Native American Clay Pottery Art is a Labor of Love - By: Alice Lane

In today's world, if you decide to get into pottery, you've got a lot of options at your disposal. There is all sorts of information and many purchasing options available that the process is pretty much laid out for you. Sure, you need to have the creativity and the inspiration to create new and beautiful things, but you can also find templates and ideas online for that if you so desire.

That's what makes even more impressive the beautiful pottery created by ancient Native Americans. The effort and attention to detail in simply making the clay makes one appreciate being able to buy something pre-made. And those Native American women certainly didn't have anything like AMACO glazes at their disposal! In fact, many Native American pottery pieces were left unglazed and were instead rubbed a high polish with a stone or bone.

The primitive techniques didn't stop the Native Americans from making beautiful pottery, however. Each piece was expertly crafted with much care, ensuring that there were not any weak spots in the pottery. Clay was worked until it was the right consistency, then shaped slowly and carefully into whatever the piece was to resemble.

Since Native Americans never used kilns, it's not like they would know anything about clay oven polymer techniques. Instead, they would build a fire over a shallow pit that contained the unfinished pottery. The fire reached a temperature that would finish the pottery without using a kiln. Try telling a modern potter about these techniques-they'll probably tell you they're happy to have a kiln at their disposal!

What is consistent among all Native American pottery is their unique beauty. Some may look at it and call it primitive, but it's amazing what can be created simply by used human hands and a few tools. And the fact that the clay they used was made from such materials as crushed seashells, plant materials, and sand is incredible. Hours and hours were devoted simply to mixing the clay to a perfect consistency, a foreign concept in today's now culture.

In fact, clay pottery art has taken so many leaps forward that if this were still the process, it's doubtful that many would give it a second look. So on one hand it's great to marvel at the Native American pottery techniques and on the other hand it's a good thing that technology came along and made things so much easier!

In today's world, if you decide to get into pottery, you've got a lot of options at your disposal. There is all sorts of information and many purchasing options available that the process is pretty much laid out for you. Sure, you need to have the creativity and the inspiration to create new and beautiful things, but you can also find templates and ideas online for that if you so desire.

Making pottery as beautiful as ancient Native Americans may be hard, but getting pottery supplies isn't. AMACO is your source for whatever you need, from quality AMACO glazes to clay oven polymer.