Slip into pottery

It's tempting to get straight to it- especially having taken so many years to find the time and oportunity, but Ihave quickly learned the importance of preparation. Clay At this point, I know very little about the plethora of different clay bodies available so I am happy to use what my tutor suggests. KGM body clay starts out donkey-grey I  colour but dries considerably lighter as greenware (unfired), goes a milk white after bisque firing and then has a buttery tone after a glaze fire.it is 'forgiving' in the hands of a beginner (although it did t always seem that way!) And can be fired both as earthenware I stoneware so offers firing flexibility. It's a good idea to weigh the piece of clay you are working with to give you an idea of what weight of clay you might need to throw a particular vessel once you get more practiced. 350-400g seems to work pretty well for me when throwing a mug or  cereal-size bowl, slightly less for a cup.  Wedging This is not an uncomfortable ...

 Pottery is enjoying a popular resurgence thanks to programmes like The Great Pottery Throwdown, but for me, my desire to 'have a go' dates all the way back to pottery classes at school. I like the splosh and thump of it; the ideathat from an unpromising lump of material all manner of things can be coaxed.  This summer, I finally took the plunge and decided to make a space for clay, signing up to a three week introductory wheel workshop for beginners with whereinspirationblooms.co.uk under the guidance of Caroline Ogden. It involved a two hour lesson in the studio each week, but with the opportunity to take a wheel home to practice between classes. Genius!  I quickly became hooked.  There have been many failures, squashed and wobbly, and there will be many more, but slowly, I am learning. So I thought I'd create this blog to record the journey, from throwing the first few forms, learning to turn, tidy and glaze. Who knows where it will take me.