"Throwing" the Form
Making a symmetrical vessel on a wheel is called "throwing."  Here the vessel that will be a sculpture is formed in sections, 4 to 6 lbs of clay at a time, on my kick wheel.

Texturing and Layering
Once the vessel is formed and leather hard, I plan where layers and their textures will be in relation to each other and to the form.  Then I begin texturing an inner layer before making the next out layer.

Layering is Complete
Layers and Textures have been applied and finished.  Any unwanted rough areas have been smoothed.  I am happy with the composition.

Stains
To achieve a wood look, I brush on another liquid clay.  Sometimes this is clay I have dug locally and cleaned to a paint consistency.  The brighter colors are commercial Mason stains.

Glazed and into the Kiln
Before this glaze firing and after step 4, the vessel was "bisque" fired in the kiln to 1600 degrees F.  A bisque fire is to a rather low temperature which changes the clay to a solid, porous state ready to absorb the glaze.  Here I have sprayed a glaze onto some areas of the bisqued sculpture, then poured a yellow glaze (pink before firing) over certain areas.  When glazes are applied, their colors are nothing like the finished colors will be, so the artist must imagine and plan how the finished piece will look.

After the Fire
Here the sculpture has been fired in the kiln to 2400 degrees F.  This takes a full day, then a day to cool.  On the third day, finally, I unload the kiln with much anticipation.  All that is left is to clean off rough spots and admire.