There comes a time in life where we naturally want to try our hand at our parents well tuned discipline. Whether it's a sudden insatiable urge to grow potatoes following on from his grandparents and father, like D, or my sudden peak of curiosity about what goes on inside that crazy shed where Mum and her mud spend their days.
Mum has been a ceramic artist since before I was born, and I have to admit, in recent years my extreme clutter-phobia has prevented me getting too close to the action. As with any creative pursuit there are tools, equipment, materials galore and a good old mess to be made if there is to be anything produced. And until recently I have been more than satisfied to avoid the process and just enjoy the end results in a pristine gallery environment at an exhibition of her work.
But, as the days of Mum's marvelous and mysterious shed are coming to an end, it's contents soon to be packed up for relocation, I wanted to venture in and experience it.
My little clay project was not as ambitious as Mum's, her pieces take weeks - even months and are incredibly detailed and technical. But as a beginner I just wanted to dip my toe in the waters and make some Christmas decorations as gifts for some special friends at church.
Armed with a stamp, cookie cutters, a big ol' doily and instructions from Mum, I made a batch of Happy Christmas decorations, and some doily impressed snow flakes.
Once dried, they were fired, and I planned to under-glaze them all to emphasize their impressions, but I loved the untouched, pure clay product that came out of the kiln so much that more than half remained that way. The remaining decorations were under-glazed in various colours and I used an interesting oxide to bring an antique finish to the rest.
Now they're back to the kiln for a second firing and then all that's left to do is twine the tops, wrap-wrap-wrap and give them away!
