CONVERSATIONS

SHAPES IN THE SHADOWS

On three occasions last autumn something occurred to me that I found curious, somewhat frightening and at the same time exciting:-

As potters we are often asked to make objects that some people can no longer live contentedly without. As with mest potters, I do my best to respond to such requests. More specifically, I will say that I will make the thing, but leave its completion date to a distant, vaguely defined time. I feel snookered if they give me a deposit - somehow insulted that they would question my resolve to satisfy their request,

That admission aside, I approached my wheel determined to make stuff people had asked for. On each of the three occasions I had the balls of clay next to me. They waited with their usual patience as I added warm water to the eold in plastic (plastic?) bucket next to the wheel head.

I put the first lump on the cool tooled aluminum and turned on the electrical switch to start the wheel turning. As the clay turns, I will add a little water off the end of my finger tips to the top of the rough ball. It immediately takes on a new sheen. And before I touch it, there is often a time of reflection as both the clay and TI prepare mentally for what we are about to do,

As that moment of quietude passes, a sense of physical determination presents iteelf, and we begin to produce what I said, in faith, I would.

Well, somewhere in that process there was a slip up and I found myself making shapes I found really appealing. Not what I said I would do - but nonetheless really appealing. So, naturally I made another 10 or 20 of the Same and had an altogether delightful time!

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