A few weeks ago my husband Brett and I decided to try our hand at making pottery. Our local art center has “Date Night on the Wheel” every month and we thought it sounded like a fun activity to try together. Not only was it a great opportunity to hang out and learn something new, we were both surprised by how quickly the class passed because we were having such a good time.
The class started with a demonstration by the instructor and then we set off for our own pottery wheels to give it a try. We had to first wedge the clay (similar to kneading bread dough). It was awkward at first but we both got the hang of it eventually. With your freshly wedged clay, you quite literally slap it onto the wheel. Add some water, press the pedal, and use the momentum of the wheel to center your clay as best as possible. I learned by trial and error that centering the clay is indeed key to getting your piece exactly as you want it. Otherwise it gets a little wonky and may fall apart on you. Again, lots of trial and error.
The speed of the wheel also takes some getting used to. You have to keep the clay wet, push the pedal at an appropriate speed, and make shapes with your hands at the same time. It seems simple when you watch someone else do it, but I was concentrating so hard just to get the clay into a semi-symmetrical ball. We had a good two hours to play around and make whatever we wanted. I ended up creating a small bowl, an egg-shaped vase/cup thing, and a scalloped edge bowl. Brett made an exceptionally good cup (very right below). We left our pieces at the shop when we were done to be fired in the kiln.
After a few weeks of waiting, we finally got our finished pieces! We were told they would be fired in a sand-colored glaze – something similar to the clay color above. But to my surprise and delight, they were glazed a beautiful, rich blue. They are heavier than I expected and also shrunk a bit. I’ve already got mints in the scalloped bowl and plan to pop some daffodils in the little egg vase. The others will be displayed and used throughout the house.
Keep in mind this is a *very* messy process. I envisioned getting a cute photo of me on the pottery wheel making my goods (lol), but nope no. Your hands are covered in clay goo the entire time, and while I loved every minute of it, my phone would disagree. Overall, we had a great time learning how to make pottery on the wheel. If you have the opportunity to give it a shot, I highly recommend it!
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