Rick Hintze —

My friend, Charlie Cottle, one of the Wise Guys founders, made this video a couple of years ago of me demonstrating the steps in making a small covered jar on the potter’s wheel. The jar itself is straightforward, with relatively straight sides and a slightly domed lid, a shape I have made many times and to which I have applied a few different, simple patterns. The example shown at the beginning of this video has narrow vertical stripes that follow and explicitly indicate the contour of the pot, from the slight out-turning toward the bottom edge, to the inward movement near the rim and the concluding dome shape of the lid. The video shows the forming process of a similar jar. Further steps include the finishing of the lid by carving away the excess clay and the addition of a knob, the application of glaze and the wax pattern, and the final brushing of an iron oxide wash that creates the variegated reddish color.