2025-2026 Ceramics I Class

The Ceramics I Animal Box Project challenged students to build slab boxes with lids topped by realistic animal sculptures. The box sides illustrated each animal’s habitat through sculpted texture and form, informed by photo references, or plastic 3D models. Students finished their work with an antiquing paint technique to emphasize depth and natural detail. This project strengthened skills in sculpting, surface design, and color while encouraging thoughtful observation of animals and their environments, showcasing both creativity and craftsmanship of our student artists!


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2025-2026 Ceramics I Class

The gallery showcases the creations of first-year ceramics students, pinch projects, wheel thrown projects, and coil building works. These initial projects serve as the foundation for Ceramics II, where students can explore projects that reflect their own interests and artistic direction.


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Ceramics Class Animal Box Project

The Ceramics I Animal Box Project involved constructing slab boxes with lids featuring realistic animal sculptures. The sides of each box depicted the animal's environment through sculpting, texture, and form, with students drawing inspiration from photographs, 3D modeling software, or physical models. The finished boxes were painted using an antiquing method to enhance highlights and shadows, creating a natural, lifelike appearance. This project allowed students to refine their skills in sculpting, texture creation, color theory, and design while deepening their understanding of animals and their habitats. By combining creativity, craftsmanship, and an appreciation for nature, the Animal Box Project highlights the artistic talent and dedication of our students.


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Artist-Mug Project

In Ceramics I, students created hand-built mugs inspired by a famous artist. It was the student's task to reimagine the mug's rim, body, foot, and handle, transforming it into a sculptural artwork meant to be viewed in-the-round. The finished pieces were evaluated based on criteria including creativity, design, texture, visual flow, neatness, and the skillful application of glaze to enhance the work.


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2023-2024 Ceramics I

The gallery showcases the creations of first-year ceramics students, pinch projects-iPhone passive speakers, texture tiles, and coil building works. These initial projects serve as the building blocks for further skill development in Ceramics II, where students have the freedom to pursue more diverse projects.


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2022-2023 Ceramics I Collaborative Tile Project

In Ceramics I class, students recently worked with slabs of clay to create a stunning three-dimensional NCHS shield. Collaborating closely with one another, they utilized their skills to carve out the background and add intricate textures, resulting in a beautiful sculptural relief. Their meticulous attention to detail and impressive craftsmanship is a testament to their dedication and hard work in the class!

Ceramics Class Animal Box Project

The Animal Box Project involves the construction of a slab box with a lid. The lid is crafted to feature a fully formed realistic animal, while the sides of the box represent the animal's environment through the use of sculpting, texture, and form. Students worked from photographs, 3-D modeling software, and/or actual 3-D models of animals.

Once the forms were created, the boxes were then finished in realistic colors using an antiquing method that brought out the highlights and shadows of the forms. This gave the boxes a natural appearance that enhances the overall effect of the project. The students' attention to detail in the creation of the animal and its environment is evident in the high level of craftsmanship displayed in the finished boxes.

Throughout the project, students advanced their skills in sculpting, texture creation, color theory, and design, while also learning about the animals and their habitats. This project not only allowed students to explore their creativity and express themselves artistically, but also gave them a greater appreciation for the natural world around them. The Animal Box Project truly showcases the artistic talent, dedication, and creativity of our students!


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2022-2023 Ceramics I

The gallery showcases the creations of first-year ceramics students, including pinch projects, wheel-thrown pieces, and coil building works. These initial projects serve as the building blocks for further skill development in Ceramics II, where students have the freedom to pursue more diverse projects. The gallery concludes with the self-portrait relief projects, where students sculpt their likeness by carving from a solid clay slab.


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Ceramics Wheel Thrown Pottery: Fall 2021

While it may look deceptively simple, the process of throwing pottery requires tremendous strength, skill, delicacy, patience, and determination.

It takes muscle to properly knead clay, shape it, and attach it to the wheel. It takes even more strength to steady one’s hands and guide the clay into a specific shape. The spinning wheel offers a strong gravitational pull which constantly forces the clay outward. The artist’s hands, must simultaneously push, pull, stay steady and braced, and restrain the clay while directing it to a final shape.

One wrong movement or stray finger and the pot is ruined in seconds, and the artist must start again.

As you can see by this display, fall semeter Ceramics students have done tremendous work with the potter’s wheel. And while the challenge is great, the rewards are even greater. Throwing on the wheel is an incredibly rewarding experience. Changing clay from soft, pliable material, into a purposeful vessel with strength and beauty is an experience a Ceramics student may never forget.

From "Metamorphosis." Macs Musings RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
http://abigailcristo.com/metamorphosis/

Ceramics Class Update

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2017 JJC Area High School Art Exhibition

Regan T. Class of 2018, Ceramics Class

The results are in...this year, 100 works of art from 20 high schools were submitted. From this group of works, the full-time Joliet Junior College Studio Art Faculty selected 15 students to be recognized for outstanding achievement. Congratulations to Regan Tomsa on being awarded for outstanding achievement. Regan will receive special recognition, an Award of Excellence, for her ceramic work entitled “Happy, Happy Hippos” at an awards ceremony to be held in the JJC Fine Arts Building at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 30th. Way to go, Regan!

Art I Collaborative Clay Tile Project

Art I students worked with slabs - flat pieces of clay - to re-create M.C. Escher's famous illustration entitled Sun and Moon (1948). Using slabs, Art I students created a sculptural relief through carving away the background. Relief sculpture is defined as a "drawing in clay." A relief sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front.

M.C. Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world's most famous graphic artists. He is famous for his impossible structures and tessellations. He played with mathematics, architecture, perspective and space. In his work we recognize his keen observation of the world around us and the expressions of his own fantasies. M.C. Escher shows us that reality is wondrous, comprehensible and fascinating.

The Official M.C. Escher Website. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http: www.mcescher.com>.

Ceramics Class Wheel Thrown PotteryFall 2014

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Ceramics: Welcome!

Welcome to Ceramics! Ceramics I is a semester course in which introduction to clay places an emphasis on the exploration of hand building techniques with some sculpture, glaze application, wheel throwing, and kiln experience.

All materials are provided for you, except "walmart" type plastic bags which are needed for each project, and a pencil.