WORKSHOP REPORT

WAYNE NGAN WORKSHOP

On January 13th about 50 potters had a stimulating,
enjoyable day at a Workshop organized by the West
Vancouver Community Centre. Wayne Ngan started by
telling us in a most relaxed way something of his philo-
sophy. For him, making pots is getting to know yourself.

Making pots is getting to know yourself moment by
moment - it is not a static thing. It is very flexible,
there are no rules, you can do anything that works.
Making pots is getting to understand your breath and
energy, and how it moves. It is not like working in wood
or stone - it is movement, a matter of how people move
their bodies.

You must do each part of the process right. If ‘you
skip one stage, the next stage is more difficult. You
must be aware of what you are doing. The life you put
into a pot is what is important, not the technology. Go
forward, never go back. Be critical of your pots. All
the parts of a pot must relate to each other and have
meaning.

There are three stages in learning to make pots: in
the first, you cannot control the clay; then you can
control the clay; and in the third, you are working
together with the clay, breathing life into the pots.

The first thing is to get the clay properly prepared
by wedging it. Foot wedging is a very pleasant effective
way to prepare clay and saves your arms for forming the
pots. Wayne demonstrated, and then some of us had a
chance to try our feet, and found that it was enjoyable,
not too difficult, and that you ended up with very little
clay on your feet. Up to 300 lbs. of clay can be wedged
at once, and all you need is a clean space or clean board
about 4ft. x 4ft.

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