Making a Wide Serving Bowl with Floral Decoration

This video shows how to throw, trim, decorate, and glaze a wide serving bowl with floral decoration.
In this video, the bowl is made with 15 pounds of red stoneware. It is helpful to use very soft clay for this process.
Timestamps
00:16 Wedging and preparing the clay
01:05 Centering and throwing the bowl
04:03 Trimming the foot ring
06:05 Adding floral decoration
08:34 Glazing
10:24 Final results
Connect with me:
Instagram: / mattmerkelh. .
TikTok: / mattmerkelhess
Website: www.merkelhess.com/

[@_de_reve]

as art historian i appreciate these detailed videos of your craft! Thank you for sharing and even explaining what you could have done better. I really learn very much from artists like you and others. That wide bowl looks lovely and something i would love to own myself✨🌸

[@merkelhess]

Thanks! I think of these videos as an extension of my in-person teaching, so I always hope viewers will take what I share and find their own direction. And these wide bowls are great for serving!

[@theabristlebroom4378]

Very nice video! Thanks for making chapters, I think that's extra work on your end, and I appreciate you for doing it. I noticed that when you started your spiral in the bottom of the pot, you introduced a small wobble spot. Is this a problem at all? Or do you just chalk it up to it being a hand-crafted pot? Thanks for being transparent about your glazing error, that's a choice you made, and I respect you for it. (Did you save that section of the video for a blooper reel?)

[@merkelhess]

It's not so much a blooper as something where I was more focused on taking the video and forgot the step of painting wax resist on the design. Tried to clean it all but still had a bit of glaze in places I didn't want it to be. I am going to try one re-fire with another glaze and see if I can fix this one, but otherwise it will be a nice pot to use at home. In regards to the wobble, yes, often my pots have a bit of a wobble. Especially when they are bigger. Often, this is easier to see when the piece is spinning on a wheel but as long as it sits evenly when it is done and doesn't detract from the experience of using it, I am ok with it. I always strive for "perfection" but celebrate the hand made as well.