Pottery Class...Part Deux



Here they are.  My babies from my second round of Pottery Class are glazed, fired, and finally home.  I couldn't be more proud of them.  I tried to go more for quality than quantity this time, and I think I did pretty well.  I'm sure that most people try to master one thing, but I was all over the place with my creations.

This is my strawberry colander, and it's my pride and joy. I can't wait to try it out!  I swiped the idea from Kimberly.  She made one first, and the second I saw it, I knew I had to try it.   



Here are my candle holder, small vase, and plant holder.  The candle holder was sort of an experiment, and I almost trashed it.  (We call it "killing the baby" in class.)  After seeing it glazed, it's turned into one of my favorites. 

 These... are my butter bells.  Poor Danny didn't know what to make of these, but he was very patient and encouraging while I created them.  After I made the one on the right, Sarah told me that it looked like a mushroom.  I added the polka dots, and now it's a work of art.  I can't wait to display it on my kitchen counter!

And last, but not least, I made two more pitchers (pottery code for I can't seem to get the top even) and a coffee mug.  After seeing my last post, I'm sure you're asking yourself why on earth I would need another mug. Each week during class, we would stop half way through and take a coffee break.  Danny would set up a table for us (inside the shop if it was raining, or outside in the sun filled yard if it was not) and serve us fresh coffee and treats while we talked.   And we talked a lot.  We discussed everything from the differences of living in Belgium versus America, food, travel, television, and just about everything you can imagine.   And we laughed.  A lot.   During these breaks, we drank coffee out of mugs that Danny had made inside his shop.  I decided that I wanted to try to make a mug that looked like his, so I would always remember these fantastic days that I spent here.  These are some of the happiest memories that I have made in Belgium.  These are the things that I will miss the most when I leave. 

Pottery Class

In case you were wondering, pottery class is still in full swing, but there are very few classes left. And that makes me sad. Of all the things that I'll miss about Belgium, this ranks very close to the top. It's been tons of fun learning how to throw clay, chatting with the ladies and harassing Danny (our teacher). Come to think of it, he might be looking forward to the end of our classes. Nah. He's a great sport, and he's really taught us a lot. And fixed our mistakes when we mess up big time. My latest creation is my butter bell. If you want to see what they are supposed to look like, then check out this site. Mine is more... original. I made two, actually, but this one is my favorite. While cleaning it up, and making sure it all fit together before I added the handle on top, I realized it looked like a mushroom. Someone suggested that instead of the handle, I just add spots, so I went for it. I'm very pleased with the results. All the other butter bells in the world will be jealous. (And yes, I know that the second picture is sideways, but Blogger wouldn't behave.)

Pottery Class

I'm just a few days into my second session of pottery classes in Belgie, and quite frankly, they are the highlight of my week. Who knew how relaxing and enjoyable it is to sit at a spinning wheel, covered in clay up to your elbows, and just create? And why didn't you share this secret with me sooner? I'm sure a lot of it has to do with our awesome teacher. He has a great sense of humor, and is infinitely patient with the crazy ladies that make up his class. He doesn't even flinch any more when I start out with "I saw this picture online..." or "Is it possible to..." He just tells me to go for it and gives me little pointers along the way to keep me on track. Of course, there have been a few times that we've gotten a little carried away (OK, very carried away) with our chatter at our coffee break. Poor Danny just leans back, shakes his head, and says "I'm glad my English is not so good." You're a very brave man, Danny. Very brave indeed.

Pottery Perfection

I picked up my babies today. I must admit, I'm more than a little bit proud of how fantastic they all turned out. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with them now, but I'll find a spot for them somewhere. I don't think I'll find myself in need of a bowl any time soon. They started out as soup bowls, but after the firing process, they came out a tad smaller, so... ice cream anyone? These are some of my first creations. I had a hard time centering the clay on the wheel. I had an even harder time keeping it centered after I started to form my bowls. I couldn't bear to destroy these that turned out a little lopsided, so I just squeezed one side into a spout and added handles. Now I have original gravy and olive oil containers. Original is a good thing, right? I love these not only because of their great shape, but also because of the glazes I used on them. (Plus I finally got the knack of making a nice even bowl, so they are also a symbol of accomplishment!) This is the last piece that I made in the class. I know, it looks a little bit like some sort of insect, but it's not. It's an olive dish. You put black and green olives in the two larger bowls, and toothpicks in the little cup on the bottom. The small cup on the top is for your olive pits. I didn't come up with this idea on my own, in case you're wondering. Danny had made one in his shop, so I just copied it.

This is probably my favorite piece from the class. I was messing around on the Internet and looking up pottery pieces that other people had made. I came across something that looked like this. Mine is actually a mini version of the one that the artist had made. It's supposed to be a chip and dip bowl. The dip goes in the small bowl in the center and the crackers or chips go in the outer ring. I loved that it looked like a pretty flower. So I tried it. And amazingly enough... it worked out. When the kids return to school in the Fall, the ladies and I are going to take another pottery class. I'm already excited about it. Danny can't wait, either. When we asked him about it, he said "Um, you're coming back? You want to do this again?" Then he got this strange little twitch in his left eye. See? He can't wait!

