Pottery Making Basic Techniques - Knocking on Centre
Although we are making replicas of ancient pots, basic pottery studio making methods and techniques are essential if we are to do this efficiently and in a cost effective way. When wheel throwing, the ability keep the vessel in centre is key to making a well thrown piece and the same is true when wheel trimming, decorating and finishing the piece. It was one of the first skills that I learned when I worked at Joe & Trudi Finch's, Appin Pottery in the 1970s and I've seen marks in Roman, Samian Ware pottery bowls, that show me that potters were using this method nearly two thousand years ago.
The pots that we replicate come from archaeological digs, museums and private collections and field walking finds and often consist of little more than a few sherds. This is where the experimental archaeology side of our practice comes into play, the smallest of marks on the surface of the pot, combined with our decades of potting experience, give clues that allow us to work out the process of manufacture.