Flower Shaped Cups – This Week in the Studio

This week in the studio, I worked on flower shaped cups.

The softly wavy rims give each piece a gentle movement. Every cup was shaped individually carrying small differences in form and surface. 

I stamped each one at the base and seeing them together after the firing felt special.
I also filmed the process.

You can watch the making of these cups on my YouTube channel.

Black Clay Cups After an Ocean Walk

Sometimes you are influenced by something without noticing it at the moment. These cups came out in that way.

After a walk near the ocean I went back to the studio and sat at the wheel. During the walk I did not take photos or focus on any specific detail. Later I realised that the soft surfaces of charred wood pieces on the sand stayed with me. Wood shaped by wind and time. Dark surfaces that feel calm and worn. Not fully rough and not fully smooth.

While working with black clay I decided to keep the wheel marks. For me they are not mistakes. They show the process. The speed of the hands and small pauses stay on the surface. Like in nature not everything disappears. Some things remain as traces.

The form was shaped by how the cup feels in the hand. Not by a strict plan. The soft curve at the bottom and the slight change in the body create a natural balance. It feels quiet and simple. Easy to hold without thinking about it.

The stamp is a very personal detail in this work. I made it with my own hands. It is not a ready logo. I tested and reshaped it many times. It does not stand out loudly. On the black surface it appears only with light. Sometimes it is noticed later.

When the cups stand together they look similar but they are not the same. They feel like they come from the same walk. From the same place but from different moments. I did not plan a series or a story at first. I made the pieces and the meaning appeared slowly after.

Some works happen like this. First they are made. Then they remind you where they came from.

My New YouTube Video with the Rohde HMT600

I spent some time trying simple, free-form shapes with no particular goal other than getting used to the rhythm of the machine. A few small curves, a flower-like opening here and there and some pieces that didn’t quite work out but still taught me something. All part of settling into a new tool.

The video includes a short unboxing clip, the sound of the wheel, a few early pieces and a bit of my cleaning routine at the end. It’s a silent, slow studio vlog  just the process as it happened.

Watch the video here

ROHDE HMT 600 ^^

I have been thinking about buying a new pottery wheel for a long time. Since I want to buy it only once and use it for many years, I tried not to rush. I compared different models again and again sometimes I leaned towards Shimpo and then I changed my mind back to Rohde. In the end, today I chose the ROHDE HMT 600.

The main reason was that I wanted something long-lasting. I looked at the strength of the body, the torque, and the general reliability of the brand. I wanted a wheel that I would not need to replace or upgrade after a few years, and Rohde felt like the safer choice for that.

In the Netherlands, there is only one official Rohde seller. Instead of ordering it online, I preferred to visit the shop and buy it in person. It helped me understand the machine better and made the decision feel more solid. For now, I bought the model without shelves, and I plan to add the extra parts later, depending on my needs.

One thing I noticed during setup is that the wheel head works a bit differently than Shimpo models. On Shimpo wheels you can slide the top tray out from the side, but on the Rohde you remove the metal bat plate in the center to reach the splash pan underneath. It is just a different system, and it already feels quite natural.

There is also a water drain tube under the splash pan. This is useful during long throwing sessions, because the extra water does not collect inside the pan. Cleaning it is also simple.

A small detail made me smile: the foot pedal connects to the machine with a jack plug, similar to the ones used in Yamaha musical instruments. Seeing a music-style connection on a pottery wheel felt funny and strangely charming. It also means the system is simple and easy to replace if needed.

For now, the wheel is set up in my studio, and I will start working on it soon. As I spend more time with it, I will write another post about how it feels during actual throwing — the pedal response, speed control, and the general stability while centering clay.