The Hands of a Potter

(Please click to enlarge this photo)

This week we're taking a trip to visit the studio of potter Wade Oliver.  Wade works at Cahaba Clayworks with two other artists in Leeds, AL.  The day we went he was the only artist there, but we were not disappointed.   Wade was a delight to get to know and photograph.  This week I will take you through the process in photographs.

Of course,  the first step is the clay.  Wade takes big chunks of that cold,  red clay in his huge, beefy hands and slaps them into balls.  If  you enlarge the photo,  you can see his fingerprints in the clay!  After that, he puts them on his wheel and within minutes has made a series of bowls. Come back tomorrow to see the results.