Today, Clara and I had our last pottery class. Lucky I have the excuse of three more kids to keep it up. I love having a busy Saturday morning at home, and then sneaking off in the Subaru, cup of coffee in hand, to my favorite part of town with just one child. It feels so intimate and easy, almost like I'm getting away with something.
The class was on the top floor of an old fire station on the Hill, just a few blocks from Chautauqua. After walking up the fire escape stairs to our seats at a long, rectangular table, our teacher, a youngish guy, tall with small glasses, would demonstrate in about 4 minutes what would take us the hour to complete.
The mood while we worked was open and relaxed, full of pleasure to have our hands in clay. Cool air breezed through the fire escape door to counter the heat of the nearby kiln. Generally, it stayed pretty quiet. Just easy chatting here and there with other parent/child pairs. Clara sat in my lap much of the time, which made for some tricky molding. As crazy as she can be, she's actually pretty silent one on one.
In truth, the class was like parallel play, or more specifically, parallel art. With the intensity that can arise in an active household, it's a good reminder. Maybe toddlers are onto something. There's nothing wrong with a little parallel play to strengthen our ties to each other.
How delightful - words and pictures and process and products. Lucky Clara. Lucky you.
ReplyDeleteCurious if the teacher labeled the project. Seems perfect for the age w cutouts, balls, rolled tubes and shapes. Hope you post the fired finish though they look good as they are.
ReplyDeleteHey Linda! These pictured were just called "landscapes." We molded them, then fired them, then painted with acrylics. They were fun to do. I love seeing all your creativity on your blog. You are a true professional!! Happy Spring!
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