I went to my pottery class this week after being gone for two years due to the pandemic. It was so good to get my hands on clay again. It is kind of like riding a bicycle, the skills come back to you when they are needed.
Prior to the pandemic, I had gotten quite proficient at thinning the walls of my vessels. Since I have not been practicing on the wheel, I experienced a setback. I just need more time to practice on the wheel for me to build up my skills again. I chose to use some stoneware clay that fires at cone six through 10.
I still have 25 pounds of this clay in my garage. It has gotten a little hard, so I will have to rehydrate it. I was surprised that the clay that I left at the senior center was still soft and pliable. It was stored in an airtight container wrapped in plastic.
I did not have any trouble centering the clay, but my challenges came with pulling up the walls without the clay collapsing.
I will always be able to trim the excess clay once it dries out some and becomes leather hard. I made two vessels because the class is only two hours long. Some of that time has to be spent setting up my station and cleaning up my mess.
My second vessel is large enough to be a small casserole dish. I plan to decorate it with handles and a lid before I am finished. For the past few days, I have been watching YouTube videos of a master Potter from China. It is amazing to me how some people can take a lump of clay and turn it into an artistic piece.
Throwing clay is not a fast process. It takes time to work the clay, allow it to dry to leather hard, trim the clay, fire the clay, and then glaze it. I will take you along on my journey as I work these two lumps of clay into an artistic expression from my imagination.
Enjoy your day.
