Pottery
What is it?Pottery is the art of making something out of clay. There are hundreds of types of clay and many different approaches used to create the initial shape. There are also different styles and techniques used to decorate the piece before firing and glazing and firing it again. The key skill required, as with many traditional crafts, is perseverance.
How is it done?The two main approaches are throwing and hand-building. Potters who give classes will often specialise in either wheel-based work or hand-building, using slabs or coils of clay or moulds.
“The challenge of throwing is to get balance and control of the lump of clay using water as a lubricant on the spinning wheel. Some people pick it up quickly and most people will be able to make a simple bowl by the end of a weekend,” says Marcus O’Mahony (marcusomahony.com), who gives beginner’s pottery workshops in his studio near Lismore, Co Waterford. Learning how to grip and centre the clay on the potter’s wheel is the key. Then the clay is lifted and opened up to create the required shape. “You’ve got to respond to the clay and develop an intuitive and sensitive feel for it,” says O’Mahony.
Hand-building is working directly with a soft piece of clay. The object is built up in layers, using an initial drawing, photo or paper template as a guide.
“You begin with a malleable piece of clay, form your shape, let it dry out and then trim and shave it down. The form comes alive then,” says Dublin-based ceramic artist, Michelle Maher (ceramicforms.com) who gives regular classes and workshops in hand-building. Once dried, the piece is decorated. “There are many different techniques from carving to sponging to stenciling to adding coloured decorating slips of liquid clay,” says Maher.
The piece is then allowed to dry further before being fired. Next comes the glazing, which according to Maher is the most difficult stage of all. “Basically, you are applying a thin layer of glass to your piece. You can do that by pouring it on, splashing it on or dipping it into a bucket of glaze,” she says. Then, the piece has to be fired again.
How long does it take?That depends on how your piece evolves initially, how much decoration you put on it, how long it is left to dry out and how long it has to be fired for, how your glazing works out and how long it has to be fired for again.
Making and decorating the initial shape can take minutes or hours. Drying out can take weeks. Firing can take up to 36 hours. Glazing takes a matter of minutes and the final firing will take another 30 hours or so.
Where do I sign up?Ceramics Ireland has a list of potters who give pottery workshops and classes on its website ceramicsireland.org The voluntary organisation has also recently formed Irish Ceramics in Education. A programme of master classes and lectures open to the public is planned soon. Pottery classes are also available in community colleges (nightcourses.com).
