40 by 40 #21: Create in Clay

#21 is something I have wanted to do for decades, at least since watching the movie, Ghost (1990) - create in clay using a pottery wheel. Fortunately, Groupon had a deal for Create in Clay. a pottery studio in Emeryville, CA. So, my fellow explorer, Ann (affectionately known as "Enoch's best friend") and I headed to Create in Clay for a 3 hour pottery class (we also explored Cheese Board and Philz together from posts #18&19).

Creating pottery was many things I expected - messy, fun and therapeutic. However, I did not expect the level of technique, precision and patience involved. Clay is both forgiving and not. While wet, it is pliable, able to be molded into a variety of shapes, corrected and rearranged. However, there is a point when certain errors cannot be corrected. The clay is "spoiled" (such as when it is thinned too much), in which case an entirely different piece evolves in order to salvage the work. And, it is not a quick process. Once a piece is completed, it still has to be fired up, and it takes a few weeks for it to dry before it can glazed. This experience definitely shed new light on biblical passages I've read about people being clay in the Potter's (God's) hands.

At the wheel

Semi-finished products. More pics to come once glazing is completed