Midland Student Morgan Shares about Ceramics Program

Conveying Meaning through Creative Arts

By Morgan '25

Written by Morgan ’25

When I decide to throw a new ceramic piece, I first debate about the volume of the piece I want to create. A large bowl for a teacher or a mug for one of my prefectees? Once I have chosen the size, I think about what kind of clay I want to use. When I pick a clay, it has to do with texture and springiness, but the most important factor is the final color after firing. Honestly, I make these decisions based on my mood and intuition, not any formalized process. 

Next, I cut and weigh the clay necessary for a given project. As I set up for throwing (the process of using a pottery wheel to help form a lump of clay into objects) I need to do a few things. I grab my tools (a sponge, metal and wooden ribs, and a needle tool). I fill one of the red ceramics buckets with warm water. Most importantly, I decide what music I am going to listen to while forming my chosen object. Sometimes, this means slow, contemplative music played in my headphones during class. More often than not, I blast high energy music out of the art room speakers. I belt showtunes at the top of my lungs with friends. When I am throwing, I just let my hand form the clay until I am satisfied with the shape and thickness of the walls. Pulling the clay up, creating thin, elegant, strong walls from a lump of mud is a way for me to relieve stress after a long day of classes. 

Morgan works in the art studio

After I am satisfied with the piece, I use the wire cutter to remove it from the detachable board. Then, I have to wait several days for the piece to dry before I can trim it down. An important part of the ceramics process is trimming away excess clay at the bottom of an object in order to form the neat foot ring most cups and bowls will rest on. I also have to trim away excess clay on the walls in order to perfect the form and clean up any sharp angles. 

After I am happy with the general shape, I decide whether or not to add embellishments like splashes of underglaze, decorative sculpted elements like mushrooms, or any other features. Then, I put the piece on the shelves designated for bisque firing (the first firing a ceramic object goes through). The object is bisque fired, emerging porous, allowing glazes to stick to it. I glaze the piece next, using one or more of the 21 glaze options at Midland, including such colors as: Cobalt Blue (a deep blue that is currently very popular among the students), Charcoal Satin (a matte black color that looks like the charcoal it is named for), Gunmetal Green (a somewhat blue green that develops a grey metal finish), Ender Purple (a deep purple with highlights of pink), and Opal (a cream glaze with ripples of a muted rainbow). Oftentimes, I overlap different glazes and leave parts of my pieces unglazed for a variety of texture and finishes. 

Throwing on the potter’s wheel in the arts studio

Then, once I am happy with the finished product, I put my piece on the shelves, and I wait until the next glaze firing. A glaze firing consists of objects that have already gone through the bisque process. The kiln is a stone oven where ceramic pieces are heated to high temperatures in order to transform them from moldable clay into finished hard ceramic. I often load glaze kilns with a friend, placing pieces into the kiln in such a way as to maximize the total number of pieces that can be fired. It’s like a puzzle to me, and a way that I have taken on responsibility as a member of the senior class. 

I have been working with clay for as long as I can remember, and I have been throwing on the wheel since fifth grade. For me, ceramics has become a constant presence. While I am at Midland, not a week goes by that I am not working with clay in some way. My work doesn’t carry any special meaning, but each piece is important because of the intent I put into it. Giving ceramic objects is part of the way I show gratitude to others. I make things for my friends and family, mugs for my parents and sibling. This act of creation for a specific purpose inspires a lot of my work. Many of my pieces have a specific recipient in mind. I bring these values of giving, creativity, and using my intuition to my everyday life at Midland, not just while I’m in the art room. Working creatively is the way I have always gone through life, and I continue to hone my artistic skills at Midland. 

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