Last Entry!

So this is my last WISE blog post! I can't believe how quickly this semester passed. I still have some work to do on my tea set but I can guarantee that it will be done in time for my presentation.

Today in class Ms. G stressed the importance of getting our materials in on time and I am definitely making it my goal to submit everything on time by Thursday. I already set up an appointment with Mr. Heurich to bind my blog and receive a hard copy!

All I have left to do is glaze my three tea bowls, pot and tray. I'm going to spend my free periods this week and next finishing up.

Thanks to everyone who read my blog and encouraged and supported me throughout my project!

さようなら

Sayōnara

Goodbye 

Taking Advice/Luke's Presentation Commentary

I attempted to make a tray today, but the clay was really wet and it wouldn't stick to the mold. I'm going to go in tomorrow 2nd period to finish that!

All I have left to do other than my tray is assemble my teapot. I've made the teapot and the spout, and I still have to make a lid and a handle. Tomorrow I'm going to spend all my free periods working on attaching all of these parts together. 

Today in class we read an article about taking advice and listening to others (attached at bottom). I was originally going to scan the paper with my responses but my handwriting was a little ineligible. :-/

Response to article:
I think the article's claim that people often resist the advice of others is completely true. Sometimes it's hard to change your thinking when you are so stuck on one idea. Also, I really like how the article says "you will ultimately be evaluated on what you do and not what you were thinking." This definitely directly applies to my WISE project-- If someone gives me advice on how to change a throwing or glazing technique, I will take their advice because I know it will lead to a better finished product in the end.

We also spent some time in class today talking about Luke's presentation. Luke's presentation was really impressive and well executed. It was very easy going and relaxed-- you could tell that Luke felt comfortable talking to us and that he was having a good time with it. He had a way of engaging the audience and keeping us interested with new information and demonstrations of his harmonica skills. One think that Luke mentioned in the beginning of his presentation was that part of his project was finding fulfillment  I'd like to know how he felt after his project was finished and if he felt that he had reached his goal of fulfillment  Overall, though, I think Luke set the standard really high for the rest of us, and I'm sure it motivated all us WISE students to put in some extra work over the next few weeks!

アドバイス

Adobaisu

Advice

Presentation Panic

After watching Luke's presentation today, I realized I needed to step my game up. I decided that I didn't like my teapot from the other day, so I threw a new one today and I am much more content with it. Throughout this project I've found that I was becoming more critical of myself and my work. I think it's necessary to be happy with your final work, and if you aren't, just try again. I want my tea set to be something that I am proud of and not something that I rushed through. That being said, I still have one tea bowl and my tray left to finish.

Thursday is the last day to use clay in ceramics so I plan on going in during all of my free periods this week to finish up. I'm really pushing myself this week on both hands on work and research because I know the final date is creeping up quick. Luke's presentation blew me away and it made me really nervous about my own. I feel really unprepared up to this point and I know I need to focus these next few weeks to get my final materials in on time and to perfect my presentation.

I went back to my portfolio bibliography again and found two articles that I found helpful to reread. The first one, published by the Los Angeles Times in 2003, discussed the health benefits of tea. Hundreds of studies have been conducted testing the health benefits of tea and most have turned out, not surprisingly, positive! I, myself, am an avid tea drinker (at least two cups a day) and I found this article to be very informative and interesting. The next research component was from a website called "How Stuff Works" and it describes in detail the process of making tea and the differences between black, oolong, green, and white tea. I actually didn't know ANY of this! For example, all tea comes from one single plant, the evergreen shrub, Camellia sinensis. The differences in teas is determined by the processing after harvesting.

This research is something I am actually interested in. My project throughout this semester has shifted more to ceramics focus than the Japanese tea ceremony. I'm planning on talking about this shift in my presentation, but I figured I would also address it here. I found myself not being interested in the Japanese tea ceremony anymore and I just wanted to focus on ceramics and physically making my tea set.  I'm okay with this change though, because it made me more interested in my WISE project and that is the ultimate goal for this course.

I'll still add a japanese word at the end of each blog post though just because I think it's fun! :-)

焦点

Shōten

Focus

Knowledge is Key

Ms. Lutter wasn't here today so I wasn't able to work on my project. I did, though, have time to do some research!

I found a really great article that deals with glazing ceramic pieces. It's 12 tips for glazing that will definitely become useful to me once I start glazing my final pieces. I'm glad I read this because I didn't know half of these things you needed to do before glazing!

I also referred back to my portfolio bibliography and found a couple of articles that I needed to reread. "Ceramics" by The Hutchinson Dictionary of the Arts and "Pottery Analysis" by Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Lerner both give an overview of the origins of ceramics and how it's progressed through the years. It's pretty cool to know how ceramics has developed since it's starting age. "Ceramics" also talks about the different techniques for using clay and which technique is used for different pieces.

Tomorrow I will work on my tea bowls and then go see Luke's presentation tomorrow night! I'm really excited to hear him play the harmonica!

テクニック

Tekunikku

Technique

Here Is My Handle, Here Is My Spout

I made a tea pot and another tea bowl today! I'm really happy with my tea pot and I just have to make the lid, handle and spout on Thursday.

I have an AP exam tomorrow so I won't be in ceramics class which sucks because I'll be losing a day of work. I had to make sure to cover my teapot with a bucket today so it wouldn't dry out by Thursday. I'm sure I can finish constructing the whole tea set by Monday, though! 

ティーポット

Tīpotto

Teapot

P.S. I couldn't think of anything but this song while writing this post. 

Time Crunch

I'm definitely in a time crunch to finish my project. I've let senioritis get the best of me and now I really need to buckle down. My plan is to finish constructing my teapot, two tea bowls and tray by next Monday. I will then glaze everything next week and be finished in time to start my write up. My presentation is officially June 6th at 3:45! 

My first tea bowl came out of the kiln today and I LOVE it. I forgot to take a picture but I will tomorrow. 

終える

Oeru

Finish 

Teapot Turmoil

I threw a tea bowl today! I now have two and two more to go. I also tried to throw a teapot today but it got all messed up because I used too much clay. I'm going to try again tomorrow during class so hopefully I'll have that completed by tomorrow! 

I talked to Ms. Lutter today about my presentation. I wasn't really sure what to talk about so she helped me break down the 30 minutes into six 5 minute pieces. It was really helpful and eased my nerves about the presentation. 

I can't believe the end is so near!!! I never thought I would actually be graduating from high school :-( happy/sad emotions are running through at the moment. 

卒業

Sotsugyō

Graduation