How did you raise the wheel to stand at it? And thank you I made 4 cereal bowls after watching your tutorial and they came out pretty good. If I started to get flustered thinking the throw wasn’t going right, I focused on what you taught and it got me through my second guessing myself. 😊
Thanks very much, Matthew, for sharing the inspiring poem along with your clay talents, knowledge and expertise. Appreciate your videos and artistry. Thanks again!
Old English major here and Rudyard Kipling’s “If” is one of the finest. Thanks for your sharing and your sincerity in wanting us all to be better collectively. Amen to this. Also, as a bonus, love watching you throw and explain your thoughts on things.
Awesome. Thank you friend. I like to stand and only have one wheel so, stand, I do. But I having funny joints I can injure easily so found a really good method taught by veteran potter, Michael Wendt. He is very inventive, as all artists are, but being an older gentleman, he made a support that he pushes his elbow against that lets him throw all day long. I do it too and it works unbelieveably. Check it out his 6 minute vid here explaining it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fpS5Vx6vVx4.html He also has a novel technique for wedging clay and making plates that is so clever. Check out his first 3 vids while you are at it. Really helped my throwing.
Thanks for sharing the difference between standing & sitting… I wondered what the difference was. I wish I could stand throwing but I have POTS so I have to set… love watching your videos…
I stand at the narrow point of my wheel. I sometimes use a strong arm and find that the inventor designed the pivot to be located at the wide corner of the wheel stand. Standing enables me to look out my window into the woods outside and easier on my lower back. I appreciate you and your generous spirit. Best wishes to you and yours!❤
You have to consider your special needs whether you stand or sit at the wheel. Certain back conditions make standing very difficult for me. Sitting creates its own aches and pains, but standing debilitates me. So, it's sitting for me. Thanks for this video.
Hi Matthew I just put my wheel high to try to throwing standing I find difficult to throwing tall vases, but I have a mirror in front my wheel and I love it to see the profile of the pots, I don’t have to leaning do see it, I do recommend put the mirror in front your wheel even if is the small mirrors, if you don’t have a wall in front your wheel just put together with your tools . Thank you much appreciated your videos🤗
I have back issues and also stand at my wheel (on the side like you), with the foot pedal on the floor. I also have a mirror set up in front of me so that I don’t have to lean over and further irritate my back.
Throwing standing up, I prefer the Shimpo whisper boxy version, I stand it on breeze blocks to my perfect height, that way I am not bending my back even a little
Enjoyed the poem. Thank you. I recently bought a small Amazon wheel for my summer home. I would like to make sq bats like you use to fit this smaller wheel. Can you tell me what material you used to guild these? Thank you
Thank you! Look forward to; and enjoy your videos. I used to sit, but have seen such an improvement since I started standing. The quality of my pots increased dramatically when standing. My body thanks me for the decision as well. Will never go back to sitting. In my classes the students have one option. . . . standing!
This past year I was so happy to acquire a Klopfenstein stand up treadle wheel, thinking at 62 this is crazy mad. After a board of 20 mugs I walk away relaxed, smiling and happy. The same board of 20 sitting at a Brent raised on brick my fist 6 steps away from the wheel are always bent over and I'm felling beat. Thanks, great topic, I haven't caught anyone really speaking in depth on this.
Interesting video. Thank you. I have my wheel up on stilts so I can stand and also have a high adjustable ”barstool” if I want to sit. It works ok. The only thing is if I want to make bigger taller pieces its probably better having a wheel lower to the ground.
Hi Matthew- Thanks for sharing your insights (pottery and other “if”’s). I would suggest the author John Claypool (seriously, that’s his name!). Have a great week 🏺
Thanks for sharing this Matthew! Do you ever work with a mirror on your sit-down wheel? I find that it saves me a good deal of leaning over, and makes it easier to check the profile. I just attach one to the back of my splash pan with a lump of clay, but my pan is not round, it's squared off at the back.
My mom would recite it all the time. Wonderful. What is the best way to buy one of your pots. I’ve watch a long time. Such beautiful work. And thank you for sharing “If”
Your work is truly inspiring and your work ethic is amazing. Im always thinking I gotta throw 100 mugs cause Matthew Kelly did and thats how he got so good at it.
As an aside, how do you handle your clay-smeared clothes? A rinse in a bucket first and then into the washer or directly into the washer? "IF" has so much wisdom but is so hard to live up to.
I don’t get very covered in clay and I try to wash my towels before they get too bad also. I don’t pre wash anything. Yes it is hard to live up to but that proves it’s worth doing. At least it should be given some serious consideration and it acts like a mirror to who we are and where we come up lacking. Then it takes guts to face it and work on it!
For drying hands on the wheel and using when hand building I prefer muslin/cheesecloth, it doesn’t hold onto the clay, rinses and dries in in minutes .
Great poem and great video. I saw my pin on your map. It’s filling up! Western NM. The main, simple take away from “If” is to live humbly. Something to strive for every day and IF everyone could try and achieve that goal, the world would become a better place. Thank you for being part of that.
