Pottery

Amy in the Cocorico Bee asked for blocks with an art studio theme for June.  

Back before I quilted and before I knit, I was a potter.  In fact, I spent a good 16 years making pots.  I worked in a photo/wood/ceramics craft studio and I'd use the space after hours to throw to my heart's content.  I sold pottery at a few craft fairs and I taught some wheel throwing classes.  When I didn't teach or work in a studio, I took classes just to have access to a wheel and to glean any bits of knowledge that I could from the teacher.  I can't say that my skills grew very much that way.  But, it didn't matter to me.  I didn't need to make the biggest piece or fancy vase.  All I ever wanted to make was the perfect shaped bowl.  The amount of bowls I've thrown over the years is astronomical.  I was always searching for the perfect curve, just the right thickness, a good feel in two hands, and a strong earthiness while still being lifted and light.  I've gotten really close a few times, but I would still like to sit at a wheel to have a crack at it.  I still have a few pieces left.  Ones that weren't given away and didn't get broken.  But I miss throwing.  And as dusty and muddy and dirty pottery studios are, I miss the smell of it.  There is something very calming about physically centering a piece of clay that somehow centers the soul, too.  There is also something to making a big mess with a chunk of mud from the earth and then firing it until it glistens. 

Anyway, this block here is a representation of the pottery studio I used in my first year of college.  It was a long, narrow room with all of the wheels lined up along the wall and facing out over a big bank of windows.  I would stare at the beautiful trees on campus and the lake and the arboretum beyond.  I would be in there at all sorts of odd hours because I prefer to throw when no one else is around.  At the time I was super shy about showing any of the things I made  (that probably sounds hard to believe now).  Anyway, it is still my favorite studio I've ever worked in.  I hope you like the block, Amy.