We Are the Clay

November 27, 2012

This afternoon will go down as one of my favorite here in Colorado. (Did I say that about the hike too? Well, two favorite afternoons in one week then!) Annie, Jess, and I spent about 3 hours at Crestone Clay Art with master potter, Lynn Drake- a woman with the patience of a saint. It was my first-ever pottery lesson, and despite the artistic limitations brought on by perfectionism, it was a pretty good first attempt!

Lynn explaining the machine that turns blocks of clay into rope.

Finally beginning my coil bowl...
after first obsessing for 20 minutes over the perfect design.

After the design is complete, clay balls are used to fill in the gaps.

 

The clay is gently smoothed down and left to dry.
This made me nervous after my compulsive placement of the ropes!

But never fear...once you remove the dried clay from the mold the design returns! 

Now we gently paint on water to smooth out some cracked areas.

 

A pinch bowl is usually the first lesson in pottery. I guess we looked advanced :)
While you might not recognize it as such, this is going to be a small mug,
with a very "unique" handle.

The bowl and mug still need firing and glazing, which will hopefully get done before I leave next week. Otherwise Lynn will ship them. In all- a 3 hour class, a bowl and a mug from clay to creation, and a peaceful afternoon-....$25! Forget Paint Your Own Pottery...MAKE Your Own Pottery! I guarantee you'll impress yourself. 

There are a million and one comparisons to be made about pottery and the spiritual life. No doubt more than a few books have been written on the topic. Here are a few of my take-aways:

It’s amazing what can be created from earth; the possibilities for fashioning clay are endless.

Stop trying to control it! It will harden and crack.  

Don’t get too attached, especially before it’s been through the fire.

There is no such thing as perfect.

The flaw is the mark of originality.

Be creative. Be flexible. Be patient. Be gentle.