Hi hi! Jess here!
I really consider myself lucky to live in a place that has such a rich history of craft and culture. Anytime we get to showcase something creative, traditional, or both, I get really excited! And our latest video was no exception. We were graciously welcomed by the staff at T-Rooms in Suginami, and got to work creating some traditional pieces, including a rice bowl, vase, and tea bowl.
Sneak peek! Check out the video if you haven’t already😉
Our hour-long workshop was incredibly relaxing, and the staff were so friendly and helpful that it felt like we had been working with them for a long time! We started “throwing off the hump”, a technique in which you work up small pieces from the top of a large hump of clay, cutting each off before starting a new piece. This is very different from the way I first learned to throw pottery as a student; in my ceramics classes in the U.S., we always threw each piece individually, with just enough clay to work up an item, centered on removable plates, or “bats”, which allowed us to quickly relinquish the electric potter’s wheel to other students after we were done throwing our projects.
