What on earth are these? They don't look like anything anyone would buy, do they?
But they are important parts of my studio! They're two kinds of molds. Believe it or not, they are going to help me create vessels.
I made both kinds last month. First, the pile of oval (plus one big round) rings without bottoms were made by throwing (spinning) on the wheel. They've already been bisque fired in the kiln.
The other oval, platelike one sitting on the rim of the kiln is dry clay, ready to be bisque fired. I made it by slumping a slab of clay into one of the big bottomless oval rings.
These are all called slump molds.
They are the sort of things I can use to make oval and round vessels in lots of sizes out of clay slabs, without sitting at the potters wheel all the time. They can be used over and over. I need variety of movement and physical effort in the studio, meaning incorporating time away from the wheel when making vessels, so as to keep my back from complaining too much. Also, the sweep of surface on the vessels made by slumping clay slabs into these molds means great canvases for my brushwork.
More tools, made myself! Enhancing my business infrastructure daily, and economically.