Coil just above the rim of the mold.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving found me and a small group of local potters participating in a hands on workshop with a group of Mata Ortiz potters at Crystal Creek farm in the Santa Cruz mountains. First we watched the technique of hand building the pot using a small plaster bowl. A small slab is formed from small bowl of clay and pressed into the bowl form. Large coils are formed and added to the a shown in the first several photos.
Adding a coil.
Well underway.
We were then given pots to practice sanding, oiling and painting.
A painted pot
Oiling a sanded pot.
Painting
And finally, the pots were fired.
Cooling the finished pots.
Placing the pots on the wire screen on a bed of coals
Firing in progress.