By Rebekah Martin
Have I said how much I’m enjoying the pottery class at Denson Drive yet? Yes? Ok, just checking.
I’m seriously enjoying myself and am really looking forward to finishing some of my projects and showing off my work.
This week I made a piece pot. Like the pinch pot I made last week, the technique is a simple one, and instead of working with one piece of clay, a piece pot is made by working with multiple pieces of clay and forming them together around a paper mold. Once mine is finished and glazed, I hope to display it in my kitchen as a catch-all bowl of sorts. I experiemented a little with the texturizing of this project. As you can see in the picture, the inside of the bowl has an intricate design throughout. I made this design my pressing a lace doily into the still-wet clay. I’m so excited to see what it looks like once it’s been fired and glazed.
Sherie also helped me start a project that I’m excited to share with you all. My sister Rachel will be graduating from Jacksonville State University next month with a degree in elementary education. One of the bowls I bought from the pottery department last month to benefit the Empty Bowls project was a bowl shaped like an apple. I gave it to my mother, who is a fourth grade teacher. So this week, Sherie helped me start an apple bowl to give to Rachel when she graduates. I’ve been wondering what to get her for some time and this just seemed like a perfect idea. I hope it turns out okay, and at least halfway resembles an apple.
One really cool thing about everything I’m making in this class, is that they’re all completely functional. These bowls, platters and other projects can be used in everyday life and are oven and dishwasher safe. How cool is that? I had no idea, so I kept the bowls on a shelf and didn’t use them for weeks. But since, I’ve used them for pretty much everything.
For anyone interested in more information about the pottery department, or if you want to take a class, call Sherie Spain or Charlie Mabry at 705-5558.