PVCC Features a Self-taught Potter

Deadra Miller, online editor

Feb. 16 through 17, Professor of Art Tom Clarkson sponsored a pottery workshop at PVCC. Potter Tom Bauman of Indiana came for two days to give tips on how he glazes and makes his pottery.

Bauman started off the workshop with some history about how he started his work in pottery. He built his kilns from the ground up not once but twice, learning from his mistakes every time that another one burned down.

Bauman started his career in pottery work with a Ceramics 1 class similar to what PVCC offers. He attended Indiana University and is a Hoosier by school association, starting school with a basketball opportunity.

Bauman went on to explain his works of art with the help of a slide show that featured pictures of his works. He started with his first piece, in 1985, then moved to more recent works that he has sold or produced.

During the slide show, he said that he has been featured in Functional Pottery, a publication that endorses pottery with a purpose.

He then shifted topics and started talking about throwing (when the potter places clay on the wheel to form) pottery; he admits that he often wondered what he was doing but that he began to fall in love with this craft.

This workshop was advertised by word of mouth. In the art world, this is just as good as publicly announcing it.

At the workshop, there was a wide age range of people from middle schoolers to senior citizens. Bauman said, “It is better to work over the piece rather than beside the piece,” while he threw his second pitcher.

During the workshop, he threw two pitchers: one in his specific way to make the lip and begin a handle on it, a second pitcher focusing more on making the pitcher easier to pour, and a covered casserole dish the casserole dish being thrown then the lid second.

He emphasized the specifics of using a  caliper (a type of measurement tool) to measure the diameter of the dish to match with the lid. While he was demonstrating the use of a caliper in pottery making, he endorsed some specific events and companies that would be useful to the recreational potter.

He talked about events in Floyd County Virginia and all around the United States. One event, the Clay Olympics is where potters compete in events like tallest pot, blindfolded throwing, widest bowl, and reverse wheel. The awards are given in the same manner as the Olympics every four years, but the Clay Olympics are held annually.

Tom Clarkson teaches Ceramics 153 and Ceramics 154. For more information email Clarkson at tclarkson@pvcc.edu.