The humble pinch pot

A few years ago, I became a member of Creative Works Studio. I love to muck around with clay. There’s something very healing about digging into the clay and getting your hands dirty. But I only create pieces that are beautiful and serve a purpose. The ceramic pieces I craft must have form and function. Bruce, the clay facilitator at the studio, has been sculpting for about twenty years. He helps the members of our studio move our pieces from vision to reality. I call him our “ceramics engineer.”

Because I had never worked with clay before, Bruce suggested a pinch pot for my first project. He cut a piece of clay for me. Then he showed me how to work it between the palms of my hands and turn it into a ball.

I pushed my thumb into the centre of the ball of clay. Then I pinched up the walls, rotating the clay between my hands as I pinched. Doing this helps to create an even wall all around.

When I was satisfied with the size and shape of my pot, I patted it on the table to create a flat base. But I wanted a lid for my pot. So I rolled out a slab of clay, took the lid of a jar of glaze. I outlined the circle on the clay with a pointed tool and then got rid of the surplus clay. And, voila, I had a lid!

A clay piece must dry naturally first before it can be fired in the kiln. Bisque refers to the piece that comes out of the kiln after it’s first fired. This is quite fragile. Next comes the glazing phase. You can choose underglazes or glazes. With glazes, you can never predict the colour of your piece after it’s fired. Underglazes, on the other hand, are ‘true,’ i.e., what you see is what you get. Underglazes also tend to be much more vibrant than glazes. And I love bright colours! So, I generally paint my bisque with underglazes. The piece then goes into the kiln a second time.

To create a shiny or glossy ceramic piece (an effect I really like), I coat the fired piece with a clear glaze. So I tend to fire my pieces three times in all. Yes, making a ceramic piece is a long, slow process. But creating really nourishes my soul.

I loved working on my first ceramic project. Making the pinch pot taught me to slow down. This is true of all clay projects. When you use old clay, you must remember to knead it. You want to get rid of all the air bubbles trapped in the clay. If you don’t knead, you risk having an explosion in the kiln. And that would be disastrous for everyone whose pieces are being fired!

Kneading the clay reminds me of all the times I used to make my own bread and pie pastry (yes, from scratch!). I love the aroma of bread baking in the oven. And, as for pies, my favourite was apple-rhubarb. Mom would give me the rhubarb which grew almost wild in her backyard. Thinking  of those sweet, tart pies still makes my mouth water. Kneading the clay not only brings back fond memories, but I find the process very relaxing.

All ceramic pieces start with a vision. What do you want to create? Do you wish to make an ornament? Do you want something that serves a purpose? Or do you wish to make something that’s both beautiful and functional? And that’s the beauty of clay—you can create almost anything you want. The only thing that limits you is your imagination.