Eliza Hodnett Elements of Ceramics Ninth Grade, class of 2022 I started this class with no experience on the wheel and despite what I thought, dealing with clay is very difficult business. Throughout the beginning of the semester we were taught by Mrs. Sanyour how to handbuild pinch pots, coils, and slabs. Then with very eager hands I was taught how to slowly master the wheel. However, much to my disappointment, I did not fall in love. Instead, for my show I turned back to the classic pinch pot. I had really enjoyed learning that a pinch pot could be more than a small bowl that you give your mom when your six and she puts on her dresser, and I was excited to expand on my kindergarten pinch pot bowl dreams. So for my show I made a ball of clay and stuck my thumb in the middle, working outwards, pinching and pulling to get a bowl, I then stuck my index finger in the bottom twice to form a heart, and moved on to the next. Each bowl has a different height, size or thickness but they are all underglazed in the same turquoise blue and pressed with the same heart in the bottom, to create a set of functional yet meaningful bowls.