Experimenting with forms in handbuilt nerikomi

Rather than making just test tiles, I’m also spending some time making objects not totally related to my current project proposal relating to animal activism. I want to see how finished nerikomi pieces look, making these objects quickly but intentionally, making different forms with different colors, using some slabs and patterns I’ve already made.

This is a slab I’ve let rest a bit, made from just regular and white stoneware triangle based nerikomi, rolled out on top a stoneware slab.

Using paddling and forming techniques I decided to make a teapot from this slab - it also matches a cup I made earlier.

I realize the techniques and books and people I’m referencing originate from Japanese and Chinese sources, which attract me as a way of learning pottery but aren’t necessarily a direct part of the commentary I do, just a means to an end.

I made: a sauce tray, WIP teapot, square box, egg plate; different shapes and patterns

Finished teapot - I cleaned up the spout after this picture was taken. Unfortunately (writing this the day after) the weather got pretty cold and I didn’t cover the piece in plastic and some cracks formed around the top. I’m thinking of firing it anyways and filling in gaps via kintsugi. Accidental cracks like this seem especially common in nerikomi; artists like Judy McKenzie implement kintsugi to preserve their work, avoiding having to trash so much valuable work.