Helen, msy I ask if you remember how much clay he started with?

I think it was 600 gm, and we scraped it down to under 300gm. @@boomboomkawabanga

@@boomboomkawabanga at 2 min mark he says he started with 800g

I’m sorry you can’t appreciate how amazing his work is. I guess his vessels, would fall under the category called, “A Potter’s Pot” - they do say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Also, in Japan, many people have a well-developed eye for this kind of ‘natural’ beauty. I love it both for how intriguing his working methods are and because they remind me of the ‘beauty’ of gnarled roots, ancient trees, weathered rocks, etc.

@@berneemartin8859 "The king is in the altogether..." I thought he exhibited skill in hollowing out the slab. Art appreciation is in the eye of the beholder tho' and where ceramics/pottery is concerned I do like to see craft skill evident otherwise anyone can play with mud and call it art.

@@edelgyn2699 I do not know if you are a potter or sculptor yourself. I’ve done both though I’m master of neither. But I do really love clay as an art medium. I also greatly admire anyone who masters the craft aspect of it. It takes many, many hours of hard work. However, I think there should be an element of play in all art and creativity. Many of us who love working in clay do have an especially strong impulse to play with our medium - how could anyone resist it? 😄So malleable and responsive! Perhaps we did not get to ‘play in the mud enough as children?!

That's the thing that you can do once you have made a name for yourself. You can create whatever 'crap' you want, and ppl will love and buy it. If a beginner potter made this, they would ask if it was a joke. If a "pro" does it, its art. If he throws a ball of clay against a brick wall, it will be amazing. If I do it, I have to clean it up. I too have carved a jar from a block of clay, its not hard. It's not about what you make, its about who makes it.

A lot of potters like the rhythm of a kick or momentum wheel. However, someone told me that Mike has had an electric motor fitted to his wheel recently.

edstud1 perhaps you need to to try throwing on a kick wheel. Then maybe you’ll get it.🙂

In my channel is a video of Mike Dodd using dry china clay on the outside of a pot before expanding it - no heat used (although I think wearing a dust mask would be a good idea)