Blog - Marian Williams Pottery

‘Cheer Me Up’ Totem Workshop

How it all happened:

A few months ago, I received the most interesting phone call from Rachel Lovelace at Hills Country Arts Foundation, in Kerrville, Texas.

One of our mutual pottery friends, Gary Huntoon, had built a totem during a pottery class at HCAF in one of the many workshops that he did at HCAF.

Following the horrible July 4, 2025 flood at Kerrville, Texas, one of these totems was the only thing left standing when the new Ceramics Facility was completely destroyed.

Rachel received a call from a patron wanting to buy a class for her friend as a retirement present. The lady was requesting a class where they made things to put on a pole….she started to research how to arrange something like this and found that a Gary Huntoon class had made a totem much like what she was describing.

Unfortunately, Gary had passed. Rachel found my blog post about Gary and then contacted me to determine if I knew anyone that could do such a workshop.

Of course, I offered my services and the resulting workshop is what eventuated.

The Workshop:

My bestie since college, Judith Hicks from the House of Clay, and I did a workshop with Gary in the ’90s – it was a wonderful, memorable time.

We all became great friends and we all had a special place in our hearts for HCAF.

I asked Judith to come assist me with the workshop and take off from work at The House of Clay in Oklahoma City. Thank goodness she came and helped!!! I could not have done it without her!

I planned and planned, made demonstration pieces, established the firing schedule to achieve our goals in one week, received donations for the clay from Armadillo Clay, glaze discounts from Roadrunner Clay, loaded up most of my studio and headed for Kerrville.

The plan was to create a group totem to stay at HCAF and each person was to create a 3′ totem for themselves.

It Worked!

I could give you a play by play in words, but pictures do a better job. Six brave souls signed up for the week long workshop- none of them had ever worked in clay- but they created amazing work!

Hill Country Arts Foundation, Totem workshop, Marian Williams Pottery , Marian Williams, HCAF,

The final product – The Totem – to be left at HCAF was a very emotional event. Each person brought stories of the flood, memories of the losses, but the best part – the totem stood as a beacon of HOPE, REBUILDING, AND JOY!!!

One of the demonstration pieces that I made for this totem was a piece dedicated just to Gary. Anyone that knew Gary, said that it resembled him greatly. Gary spoke to me on several occasions while sculpting his face, “Don’t forget to give me a chin! I don’t want to be a chinless wonder!” and then he said, “I have more hair in my nose than on my head,” and he would roar with laughter. He also told me that the totem wasn’t about him, but about the “feelings” and love that each person put into the pieces that they made.

However, that piece came home with me and found a place on this totem. Gary said that he liked having “his own totem” and for the moment he will stay here at our place on the lake.

A special thanks goes out to each of the participants of the workshop;

Autumn, Pam, Linda, Bee, Debbie, and Tonie – who’s friend started this all by asking for a totem workshop as a retirement gift for Tonie.

Small gestures create giant waves!

Each of these participants put their hearts and souls into their totem pieces. Each piece brought a smile to passers by. “Oh look, there’s Russell!”, one person exclaimed, upon seeing Bee’s Rooster built in honor of Russell Crow, the resident rooster. Russell made it through the flood, was found way up in a tree after the flood, but, unfortunately was killed by a dog or a fox a few weeks ago.

Each piece held special meaning to the person that built it. Symbolizing the flood, their love, their happiness, and the hope of the new sun arising on each new day.

I hope that this workshop “cheered you up”!

A very special thanks to the Ceramics Department for allowing us to use your space for a week! (I wish you would have joined us!)

The staff at HCAF is the best! Rachel returned every text and phone call that I made. She made every effort to help our workshop be a success. Thanks to Sarah and Linda for assisting as well- you made sure our stay was just wonderful!

If you are wanting to help HCAF get back on their feet, please donate and check out their website page. It is an extremely good cause!!!

We wish you all the best!

Love,

Marian and Judith

How To Make An Amorphous Form

Creation Handbuilding How To's Top Slid

In the spirit of new beginnings and new work in the new year, I decided to make an amorphous form from a large piece of wood that I received in a white elephant gift exchange at a Christmas party.

The word “amorphous” – means: “without a clearly defined shape or form”, and I believe that aptly describes the piece I’m working on.

To make this form, I covered a side of it with thin plastic and draped a large 1/2 inch slab of reclaimed clay over the wood. I smoothed it with my fingers, attempting to ease into all of the nooks and crannies, while leaving the back with finger marks as I want a rough exterior.

After drying like this for approximately two days, I lifted the clay off of the form, removed the plastic and began to smooth the interior. I had to make a few patches as well where there was a hole or two.

I absolutely love the result! Currently, I’m letting it dry before a bisque firing.

After the bisque firing, I plan to use iron wash on the outside to enhance its texture. On the inside I hope to use a very beautiful drippy glaze.

Wish me luck! Don’t you just love it’s weird, amorphous nature?!

In my next post I’ll show the results.

Happy potting! and go find a big old hunk of wood and try it yourself!

