Crafting Pinch Pots in Art Classes

Sculpting clay pots takes new skills, practice, and a little patience, but the results are worth the wait to have an art piece that is not only beautiful but practical too.

“I’m going to put my keys in mine,” said Antonio.

Students in Mr. Wanderlingh’s art classes at Somers Middle School got their hands dirty using clay to make small “pinch” pots, a name that reflects how the clay is handled to create the unique work of art. Starting with a ball of clay about the size of a fist, students had to gently work the clay by pressing their thumb into the middle of the ball, then pinching their thumb and fingers together to thin the clay. Using this technique in a circle around the ball created the walls of the pot.

Once students had the clay formed into a pot shape they were happy with, they focused on adding details to the outside. They used a clay needle tool to draw designs along the outside of the pot. Designs ranged from engraving their names to geometric shapes and even their favorite animals.

Students had to work efficiently throughout two class periods so that their clay wouldn’t start drying out before they were done shaping it. Then the pots sat for a few days to fully dry before they went into the kiln to be fired at temperatures around 1800 degrees or more. After the pots were fired and cooled, students chose red, blue, or yellow food-safe, high-gloss glaze to paint on their pottery. Regardless of color, each student had to do three coats of color to make sure the glaze would be even once it was fired.

“It’s red,” said Giancarlo. “It can hold my fidgets.”

“I picked blue because it’s my favorite color,” said Jennifer. “I drew a sun and a happy face, and I wrote my name on it.”

The glazed pots looked very different before and after firing in the kiln. Before firing, the colors were pale and different than expected. What would end up as blue was a light purple, and red was a light pink. Only yellow still looked yellow, but a much paler, pastel shade, not the vibrant golden yellow it became.

For many of the students, this was their first time using clay that would be kiln-fired instead of air-drying quickly like the clays they’ve used previously. Students had to be patient while they worked through the different steps of creation, and the time it took for the pots to be fired and cooled twice. This project reinforced the IB learner attributes of being open-minded and risk-takers, since they didn’t know how their final product would turn out after being fired. The risk was certainly worth the reward, since the finished pinch pots turned out perfectly unique.