Ill-Fated Mixing Bowl

I wanted to make a set of three mixing bowls for my brother and his wife, as a belated wedding gift.  I decided to use a technique involving a large wooden paddle that fellow student Michael Voda made.  If it works, you can smoothly throw a large bowl with graceful sides. Unfortunately, you have to throw it so that it’s thicker at the top than at the bottom, which doesn’t come naturally to a potter.

One of the three bowls I made got broken by a careless student who picked it up.  The second exploded in the kiln (too thick a bottom?)  This is the third, and as you can see, the glaze dripped off.  I’ll take the credit for that.

I think the moral of this story is: don’t ever make pieces “for” someone.  Just make a bunch of pieces, and pick from the best ones that turn out.