Sunshine Cobb - The Beginners Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter

Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter

SUNSHINE COBB

I first met Sunshine in person when we presented together on a panel at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). I must admit I was a bit intimidated at first: sure, we were friends online, but I had never met this talented, well-known potter in real life. I wasnt sure what to expect. It turns out, I neednt have worried. Sunshines delightful, down-to-earth way of discussing ceramics, ready smile, and easy-going personality put me at ease. I knew she was the real deal and someone I would love to work with again.

Soon after Sunshine published her first book, Mastering Hand Building, I had that chance when I invited her to teach a hand building workshop for ClayShare. Her teaching style, philosophy, and gentle yet direct approach was perfectly in line with my own and I knew our students would love learning from her. Her workshop was one of the best attended we have offered and continues to be very popular with our members.

If you havent heard of it, ClayShare was born in 2017 when I noticed there was a huge boom in potters live broadcasting from their studios. People loved seeing how pottery was made and wanted to be edutained. I soon realized that there was not only a desire but a need for online ceramic education for those that wanted more than just entertainment. I wanted instructors to be able to share something more structured than social media videos but not as formal as a university classsomething that was accessible to everyone, that could be watched over and over, and taught in a caring, compassionate manner.

ClayShare has always drawn multigenerational students from all backgrounds and skill levels, including grandparents sharing their love of pottery with their grandchildren, daughters teaching their mothers, and husbands and wives making pottery together. Girls night out has turned into girls night in, thanks to pottery. Combining live broadcasts and workshops with our curriculum of prerecorded classes allow our members to connect and interact with each other live, creating a strong clay community that supports and encourages each other in their pottery journey. From this, something magical has happened: we have seen these connections transcend the studio and evolve into true, real-life friendships.

Of course, we were helped by the monumental shift in pottery, from the traditional institutions of making pottery at a university or community ceramic studio to making pottery at home. Be it at your kitchen table, garage, shed, or other room (my first at-home studio was in the guest bathroom!), any space can become a studio. This change is partly due to living through a global pandemic with lockdowns, isolation, and social distancing. It created a diverse group of new potters. Some have always wanted to try pottery but believed that they were not talented enough or that they are too old (you are never ever too old to learn!)... or that it is too costly, or that requires a lot of equipment. Some are young parents with children to care for (as I was when I was first learning pottery) or adults caring for their aging parents. Others stumble into pottery looking for a side gig, a way to relive stress, or just want to make something with their hands. Whatever starts them on their clay journey, there has never been a better time with more educational resources available on how to make pottery than now.

I for one am energized by this change and am excited to see what will come of it and the fabulous creations being made by these home potters. People are discovering that they love to make pottery and not only that, that they can do it at home, and that they are also quite good at it.

With A Beginners Guide to Hand Building, Sunshine has created a book that is totally friendly to those who want to make pottery at home. She guides you though each project step by step, giving ideas and options for endless creative possibilities.

Sunshines wholistic approach to teaching ceramics incudes some very practical and often overlooked practices for the potters health and well-being. From simple exercises to self-care advice for mind and body to keep you working happier and healthier in and out of the studio. She also includes plenty of information on common materials and tools used in pottery from different type of clays and their stages of workability, firing ranges, health concerns and suggestions for keeping a studio clean (doubly important when that studio is at home!).

I have read a lot of books on hand building ceramics and sculpture, and I must say that Sunshines approach is refreshing and innovative. In no time, even those who think that they are not sculptors will be making 3D leaves, cacti, clouds, mobiles, wall hangings, and cute little critters that will quickly become an addiction. I know that I for one cannot wait to try these darling projects!

For those who want something functional, Sunshine includes wonderful tutorials on making practical pottery as well. Soon you will be making soap dishes, scoops, citrus reamers, butter boxes, tapas plates, baskets, and more. Before long, your home will be filled with handmade pottery.

In short, the book that home potters have been waiting for is here! Congratulations and thank you, Sunshine, for sharing your brilliant ideas and for writing the book I wish had existed when I began my pottery journey decades ago.

JESSICA PUTNAM-PHILLIPS, M.F.A.,is the founder of ClayShare, an educator, a USAF Veteran, and has been making pottery for over 20 years. Visit her and ClayShare at www.clayshare.com

Welcome to the mysterious and magical world of clay. Yes, I think clay is its own world! It has its own language and its own paths to navigate, and along the way youll learn that skills must be developed and practiced to succeed. You will have amazing discoveries and learn a few hard lessons along the way. I am here as your guide as you venture into this new world. However, I am but a guide: you are the adventurer who will lead this journey. (This is a pick-your-own-adventure kind of book. Are you ready?!)