Playing With Clay

Ceramic Room Joy

   After my oxygen tanks running out on Saturday morning and being unable to change them until yesterday it was a fun couple of days in the ceramic room playing with clay for me this weekend. To say this big kid was happy is an understatement, I was like a pig in s..t and enjoyed every second, producing ceramic beads, pendants and the odd bowl on my old kick wheel, it was a real pleasure. I hope by the end of the week to have the kiln full ready to do a bisque fire then the fun bit, I get to play with glazes which is my favourite part of ceramics.
   I guess it's the fact that I can produce so many natural colours which of course is how I love to work, colours I can mix myself just like those produced by an artist, with my lampwork I can mix colours with others but at the end of the day you are guessing at to the final results. With the ceramic glazes I have a good idea what the end product will look like, don't get me wrong I still get that excitement when I open the kiln just as I do with my bead making but it is more with hope the pieces are whole and not damaged or weather the glaze as given the effect I was looking for.
   Just like my beads I seem to be fast collecting large amounts of boxes  which are full of ceramic beads and pendants that I feel are no good, yes I know someone would love them and yes I guess if I listed them for sale they would sell, but I want to be happy with what I list and all the moaning from Yvonne and others telling be to sell them won't change my mind. I think this is the reason why I haven't listed any pots or bowls on etsy yet, I want to learn as I go along and with that I find it a while before I'm happy with the items I'm producing. My aim is to get some pieces listed at the end of November, maybe just smaller pieces to start with, more to see if the feedback from people is ok, I'm not silly, I don't expect them to sell straight away but more to see if I'm heading in the right direction.
   So, this week the evenings will be spent in the ceramic room playing with ideas and sitting at my wheel trying to become a better potter, tho I'm sure this will take years, it will be years to enjoy and that's so very important to me, we all have enough crap in our lives and we need to enjoy those few hours at the end of the day weather it be with a glass of wine watching tv or reading or like me playing with clay dreaming of those wonderful pots in years to come !
   Ok cuppa time over, my torch is waiting and there are beads to make, enjoy your day.