Coil building is a handbuilding technique in which a ceramic form is constructed from ropes, or coils, of clay. The maker rolls out long sausages of clay and stacks them, blending each into the one below, to build up the walls of a vessel or sculpture. It is one of the oldest pottery methods in the world and remains a mainstay of contemporary handbuilt ceramics.
Coil building is particularly suited to tall, large or sculptural forms that would be difficult or impossible to produce on the wheel.
How coil building works
The maker begins with a base, then rolls out even ropes of clay and lays them around its edge, one on top of another. As each coil is added, it is pressed and smoothed into the coil below – on the inside, the outside, or both – to fuse the joins and strengthen the wall.
By varying where coils are placed, the maker controls the shape of the form: coils set slightly inward draw the walls in; coils set outward make them flare. The surface can then be smoothed completely, or the coils left visible as a decorative feature.
What makes coil building distinctive
Coil building allows for great scale and freedom. Because the form grows gradually, makers can build very large pieces, pausing to let lower sections firm up before adding height. It also permits asymmetric and sculptural shapes impossible on the wheel.
Some makers deliberately leave the coils showing, celebrating the rhythm and texture of the construction. Others blend them seamlessly, so the finished piece gives no hint of how it was made. Both approaches are part of the contemporary coil-building tradition.
Collecting coil-built ceramics
Look at the form and surface of a coil-built piece for evidence of the making – the gentle rhythm of stacked coils, whether smoothed or left visible. These pieces often have a generous, organic presence that reflects the slow, hand-built process.
At Byard Art, our ceramics collection includes coil-built and other handbuilt work from contemporary makers.
