“Turns out, old dogs can learn new tricks.” – me…and probably many other people.
First off, a heartfelt thank you, especially to the paid subscribers, for sticking with me and not hitting that unsubscribe button while I’ve slowly rolled out posts from Spain.
Yes, the rumor is true, I’ve been back in the U.S. since the last week of February. I needed (and wanted) a little time off the road to reconnect with family and friends. While I didn’t go totally silent, I’ve been updating the blog at a slower pace over the past few months. Even off the road, life has been full, and I’ve stayed busy and creatively charged.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. I appreciate all of you.
I’ll be back to globetrotting very soon, but in the meantime, I thought I’d catch you up on what I’ve been up to these last few months. Expect a few non-travel-related updates from my time in Kansas City and a quick visit to NYC.
Some of you may remember a post I wrote about a pottery class I took during my visit to Luang Prabang, Laos. If you are new to the blog, click here to read it. Forever, I have wanted to learn how to throw pottery on the wheel, and that day lit a fire in me to get serious about it.
When I got back to the U.S., I signed up for a six-week pottery course at the Jewish Community Center, and I loved it so much, I immediately enrolled in another six-week session. It’s been messy, meditative, and surprisingly addictive.
At our first class, Abby, our amazing and incredibly talented teacher (she has a beautiful commissioned piece hanging in the Delta Lounge at the KC airport – you can check out her work here), had us choose a wheel and grab some tools before going around the room and stating our name and why we wanted to take the class. I didn’t think much of it and said something along the lines of “I’ve always wanted to try it, and I enjoy trying new things, especially things related to art.” It wasn’t until one of the other women in the class said that she had been taking classes for a year or so and her therapist subscribed it as part of her therapy – a form of medicine – for postpartum depression after the birth of one of her children. I was blown away. She was so authentic and sincere in her storytelling that I almost cried. She said it has been the best thing, not only for her but for her family as well. She has a creative outlet, time for herself to recharge, and it offers her husband an opportunity to engage one-on-one with their kids more. I’ve since become friends with her and have met her husband and one of their children…they are a delightful bunch. Pottery is more than art; it is a gift, and for some, a lifesaver.
After an explanation of the four-step process of moulding the clay (center the clay, open/poke a hole, pull the floor, and pull the walls) and a brief demonstration from Abby on the wheel, we got to work. This class is all hands-on and trial and error – and in my case, a shitload of error. Pottery isn’t something you can teach through words or pictures. It is learned by touch and feeling the clay (cue the soundtrack from the movie Ghost). It’s fantastic for eye-hand coordination and strengthening the hand and arm muscles. It requires a great deal of focus and patience.
Although it is a six-week class, the complete start-to-finish process is three weeks. Meaning we do the entire process twice over the course.
Week 1: Throwing on the wheel. This involves grabbing a glob of clay, throwing (like a baseball) on the wheel, following the four-step process of centering it and shaping it, and then cutting it off the wheel to place it on a wooden board under plastic to “leather dry” until we come back the next week.
My first piece was so amazing (not) that I’m showing you my second piece. This is what a piece from the first week of class looks like. Fresh and wet.
Below are five of the twelve pieces I threw during the first class. That gorgeous mistake in the middle is the first piece I threw. I started off strong, and it was going so well, and then bam, all of a sudden, it almost completely flew off the wheel. I barely caught it. Within seconds, it went from the start of a mug or a bowl to an abstract vase. And that is the moment when I understood what another classmate, Nici, was trying to tell me at the start of class when she said, “Oh, don’t worry, the clay will tell you what it wants to become.”
Week 2: Cutting and shaping the bottom and adding details. After the clay has slightly dried for a week, we take the pieces and place them back on the wheel, but this time upside down. The goal is to trim the bottom so it can be fired and then glazed (painted). It is important to center the piece just like we did in the first week – otherwise it will be lopsided (which all of mine are – my coffee “leans” in the mugs I made). We also use extra clay to hold it in place so it doesn’t fly off the wheel (which happened to me more than once – like I said, “shitload of error”).
