gather around everyone, It's a post about pottery.

Today I took some wet, lumpy clay out of the bucket I have in my back yard and worked it into a nice, useable plastic consistency. Kneading the clay like dough on a piece of plywood took me back to the old high school art class days. Half creative outlet, half downtime and break from "real classes", I always had at least one art class in my schedule. It's so sad how school districts cut art so quickly when faced with budget problems. I can't think of a better solution that keeps from hurting anyone, but I think art and music education is as important as English, if not more so.

I took a handful of my new clay and made a quick pinch pot*, eventually building it up into a little vase. I set it down, admired my almost-symmetrical handiwork, then smashed it (quickly, before I could fully resist the impulse) and put the clay back in with the rest. I think I'll wait a while before I actually start building anything. Clay is better when has had some time to age. This stuff from a hole in the ground still has a lot of rocks, soil and plant matter in it too, so I ought to refine it more.

Think of all I could create with God's gifts of the earth and my own two hands. As soon as I find a way to build a kiln in which to fire the clay, I can begin my new career as a potter.

*Pinch pots are easy. Roll some clay into a ball, hold it between your hands and push your thumb into the center of the ball. Rotate the ball as you pinch the wall of the pot between thumb and fingers. The clay will start to take on a bowl shape. Put both thumbs inside the bowl as soon as you have room to do so. Focus on getting the walls a consistent thickness, and keeping the bowl symmetrical. To make the pot bigger after the walls are thin enough, you can simply pinch bits of new clay onto the bowl's rim. You can make a vessel of any size and shape this way; just make sure to let the bottom of the pot dry a bit, so that it will support the weight without collapsing.

Did anyone find this helpful? I can go over slab and coil costruction too if there's a demand. I never did get the hang of throwing on a potter's wheel, though. There are all sorts of techniques with this medium: extrusion, molds, casting with slip, carving, and just about anything you can imagine doing with a bunch of mud.