Pottery and Sad Goodbyes

Some great friends of ours are heading back to the states. This is one of the only bad things about our nomadic lifestyle. But when you think about it, if it were for the military, we would never have met them to begin with. We decided to spend one of our last nights together doing something that we've had a blast doing in the past...racing at the go kart track. All too soon, the night was over. Next thing you know, and we're taking them to the airport. Sadness. The Smiths are some amazingly awesome people, and it's hard to let them go, but they're ready for the next stage in their life. Retirement. And new adventures on the horizon. They have started On Target Outdoor Ministries, so be sure to check them out. When you do, say Hi for me. I'm sure our last year in Belgium will go just as quickly for us as it did for them, and we will soon meet up with the Smiths at Disney World! It's been a week full of endings, it seems. I had my last pottery class this week. We spent the day glazing our creations and getting them ready for their final firing. I must admit, I'm pretty proud of my work... especially my bowls. I'll post more pics after they are fired, so you can see the final products. Maybe I'll add a pottery room when Russ builds me my castle. Then I can become a famous artist and sell my bowls on the internet. Our retirement is fast approaching, so I need to be thinking about the future. Castles don't build themselves, you know.

Making Pottery

In case you were wondering, things are advancing nicely in my pottery class. I made four bowls and a little vase last week. I cleaned them up and added decorative handles to a couple of them this week, but sadly, I didn't get any pictures of them after that. Danny, our teacher, took one look and said "Do we like bowls?" I had to explain that my brain was saying "tall vase" each time, but my hands and the clay disagreed, and I ended up with a bowl. And another one. And then a third. After that, I just gave up and made a fourth bowl so the whole family would have one. I like that they each have their own personality. Some day, they will hold lovely things like olives and salsa. And cereal, if you aren't very hungry. (They are kind of small.) If you ever find yourself in need of a small bowl, you know where to look. I'm your gal.

A Passion For Pottery

My love for Polish pottery has lead me in a new direction. I'm learning how to make it! (Pottery, that is. Not Poland.) How cool is that? Today was my first class, and I'm hooked. I will add that it's a lot harder than it looks. And messy. Very messy. But that's all part of the fun. Today, we learned how the pottery wheel works, and how to center our clay on the wheel. We also learned how to control the clay a little bit. I know that sounds very simple, but it's not. 95% of the time, the clay wobbles back and forth in a lumpy mess, with white chalky water flying everywhere. It's a work in progress. Luckily, our teacher is very nice and extremely patient. About half way through, he made us coffee and fed us snacks. He rocks. I'm already looking forward to next week. I will become one with the clay. I will find my inner artist. I can do this.

Poland Was....Um....Interesting

I went to Boleslawiec, Poland, for the weekend with a group of gals from KB. I know that driving over 8 hours just to buy pottery sounds pretty ridiculous, but it was a chance to see a different country, explore a Polish city, and check out a really cool castle there. You know how I am about my castles. I LOVE them. There were 7 in our group, so we took two different vehicles. All I can say is thank goodness for Tommy (my GPS), because I would have been truly lost without him. When we finally found the hotel, the four of us had some time before we could check in, so we checked out the area. It was interesting. This is the hotel.This is the restaurant attached to the hotel. This is the neighbor across the street, who was very happy to entertain us during out wait. The rooms were very clean. We lucked out and somehow got one of the larger rooms. Our friends got one about one third this size. The restaurant was very nice. They had good coffee, and the ladies who worked there were very kind. We were exhausted from the long day of driving, so we hit the hay. My friends and I were very excited to see the city and check out that castle.
Very early the next morning, we started shopping for pottery. (Apparently this region is known for it's pottery.) I'm not really into flowery dishware, but it was interesting to check out a couple of stores. The prices were reasonable, so I figured I'd pick up a couple of things as souvenirs. Another pottery shop. Another pottery shop.
Another pottery shop.
Another pottery shop.Another pottery shop. I got tired of taking pictures of all of the pottery shops, but I'm sure you get the drift at this point. That's OK. It's time to break for lunch. I was hoping we'd get to eat at the castle, but I was told that they probably weren't open for lunch, so we'd get to that later and eat dinner there that night. So we ate near the....um....pottery shops. Lunch was interesting.

Lunch was over, so we got to.....um...shop for pottery.

Another pottery shop.Another pottery shop.

Another pottery shop. I've never been so grateful for closing time in my life. Now we can get to the castle. There isn't really time to see anything of the city, but the castle is the real reason my friends and I chose to come along on this trip. I saw some pictures of it online, so I'm sure it's worth it. Beautiful, isn't it? So worth all those hours driving....and shopping....and ....um....This angle is even better. You can almost make out the details...and.....um....it....

The staff were very kind to allow us to eat in a private dining room. We could have taken a tour of the castle, but they only do that during the day time. I understand that lunch there, followed by a tour, are a popular pass time with tourists. That's....um.....interesting.
Anyhoo, after many...many...many hours of driving, we made it back home. (Thanks again to Tommy! He rocks!) I picked up a few things. Here they are. I also found these cool boxes. The round one is from Russia. My van mates were an awesome bunch of ladies and we hope to take a trip together again soon. Just not another trip like this one. Or to Poland.