Category Archives: Pottery

Don’t be a tool

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Carter Gillies

Just some things to consider: A friend picked up one of those fancy Sherrill Do-All trimming tools for me and the different design made using it as if I were almost a novice potter again. I have been so familiar … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceramics, Clay, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery | 2 Comments

Why art needs stories

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Carter Gillies

If you go back and read what I’ve blogged the last several months you may see the signs of a story being told. Several stories, perhaps, and that in itself is a story. At least, I have attempted to describe … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ceramics, Creative industry, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery | Leave a comment

Repost: Defensive potting

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Carter Gillies

Defensive Potting: The story of Michael Simon’s evolution out of the round Posted on July 31, 2013 by Carter Gillies So I just got back From the Michael Simon gallery talk at the exhibition of his work, “Pick of the Kiln’, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Beauty, Ceramics, Clay, Creative industry, Creativity, Pottery, Teaching | 1 Comment

How to parent artists

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Carter Gillies

I’m not going to tell you there’s a right way of doing it, but there are different ways. We each have to answer these questions ourselves. Only, there are values we can hold that lead us in one direction and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Arts education, Creative industry, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery, Teaching | 2 Comments

Repost: Is the value of art a material object?

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Carter Gillies

First posted August 16th, 2012 as “Is the value of pottery a material object?” (See the comments there for some good discussion. Feel free to add a new thread here 🙂 ) ———————————————————- The funny thing I’ve noticed in my time … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Arts advocacy, Arts education, Beauty, Ceramics, Creative industry, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery, Teaching | 4 Comments

Zeno’s paradox for potters and other creatives

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Carter Gillies

Okay, I lied. Its not Zeno’s and its not a paradox in the proper sense. But what I want to talk about is the same sort of mental cramp that leads us to paralysis, and the paralysis is what needs … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Beauty, Creativity, metacognition, Pottery | 3 Comments

Advice for beginning potters

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Carter Gillies

This morning I received a question from a beginning potter worried about clay coming off as she was thinning the walls. She also revealed that she was learning to trim her pots. What advice do I have for her? This … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Ceramics, Clay, Pottery, Teaching | 2 Comments

The art of decoration

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Carter Gillies

Humans decorate. Its what we do. We make our surroundings and even ourselves more interesting and more beautiful. We make our public spaces and private sanctuaries just so. We adorn. We garnish. We ornament. We festoon. We lavish. We encrust. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Beauty, Ceramics, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery | Leave a comment

Repost: The bitter truth about professional standards in pottery (and art)

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Carter Gillies

(From April of last year) “Talk about equality gets off on the wrong foot if we start from the assumption that it expresses an immediate moral demand to treat everyone the same. Of course, there are thousands of legitimate reasons … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Beauty, Ceramics, Clay, Creative industry, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery, Teaching, Wittgenstein | Leave a comment

Don’t hate me because I’m pretty

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Carter Gillies

“It’s not often that I make “pretty” pots. But I really like what this glaze does over my bright white slip.” Isn’t it interesting that some potters avoid making pretty pots? They could if they wanted to. Quite easily, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Beauty, Creativity, Imagination, metacognition, Pottery | 4 Comments