Pre-Columbian Pottery Project
20 pieces in what was originally supposed to be two months but turned into six because of 2020.
May 2020 - October 2020
This project started out with a Facebook post. My bff was living with me in April 2020, and her friend’s little sister posted ISO potters to make pots for a film project set in pre-Columbian America. I had just moved my last pottery wheel onto the patio because all the studios had shut down, and it was that or not do pottery for ….???…. months. Not a chance! I never thought I’d have a pottery wheel at home (I live in a condo), but I was also unemployed at the time so I could justify it as my means of income. Anyway, my bff sent along my info, and we both promptly forgot about the whole thing. In May, I went to my parents’ house for a week.
While I was there, I received a text message from Jennifer about the commission. They wanted 100 pots by the end of July.
I told her flat out that it was a big order for one potter, but no worries! I have a lot of pottery friends. I took on the first contract for 20 pieces, and referred three of my friends to take on the other 80. We were all prepared to have 100 pieces done in two months.
And then. 2020.
The film project got delayed due to Covid, so the pottery project got extended indefinitely, too. I was about halfway through throwing all the pieces at that point.
I got to experience a lot of firsts during this project.
It was my first time throwing low-fire clay and using mason stains to decorate. It was the first time I potted at home. It was the first time I was able to make a lot of video content in the relative privacy of my third floor balcony. It’s still covered in clay, in case you’re wondering, and that’s likely true regardless of when you read this because of who I am as a person.
At the end of September,
I was still only halfway through throwing everything, and Jennifer text me again; she would be in town on October 12 and wanted to do a pick up. Would everything be done by then?
Yes.
In a mad rush, I finished throwing and decorating all the pieces. Some of them only got fired once. That’s one of the benefits of low fire, though! And, I got to use an atomizer for the first time to apply low-fire clear glaze.
The hand-off went beautifully. As far as I know, they have begun filming, and we can expect the videos to be up on YouTube sometime later in 2021.