Valeria Out Loud

Helloooo WordPress!

Yup, I am back to pun titles for a bit. I wish I could say that I’m sorry, but I’m not. Hehe.

Hope you guys are having a great start to this day. I’m coming at you from a drizzly Tuesday morning at home. Just walked in from school drop offs. Before I settle in to work with some coffee, I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about …me. 😂 Well, about pottery class.

So, guys, I did it!! I had my second pottery class last night and I left…with two pieces on the drying shelf and my mug in the kiln line!! THREE PIECES, GUYS! Three!

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To refresh everyone’s memory, I started pottery classes two weeks ago. The first class left me feeling good though I didn’t really finish or make anything. I had made the cup of a mug and everything else I try to do was absolute failure. Hah.

So last night, I decided to go to class fifteen minutes early to finish the mug that I left behind. It needed a handle and smoothing out. Now, after watching a handful of YouTube videos on slab building the past two weeks, I felt like I could conquer this handle task in no time.

..I was wrong. 😂

Showing up early is working in the studio free form. All of the supplies are there. The instructors are there, but they are doing their own thing to breakdown last class and prepare for the incoming class, so you don’t have guidance like you would during the class. At least that is what they told me. Though they helped me anyways. They don’t frown upon anyone coming in early or staying later they just want us to know that they can’t give their full attention like they can during the class.

So… I sat in the back of the room quietly trying all of the slab handle and pulling techniques that I saw online… But for some reason all of the handles were not doing it for me. Most fell apart or wouldn’t adhere BUT I did get one to attach before classes started. It’s totally wonky, but it’s attached! 😆

Once students started to arrive, the projects for the class were announced; we were going to learn glazing then pinch pots. I did see my little lady group from last class entering, they were so happy to see me. They were cheering me on about my mug. What a cute bunch of women. Since I sat in a new chair this week, I introduced myself to the handful of women from last class who I never got a chance to talk with; it really was nice to put myself out there. Everyone seems nice. I’ve totally forgotten their names, but that’s me. Heh

Since I had nothing to glaze, I decided to throw. I sat through the introduction of glazing though first, to learn things for next week. Seems like a lot of fun. Can’t wait to do that!

I’m so glad I had time for throwing. For me, throwing on the wheel is really intimidating. It has so much to do with hand pressure and balance Once things start to form, and let’s just say it goes off kilter a little bit, the entire piece can go to shit in the matter of a second if you don’t keep your balance in control. It’s a process to master all of the nuances clay brings on a wheel -it’s tricky.

With that, it’s really exciting when you make something out of nothing. 😆

Last night I was determined to have our instructor’s attention on throwing. Luckily, there were a few other people there to use studio time, and the instructor was able to stay in the space to walk us (me) through. Not only did he take my hands and guide them, a la Ghost 😆 , but he sat next to me twice to throw on a wheel to advise me through what he was doing. This one-on-one instruction was key. It made a lot of things that I was doing incorrect clear to understand.

The class never progressed to pinch pots, lucky me! I spent over an hour and thirty minutes in the throwing room. I was able to experiment create, and destroy, and re-create as much as I wanted. I ended up creating two pieces, a mini vase and a bowl. Not terrible looking either! 😆

I was covered in mud from head to toe; mud everywhere. I didn’t wear an apron this week, but I had so much fun. This is why my pics from class are these three… my hands were muddy throughout and between washing I just wanted to get back to the clay. Realized I didn’t take any shot after I got into the elevator, I ran back up into the studio to take a few before the next session showed up.

Overall, this class was a good experience. I walked out the door with some new skills, and that felt good.

Next week we should be learning pinch pots and drape clay forms. My plan is to make something seasonal. Maybe a pumpkin shape, or a ghost, or I don’t know … I really like crows. So maybe I’ll make something crow related. Who knows? All I know is.. I’ll be researching YouTube videos on these topics this week! Hehe

Two classes down, four more to go! 🏺

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Thank you for stopping by to see what I’m up to, guys. Keep your eyes peeled for more posts soon. As you know, I always appreciate the support of all of you reading along. So…Hit that like button, and let me know in the comments if you are a potter with some tips to share with me. I love advice. -Some really good advice that I received on FB was to trim my nails down. That’s what I did, and it made my second class a totally different experience. So please share away!

… til next post xoxo