How to Make Navajo Pottery
Traditional Navajo pottery can be a special addition to any collection of clay creations. This authentic hand-building technique allows one to return to the roots of the Navajo culture and practices in terms of artistic and conventional purpose.
Things You'll Need
- Large lump of potter's clay (sized at two handfuls or more)
- Clean, level surface
- Canvas (sized large enough to cover work surface)
- Small container of water
- Wooden skewer
- Pottery kiln
Instructions
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Begin by identifying your work surface, such as a tabletop, and measure and cut your canvas to cover the area. Lay the canvas over the surface and proceed.
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Start by preparing the clay. Air bubbles often become trapped in the clay and will expand when exposed to heat, causing the pot to explode. Similarly, inconsistencies within the clay may be present as wetter or dryer spots. These must be fused to develop uniformity throughout the clay. To do so, begin kneading your clay as you would dough, gathering the clay into a ball and pushing it away from you with the heels of your hands. Double the clay over itself and repeat the process until the clay becomes fully pliable and consistent in texture and wetness, forming a smooth ball.
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Remove a portion approximately the size of a baseball. (This can be done by twisting the segment until it separates from the whole.) Work the piece into a smooth sphere, patting and rolling it as needed.
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Continue by pushing your thumb into the center of the ball to the depth of your joint. With your thumb still immersed in the center of the clay, rotate the ball in your opposite palm, pinching the clay between your thumb and forefinger as you spin it.
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Continue shaping the pot by slowly stretching the clay into the shape you desire, still pinching and rotating. You may need to periodically moisten the clay by dipping your fingers into a container of water and smoothing the surface of the pot to prevent cracking; however, be careful not to incorporate too much water, as this will cause your form to become weak and wobbly.
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Persist in shaping the form until the walls of the pot are of unvarying thickness, generally about one-quarter-inch thick, and the pot shape is pleasing to you.
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Set the pot aside to dry. If you wish to add designs to the surface, wait until it is "leather hard"---able to hold its shape but pliable enough to allow pressured engraving---and proceed, using the wooden skewer or other blunt-ended object to draw designs on the pot.
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Allow the pot to dry completely, becoming "greenware," before firing. If the pot no longer feels cold to the touch or when placed against your cheek, it is ready to be fired and may be finished as any other piece of pottery in the kiln.
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Tips & Warnings
There are other ways to create the pottery, but the pinch pot is considered one of the easiest beginning methods. If the initial pot shape is dissatisfying, simply re-knead the clay and begin again.
