Clay is an incredibly demanding medium. You must be very aware of it at all times. Everything needs to be done in a very timely manner. Wait too long and the clay may dry out and crack. Everything must be done very slowly. I have not had time to throw on my potter's wheel for a very long time. Today, I prepared some clay by wedging it with some nice fermented slip. That gave me a soft clay that made it easy to throw without using water. It takes some muscle to centre the clay and then a lot of focused pressure with my finger tips. There are so may things to consider while throwing but it becomes second nature with practise. I often throw with my eyes closed. Pure meditation. What a feeling to take a hunk of grey dirt and turn it into something. Tomorrow I will trim the bowl, paint it with slip and then cover it for a slow drying period. Working with clay is a connection to ancient times when vessels were crudely formed by roaring fires and then placed into the coals to fire. Primal..... earth, water, fire, ritual, .....powerful.
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