Marian

Instagram

Creation

Source: Instagram

How to Trim Pots and Catch All Those Trimmings!

Creation How To's How-To Studio and Equipment Tools and Equipment Top Slid

I love to trim my pots! It’s such a satisfying part of the process. However, it can leave a big mess to clean up!

I’ve seen lots of ideas for catching trimmings, but they all just keep it from flying away. I’ve tried cardboard walls in the drip tray, etc. They may help in the flying clay trimmings department, but they don’t give you a good method of containing the trimmings.

image from: https://www.georgies.com/gcc-shop-wheel-trim.shtml

I have a great solution for you!

Christmas wreath storage containers work perfectly!!! This is a good time of the year to find them-even in thrift stores!

You must cut out the middle portions on each side of the wreath storage container. Many (These for example) have a ring indentation, that is easy to follow and cut. Get a couple of friends to help you with this as it can be a bit unwieldy to hold and cut.

To make cutting easier, I use a heat gun to soften the plastic, as it is quite hard, and then you can easily cut it with a serrated bread knife or other knife of your choosing. I tried using my electric cardboard cutter. It worked great, but has trouble with curves! I had to readjust its direction of cutting to make it work.

That’s it and you are good to go!

Place the wreath storage container over the wheel with the splash pans removed.

Place the Giffin Grip back onto the wheel and you can begin trimming. The wreath container actually provides a good support for your arms/wrist as you trim.

As you trim, all the pieces of clay come off and fall into the storage container. No flying pieces of clay all over the floor, wheel and studio!

When you have finished trimming, take the storage container off of the wheel. All the clay trimming bits will be inside the container.

Carefully, move the container and clay bits to your recycling bin and dump them out.

Mess averted!!

Hope this helps you! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m here to help!

Happy potting!

Marian

How to Make Sculptural Flower Bird Feeders

Creation Projects

I recently tried making some sculptural flower bird feeders. I think they turned out pretty great – especially, because I was using recycled clay!

Here’s the way I made them:

First, roll out a slab.

2. Cut the slab into triangles, leaving the edges raw and uneven.

recycled clay slab, cut into triangles — By cutting the slab into triangles like this, you can get a lot of leaves out of one slab.

3. Make a circle of clay and place it in the slump mold first, then place the “leaves” (triangles of clay) into a low bowl –be sure to spray it with WD-40! scoring and slipping with slip made with Magic Water (see recipe by clicking here).

Place a circle of clay in the bottom of your slump mold. All leaves will be attached to this.

4. Add a center piece, texture on the leaves, four drain holes and when dry flip over and add a “stem” which can be used to attach to rebar. You can see examples of the backside of the flower in this photo.

5. After bisque firing, I used iron oxide to bring out all the texture lines before I sprayed on Cone 6 Coyote Glazes, then fired to Cone 6 sitting on the stem attached to the back of the flower. (Make sure that they will stand like this so that you can fire them without using stilts or getting glaze on your shelves.

iron oxide on bisque flowers — After bisqueing the flowers are washed with iron oxide to bring out the texture in the flowers.

There are a million ways to make these types of flowers. Do your research and come up with a plan. They are lots of fun to make and turn out great. They are also big sellers at markets!

The flowers were attached to rebar with E6000 glue and Fix-It Epoxy Putty.

Good luck and Happy Potting!

5.3

A Sculpture Trick For You!

Raku

Do you ever get to the end of a sculpture, bisque it and knock off a tip, wing, piece?

Well, it happens to all of us! and we’ve all had to “repair” that piece. Recently, I had a sculpture with a major blow up and the fix-it stick helped to put her back together again.

Here’s the “trick” that I’ve found that works.

I order this stuff on Amazon and usually get a few tubes of it at a time to ensure I have it on hand.

I pull off a small portion of the fix it stick, and as you can see, it has layers. By mixing the stick, it activates the adhesive part of the “stuff” and then I use it to fill any crack crevice, or attach anything that needs attaching,

Place it on both sides of the piece to be reattached or squish deeply into the crack to ensure the epoxy will work. Leave it for 24 hours, then it should be hard as a rock.

raku, figurative sculpture, repairs, cracks, epoxy filler — After the bisque firing, her breast blew off!

Of course, we all hope to never have to make repairs, but if you do, this stuff can be your good friend!

Happy potting and keep it real!

Marian

recycled clay, reclaimed clay, handbuilt vase

How To Make A Slab From Recycled Clay

Creation How To's How-To Top Slid

If you’re like me, recycling/reclaiming clay is always a hassle. However, I like to reuse all that clay that, if reclaimed, can save a lot of money and its also really great for the environment.

reclaimed clay, recycled clay, — Trimmings from thrown pots

I generally save all bits and pieces of clay, slip, and throwing slop. I place it in a big rubber storage container out behind my pottery studio. I let it sit there until I’m ready for some heavy work, then scoop up the clay and put it in doubled bags that I have saved from purchased clay. It’s a mix of low fire white, white raku, and a brown cone 6 clay that I generally throw with. When it’s placed in the bags, it’s a big mix of those clays. It’s great for hand building, but not good for anything functional, as it is super groggy from the raku clay.

recycled clay, reclaimed clay, hand building — All of these pieces were made from reclaimed/recycled clay.

