Knob 'n Alls

Knob 'n Alls by Lauren Coffey

Spring quarter has gotten off to a busy start. Shows, installations, kid projects, hiring committees, and perhaps I've said "yes" to a few too many things. My winter quarter students were so prolific that I've got two more posts partially done, but I just haven't finished and posted them.

Knob 'n All by Kim Hansen

One of the things my winter quarter classes did a lot of was knob 'n alls. I don't really know how it is supposed to be spelled. (It used to annoy Shannon, one of my advanced students when students would call them "nominals.") However they're spelled or pronounced, they're lidded containers made by throwing the lid attached to the bottom in one closed form.

Knob 'n All by Kim Hansen

These forms are usually a fairly popular shape to make. The basic shape, if you don't cut off the lid, is fun to throw and I use it as a basis for a lot of my own forms. 

Knob 'n All by Amber Ryan

The shape can be thrown, then the lid cut off when the piece has dried up a bit. The lid can be cut off with a "key" which basically means you cut the lid irregularly so that it fits on only one way. The cuts can be a part of the overall design of the form. They also don't take a lot of pre-planning.

Knob 'n All by Amber Ryan

The other way to do the lid was something I learned from a student. Of course some of my students are more than students. They make a significant impact on the studio and they make my job easier and more fun. Janice was the one who discovered the technique I now prefer for knob 'n alls. 

Knob 'n All by Lauren Coffey

Janice's technique is to press a flat tool into the side of the wet wall once the form is closed. The wall then becomes the gallery that holds the lid on. Lauren and possibly Leticia (from this post) used this technique. You can't see the galleries in these views of the finished work, but you can see them in this post of my work in progress.

Knob 'n All by Lauren Coffey

The knob 'n alls from winter quarter were done mostly by beginners for their third project. Lauren's was in the advanced class and she did these as a kind of recuperation break while she dealt with an injury.

Knob 'n All by Adela Arciga

There was a great deal of variety in the lidded forms, decoration, and glazing. Adela and Lauren both used Ninja Junior Crawl glaze on their lids and Adela just managed to avoid sticking her lid to her base as the glaze ran.

Knob 'n All by Adela Arciga

Adela's lidded jars were tiny, but she made each one very differently. The orange was a favorite during critique, as was Amber's apple. Strangely no-one tried to make a banana knob 'n all.  Adela, Amber, and Lauren also achieved the challenging tall knob. Lauren threw some of her's separately and then attached them to the lids later. I think Adela threw hers in one.

Knob 'n All by Adela Arciga

Last quarter I ended the quarter will a full class of 16 students, three of them advanced. This quarter is shaping up to be a similarly strong quarter with a full class and 6 intermediate students, which might be the largest group of intermediates I've ever had.

Lidded container by Leticia Ortiz

If you're in the Yakima area and you are interested in seeing some of my students' work in person, we have two exciting opportunities coming up soon. The Department of Visual Arts Student and Faculty Exhibition opens April 30 with a reception from 5-7pm in Larson Gallery. The show continues through May 25. The spring clay sale is May 9 from 11am - 7pm in the lobby of the Palmer Martin building (building 20).