Clay Trap Pottery
Given a toy wheel in second grade, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment as I found that the toy and the brick-hard clay were junk. There was no way I could get my battery-powered plastic wheel to turn clay. But in high school my disappointment turned to delight when I finally got to use a real wheel. Now, nearly 30 years and seven children later, I am returning to the art of clay. In addition to producing my own work, I enjoy instructing others so they don’t fall for the junk-wheel. Once introduced to clay, most students quickly feel the draw and desire to make more. Joining me, they plunge into the clay trap.
The joy of nature inspires my work. The beauty of a simple leaf can be impressed and preserved through the firing of stoneware clay. My favorite form to create is a simple mug. As the clay spins on the wheel, I think about the hands that will one day be wrapped around and warmed against it. I hope they will delight in the feel of the smooth glaze or the rhythmic textures carved into the soft clay. While it’s an object formed for a simple purpose, the unique pieces bring interest, and hopefully, inspiration.
Before the clay is ready to be formed, it is wedged until it is both airless and uniform. Then it is smacked onto the spinning wheel. Wet hands apply pressure to all sides, forcing the clay into the center, appropriately called centering. We are like the clay, in need of centering. Around what will we choose to center our lives? It is all too easy to busy ourselves by “spinning around” on social media, streaming services and occupations. We must learn to center our lives around what truly matters – around the Master Creator.