My Two Pottery Birds

My first two pottery birds were fun and relatively easy to make.

The large one is drying - it's almost ready for the kiln...

A few days ago, I added my newer (smaller) one to the drying rack...

I wonder if his features will be clearer once the clay dries.

He's wearing a pillbox sailors cap. Does he look like a sad sailor?!

After putting him on the drying rack, I started to make an owl... My first attempt didn't hold its shape. It kept collapsing. Was the clay too thin? I smushed him into a ball of clay and tried again with new clay. My second attempt wasn't much better...

Maybe the clay is too wet, someone suggested...

I left my second attempt to dry. Hopefully next class I'll be able to continue with better luck...

Pottery is an interesting medium to work in... The potter can't do much if the clay doesn't respond predictably. It's really a collaboration between the potter and the clay.