Clay all over me clay all over you, CYLINDERS

Hey y'all, just finished my first ever pottery class!

I think people think it would be easy.

Well obviously it's not that easy.

I have memories of trying out clay on a wheel in a friend at the times pottery class at Vic and spinning clay all over the place.

It was a disaster and Mr. Lund was none too happy with me, being that I  was in his class for an hour and wasn't even registered in it, trying to keep up with third year students, I must have been such an annoying little part of his day. 

Or life.

Anyways back to our evening.

OMG SO FUNNNNNN!!!!

Lots of technical things that I am sure will take me a while to grasp, but otherwise really cool and fun. 

I'm taking this class with the most perverted siblings known to man, John and Danette.

Well, I hang out with them so I must be just as perverted.

We come in, some strange woman says HELLO!!!

YOU GUYS HERE FOR THE CLASS?

Yes we are, we all say at the same time.

WELL I AM NOT THE INSTUCTOR, JUST THE... GREETER! PUT YOUR STUFF ON THE COUCH AND TAKE A SEAT!

We go, ok, just going out for a smoke.

She goes.

DISGUSTING!

I was a little taken aback, wasn't sure if it was a joke or not so kinda gave a half laugh- like

heh aheh (with a downward inflection in my voice)

I don't judge you for the obvious fact that you overeat, drink too much beer, but you're a VEGETARIAN.

SURE.

Either way considering I know it's a terrible habit I shouldn't be indulging in I hang my tail between my legs and go hide on the side of the building with my buddies.

So we go in, pay for our clay and supplies blitty blah blah and this older German woman teaching the course was no bullshit and pretty much got down to the goods and showed us how to cut the clay and get it right on the wheel. 

I was a little overwhelmed and tried to take pics in my head cause it was just like-use this part of your hand and move it this way, keep it centred, oh do this, then do this now this, now move your thumb here and take this tool and pull it up and 

VOILA! Perfect and beautiful piece of pottery.

Ohhhhhhhkaaaaaaayyyyy

We all go, and I attack my bag of clay and John and Danette and I claim three side by side wheels and get at 'er.

John is of course a natural, and nails the cylindrical form quickly.

I struggle keeping it centred, then somehow regain my bearings, the german lady comes by and says mine is pretty much perfect, just need to smooth the edge at the top, and don't push too hard.

I do-push too hard- and my first piece slops to the wheel and IT'S RUINED!!! WHAAAAAAA

So I grab a new piece of clay- this wet one has to dry out, and I try again.

This time I am a little calmer and organic with the clay, kinda making it my bitch, and with some help from my German lady I make a near perfect cylinder!

Whoop!

Then she insisted we stop for tea and biscuits, INSISTED.

We had our tea and Elly (I think thats how you spell her name, not really sure...) told us a bunch of translated German jokes that didn't make a whole lot of sense to us middle class Canadians, a suspected lesbian superhippy with very tribal and distracting piercings speaking about issues in the Middle East and her desire to go there to MAKE A DIFFERENCE, in that refined hippy earthly and socially aware "accent" As I call it, I can hear one before I smell one I tell's ya. 

Not that I hate hippies or anything, I like em just fine, and will probably end up being friends with her, but there was patchouli and the whole nine, which is cool...

I guess.

BAHAHAHA OH ME.

I don't want to start hippie hate mail now, I've had enough controversy with this blog and my loose mouth (or fingers)

How about this:

I <3 HIPPIES PEACE MAN

So basically in three hours I managed to make two cylindrical pots or whatever they are going to be, one much smaller than the other, and couldn't take pictures because my hands were covered in clay and I just couldn't reach into my purse and touch all my pretty stuff in there, I decided the pics will have to wait until all our pieces are dried, fired and ready to go.

BUT THANKS TO THE MAGIC OF FACEBOOK I STOLE DANETTE'S PICS OF HER'S AND JOHN'S, YOU'LL GET THE PICTURE.

So, not mine, but similar. Smaller and not as tall. 

John's pieces are in the background, I love him so much, today was cylindrical piece day and John makes a Sake jug or whatever you wanna call it. Perfectly too. Like, he finished his first piece in 4 minutes and then just made this sake thing, boom! 

I was still struggling with the cylinder.

I will probably take some pics of my raw creations, when I don't have the the clay all over me.

May I say I had to be the smartest- (at least one of the only who considered wardrobe) 

and wore ALL GREY to match the clay?

Yes, always thinking. Always.

The best pics will be when we fire up the cylinders, ashtrays, mugs, sake equipment and "popcorn bowls' as John has already stated he wants to make. 

I will probably make a few cat food bowls with their names on them boldly, and lucifer knows what else!

That's six weeks away I believe.

The firing of the goods.

That will be exciting.

So week one of pottery class, there is a ton of cleaning to do and we do it for the better part of forty five minutes, including a spray of the floor, cleaning of the cords and then pushing the water into the well/drain, scrubbing everything, quite the chore. 

We will be doing this every week but I think it is the ultimate way to truly learn the ways of a craftsman owned studio, and how to keep from having a clay dust covered building, which I imagine isn't a good thing.

I am a novice to this art but find it fascinating and absolutely something I have immediately enjoyed a lot! 

How exciting! 

K well, my Sims game is calling, my Sims have some strange relationships and all kinds of wild parties and fun outfits, so I gotta go, plus Salem is stomping around here like he wants something, not a banana, not a fun, no butt scratch, not an anything, just some meowing and strange running about the house.

Well I shall update soon, you know I will.

Thank you lovely hearts for reading.

-E.