If the clay is not “leather dry,” it will not be easy to cut and could fall apart. If it isn’t dry enough after a week, we use dryers or a heat gun to speed up the process. If it feels tacky or sticky, it’s too wet. Relax, not all of these are mine in the photo below.
Week 2 is also the week to add patterns or designs to the pieces, as well as a signature. The photo below is of a garlic grater that I carved some notches by hand using a small tool that looked like it had a pointy scoop at the end of the handle- that’s its official name – “thingy with the pointy scoop.”
After we finish adding all the little details and it is to our liking, we place it into the kiln for the first of two firings.
Week 3: Glazing/Painting. The final week is painting the clay. Sounds easy enough, but picking colors is difficult. I’m more of a plain, solid type of gal, so mine are not as interesting as some of the others who have an artist’s touch. C’est la vie.
Once the first fire is finished, the clay is hard ceramic. I really like the white color of the clay as well.
We use heavy, metal pedestals that spin to help the paint go on more evenly and easily. In the video below, you can see how we spin the wheel and glob on the glaze.
Once we are finished glazing, the pottery goes back into the kiln for the second and final firing. If all goes well, the pieces will emerge from the fire with beautiful colors and designs, and hopefully in one piece. And then the next week, we start the entire process over again.
Pro tip: NEVER paint the clay where it will touch the kiln – so in most cases, the bottom. If you do, the pottery will stick to the kiln and more than likely break the piece. I know what you are thinking, I must have learned this one the hard way too, but I didn’t. Thank goodness. Not one of my pieces broke.
Here is a photo of the contrast. Glazed vs. Unglazed.
Not everything goes exactly as planned, though. I had a piece that I thought was going to be a perfectly symmetrical coffee mug (I was excited, I was doing so good), and then wham, it became a heart-shaped cup with the slip of a thumb. The same thing happened with a tiny vase that became a creamer for the table. Bob Ross would call these “Happy accidents.”
In the beginning, I learned that pottery is all about being fearless, getting your hands dirty, and to just keep going. Don’t give up…even when it turns out differently from what you intended to make. But at the same time, knowing when to quit so you don’t overdo it and the dang thing falls apart. It’s a delicate balance. Kind of like life.
Two of the pieces I was most excited to make were the berry and veggie bowls! You know, bowls to wash the fresh fruits and vegetables in. We even had a chant for them, “Berr-yyy Bowls! Berr-yyy Bowls!” It was a team effort.
They didn’t turn out even close to what I envisioned, but they are functional. Which fulfills at least one of my intentions. I used a drill bit to make the holes in the green berry bowl and an X-Acto knife on the yellow veggie bowl.
I think my favorite piece I created, out of all 30 or so pieces (I’ve lost count; I’ve given a few away), was the water bowl I made for my sister’s dog, Ellie. It is adorable (just like her) and turned out great…and I think Ellie even likes it!
Pottery is best explained through a video – photos and words don’t do it justice. Be sure to check out the social media pages listed below – I will be posting more videos on those platforms.
Below is a photo of most of the pieces from “the collection” (maybe one day I’ll host an art show called “Pottery: the misfits and a shitload of error”) that I made in class. Like I mentioned above, a few are missing because I gave them away. Not one of them is perfect or symmetrical, but they are my little creations, and I adore each of them in their own special and unique way. And if one happens to randomly show up in your mailbox, feel free to use it in a white elephant gift exchange. Sharing is caring.
In summary, I can’t believe how much I looked forward to and enjoyed every single class. Every Wednesday for twelve weeks, from 6 pm to 9 pm, was nothing but submerging myself in the moment. When I was in the studio, the entire world fell away – no worries, no obligations, no phone or social media, no politics – it was just me and the clay. My classmate was right, it is the best therapy.
I need more practice, but I didn’t do too badly for my first proverbial “college try.” They say you will know when you’ve become good at pottery when you can make two identical pieces. Okay, okay, so I need A LOT of practice. But this is proof that an old lady can learn a new trick or two. I can’t wait to get back at it when time allows.
Good Things List
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Being fearless on the wheel.
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Abby!
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Fellow creative art students who’ve turned into friends!
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Practicing art that is not only enjoyable but also heals.
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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