For the second week of the ceramics class at SPACE, I decided to continue the motif of the circles.  This time, I really wanted to make a planter pot.  Since the flowers are starting to bloom in the backyard, I thought that creating my own pot and then finding an appropriate plant to put in it would showcase a little about me.  So using a coffee can, I started to compose the pot.  If I thought “punching” out circles for my bowl was tedious, this project consisted of even more circular shapes!  I must have spent at least an hour forming the shapes and then an hour plus attaching the circles together.  There was a lot of scoring involved and making sure that they stuck together.  This project was much more challenging, but when I looked at the finished product, I was amazed at my hard work!

Vivian continued working on her mugs.  Watching her put the pieces together looked challenging and afterwards, Rebecca expressed that this was actually a difficult project for someone who hasn’t worked with clay before.  According to Rebecca, this would be a three week project and for Vivian to piece it together in four and a half hours really showed her tenacity and skill.

Some of the other pieces for Week 2 consisted of bowls, vases, and plates.  What I really enjoyed was watching others create and come up with their own interpretation of an everyday object.  We each have our own style and vision, and in the end, they all come together to reflect hard work and a passion for the arts.

Hopefully I am not retelling this incorrectly, but in Chinese culture, women were once referred to as vases.  Empty vessel, perhaps, or something objectified?  Regardless of why, one of the participants at the class created a lovely dress (pictured on the right) which serves as a vase.  The detail on it and the form itself was quite impressive and I could not wait to see how she would glaze it!

Rebecca made the bowl (pictured on the left) in a matter of minutes.  She was showing us how we can blend two different types of clay together and she came up with this beautiful flower design on the spot!

There was definite teamwork in piecing together Vivian’s mugs.  In the end, Vivian wasn’t sure if they would still be mugs, two vases, or potentially bookends.  Whatever it may be, she was able to piece all the individual parts together to create something stunning.  With Rebecca’s mother, she has a fascination with noses.  Because of her intrigue, she made a piece that showcased the nose.  I loved how she added on eyebrows to create more depth to the vase.

Finally, my finished product minus the glaze:

The first experience using ceramics to create an interpretation of Peanut was so much fun (and relaxing) that I was eager to sign up for the next workshop at SPACE, which was a three week series.  I shared the workshop information with a few of my girlfriends and this time around, instead of having Taro with me, Vivian signed up.  This was her first time with ceramics and she was very excited on the prospect of creating something unique.  For me, it was a matter of what to create this time around.

I knew walking into the class that I wanted to either create a plate or bowl.  After sifting through some of the books Rebecca Tager, our instructor, provided, I settled on a bowl with an intricate circle design.  Part of the challenge was finding the perfect circular object to “punch out” individual circles.  Luckily, Rebecca is resourceful and she handed me the lid of her lip balm.  (The sacrifices you make in the name of art!)  The size of the bowl itself was not large, but creating individual circles?  It was time consuming, but as I placed one on top of the other, it came out to this great design.  After finishing the bowl, I actually used a slab to create a piece for our garden – essentially a nameplate.  Something small and cute – me, Taro, and Peanut.

Vivian wanted to create mugs that when joined together, it would be a heart.  Rebecca enthusiastically said yes and she started the task right away.  She used a cutout of a heart to build the shape and had to mold individual pieces – front, back, and sides of the cup.  It took the full two hours to create the components and it actually needed some time to dry before piecing it together.

There were other participants in the workshop and it was great to see the direction they were headed in.  Rebecca’s mother really wanted to create a bowl inspired by her own daughter’s creation.  Another created a bowl with an intricate design acting as the foot of the bowl.  One of the most interesting – she had an inspiration to create it and it just called out it her – was a tiny hedgehog.  I thought it was silly, but in a fun, playful kind of way.

So that was how we all began.  A two hour class goes by in a flash, but what emerges out of it is entirely unique, representative of the individual, and creative.

The creation of my bowl:

The hedgehog piece:

Rebecca is a great instructor and someone so easy to work with.  If you need suggestions or an extra hand, she’s right there to give support and direction.