. I was not able to make as many projects that I really wanted to make, mostly because i still didn't know what I wanted to do until the semester was almost over. This theme did help me expand my learning of glazing and throwing techniques. Also this theme helped me focus of making really good and useful projects.
In the end, my theme was successful because I was able to make projects far more interesting than using previous techniques that i had learned. I was also able to work a lot on making better projects. This semester i have greatly progressed my skills, and this theme has helped me progress as an artist. I definitely think that the simple glazes made the simple projects more interesting.