The Potter's Hands

Last month I visited Cahaba Clayworks and photographed Earthborn Pottery's Nabeel working his magic at the potter's wheel.  Today another look.

Meet Nabeel

Last Monday I visited Cahaba Clayworks in Leeds for second time.  I had entered a giveaway on Facebook and WON!  Tena Payne's nationally known Earthborn Pottery is crafted right there and I was thrilled to receive a beautiful plate from Tena herself.  She graciously allowed us to photograph the work space and I honed in on Nabeel back in the corner hard at work.  He told us he'd been working there since last January and proved an interesting subject to photograph. I will share more photographs in the coming days.

Waiting to ........Shine!

Fired pottery awaiting the glaze

Oh what fun. Today I went back to Cahaba Clayworks in Leeds. This is where Tena Payne 's Earthborn pottery is created. It's always fun to roam around the studio and take pictures. I'm now a mini collector, but I want MORE! And did I mention that I'm seriously thinking about taking pottery classes there as well? Photos of me throwing pots promise to be something to behold!

After the glaze

The Vase

When you enter Cahaba Clayworks in Leeds, you see this exquisite vase by artist Larry Allen. When I get back home, I promise to make another visit and capture Larry creating his amazing pottery.

Fini! Well Almost...

Today, we jump to the signing of the piece  before firing.  Hope you've enjoyed getting to watch Wade Oliver at work. What an artist!

Steam Heat

We visited my new best friend, potter Wade Oliver, yesterday . Today I'll show you another step in the process.  Before Wade takes the bowl off the wheel, he uses a little blow torch to dry the clay a titch so it's easier to handle.  He set this one on the table by me and ohh the steam came up and I almost had a hissy fit!  Talk about at the "decisive moment".  Thank goodness I had my act together and caught it!  The photo below shows the finished bowls before firing. 

The Hands of a Potter

(Please click to enlarge this photo)

This week we're taking a trip to visit the studio of potter Wade Oliver.  Wade works at Cahaba Clayworks with two other artists in Leeds, AL.  The day we went he was the only artist there, but we were not disappointed.   Wade was a delight to get to know and photograph.  This week I will take you through the process in photographs.

Of course,  the first step is the clay.  Wade takes big chunks of that cold,  red clay in his huge, beefy hands and slaps them into balls.  If  you enlarge the photo,  you can see his fingerprints in the clay!  After that, he puts them on his wheel and within minutes has made a series of bowls. Come back tomorrow to see the results.