Sometimes I leave it in the bags too long and it becomes a big lump of very hard, rock-like clay. When it is like this, I wrap it in a sopping wet towel and put it in water-tight bags and wait a few days. After a few days, the clay reabsorbs the moisture and is ready to use.

Instead of wedging this clay, (lazy me) I simply use it as is. The following video shows how I slab roll this clay.

The video also shows how I use a LP record, cut in half, to make a wonderful tool for smoothing and compressing the clay.

Hopefully, this is helpful to you and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Happy potting to you!

How To Make Pottery Stilts For Firing Low-Fire Glazed Pieces and Raku Pots.

Creation Firing How To's

If you are like me, you never have enough stilts for low-fire pieces or Raku firings. These stilts are essential for any piece that has glaze all around and you don’t want it touching the kiln shelf and sticking. Unfortunately, they can be pretty pricey and are easily broken.

Especially when I raku, I often need stilts to prop up small items – Christmas decorations, jewelry, etc.

I decided to make my own stilts and found it amazingly easy and also very useful as you can make any shape and size to fit your needs.

I’ve had to fire totem pieces that are totally glazed, but they are long shapes, so making my own stilts has been excellent.

Here’s how to do it:

Order these little stilt pins from Amazon or your local pottery store. (I’m in the middle of nowhere, so Amazon is easier!).

stilts, homemade stitls, How to make stilts — These can be ordered from Amazon.

Roll out a slab, using a clay that is groggy and can withstand heat and abuse- (I use Raku clay), Cut out little shapes of clay that you think you will need. Punch the stilt wires into the clay, trying to get them evenly spaced and also the same depth so that a piece can easily sit atop the stilt.

homemade stilts, firing stilts — Cut a slab of clay into the various shapes that you think will be useful in your firings.

Once they are dry, bisque fire them and they are good to go!

Good luck and have fun with this little project to make your life as a potter easier!

Happy Potting!

Marian

Clay Friends/ Clay Play Day

Creation

I’ve been back from Australia for 5 years now and have tried many ways to meet new clay friends/people -especially those that are within driving distance! It’s been hard and I had not found these clay people until recently!

Clay Friends are really important! Not just for the camaraderie, but also for the sharing of information, skills, passion and wine! It’s been so great!

I met Jacki while sitting on my boat dock when she kayaked by – she saw my totems and inquired and a year later, she started Clay Play in her barn just a mile down the road from me! Incredible! Then I met Nancy at the Highland Arts Guild! Then I met Sharon at the Sculpture Fest! We all have very diverse interest and backgrounds in clay, but it doesn’t matter. Clay is the tie that binds!

The group meets officially once a month at Jacki’s barn (we are so fortunate to have her share her space with us!) and randomly at other times when someone needs a hand, information or sharing of supplies or work, etc.

Our group keeps growing! It seems everyone wants to do clay, so sometimes we have 12+ people!

After 5 years of searching for my people, I’ve found them!!!

Here’s to Clay People!

Marian

Barrel firing made easier!

Creation

In the past I’ve always done my saggar/barrel fires in a big fifty gallon drum. It’s heavy, hard to manage and requires lots of wood to do the firing. In addition, it’s not worth doing unless you’ve got 20-30 pots to fire.

Finding this new solution to saggar/barrel firing has made the process quicker, easier, requires less wood and you can fire a small load.

The solution is a compost barrel with legs for air flow, plenty of holes to allow for oxygen and a good lid.

This is a product from Behren’s. I found mine at a local farm supply. store.

Each piece was wrapped in aluminum foil with some sawdust, copper carb, cobalt oxide, and a few other combustibles. My friend, Sharon Schull, joined in on this firing and our saggars combined gave us 14 small to medium size packets. They all fit in the saggar great!

We started the fire in the bin about 3 in the afternoon and unloaded it about 9pm. So the process from start to finish took about 10 hours.

Here are a couple of my little pod vessels that came out of this firing:

Happy potting and thanks for reading!!

Marian

latest posts

‘Cheer Me Up’ Totem Workshop

How To Make An Amorphous Form

Instagram

How to Trim Pots and Catch All Those Trimmings!

Pit Firing: Step-by-step Instructions

How To Make Raku’d Balloon Bowls!

How To Make A Fantastic Totem!

How To Barrel Fire Your Pottery

How To Make A Pottery Apron

‘Cheer Me Up’ Totem Workshop

How To Make An Amorphous Form

Instagram

How to Trim Pots and Catch All Those Trimmings!

How to Make Sculptural Flower Bird Feeders

A Sculpture Trick For You!

How To Make A Slab From Recycled Clay

How To Make Pottery Stilts For Firing Low-Fire Glazed Pieces and Raku Pots.

Clay Friends/ Clay Play Day

Barrel firing made easier!