Could pottery be the perfect hobby? Even complete novices can poke and prod a ball of clay into something recognisable, usable, satisfying – and perhaps even slip into a state of mindfulness while they’re at it. Britt Coker takes a look at the rising interest in pottery ahead of Nelson Clay Week in early October.
If you want to try your hand at pottery, throwing on the wheel is fun, but harder than it appears. Look what a mess Demi Moore’s character in Ghost made of a perfectly good vase. In her defence, she was doing quite well at it until her shirtless husband, Sam (Patrick Swayze) came along and distracted her. Has anyone looked at a pottery wheel the same way again?
It seems odd to call a technique ‘throwing’ when you only spend a couple of seconds chucking the clay on the wheel and the rest of the time making the wheel turn using a foot pedal or electricity. It should be called wheeling, turning or pedalling. If I wished to channel my inner word nerd at this point, I would explain that the word ‘throw’ in this context, comes from the old English, ‘thrawan’, which actually means to twist or turn. But lucky I don’t go into origins of words because that is geekier than thrawaning clay these days.
Nelson Tasman has a reputation for producing some of the country’s most recognised ceramicists and potters including Katie Gold, Royce McGlashen and Christine Boswijk. From the 1950s-70s, Nelson had the most potters per head of population and an international reputation as a centre of excellence in studio pottery. Enthusiasm for the craft has never really abated here but its appeal seemed to increase when the world fell off its axis in 2020. Rebecca Young, Nelson Community Potters tutor has a take on that.
“People had a lot of time during lockdown to reflect on their life and how they were spending their time and I think that a lot of people probably thought, ‘Man I could be doing stuff at home but I don’t have any hobbies’, and so I think that it has actually driven more of us out to do things. Also, people really wanted to get back out into the community and connect with people.”
The healing nature of creative pursuits has seen the evolution of creative arts therapy as a way of helping people with their state of mental health. If we’re feeling down, exercise is regularly recommended as a mood shifter, but fewer people would consider a creative outlet to help with the process. Of course, life doesn’t have to be challenging in order to pummel clay. We eye up classes when we’re looking for reward, variety or a challenge; something to provide space for contemplation or human connection. Rebecca laments the personal belief systems of some individuals who never consider artistic pursuits as an option because they don’t think they have the natural talent.
“I think that absolutely every person is creative, and society has made some people feel like they are not creative or they’ve put a label on themselves that they don’t have a creative bone in their body. But I think that’s the beautiful thing about the pottery course, people come along and sometimes they’re so surprised at themselves and what they produce. It's quite liberating for people I think to realize that they don't have to be anything you know they are a fluid person they can change. They can move into different areas of their life and flourish, and I think that's cool.”
Plus, no one says you have to be good at it, just take pleasure in it.
“It's a learning process. Learning that you can just make stuff because in the process of making it is really cathartic and other people might see the goodness and if they don't, it doesn't matter. I'm really interested in people taking enjoyment from the process of making, rather than placing emphasis on the product at the end of it.”
There are a few different techniques to work with clay. Many great potters steer clear of the wheel, preferring to hand build their pieces by coiling or pinching. It’s forgiving nature allows for plenty of do overs as anyone with strong fingers can fashion a pot or mug out of a malleable lump, and if they hate it, just start again. Glazing and firing follow, and the final stage of admiration requires the least effort but needs the most time. If you are disappointed with what you’ve made, then there’s always reward in the creative process to reflect on.
Rebecca has had her hands in clay since 2019, and as well as tutoring, has established a studio in her garage where she creates pieces to sell. Functional ceramics for other people’s kitchens, a ‘part time gig’ interspersed with motherhood.
“I do tend to mostly make functional pieces, I think that's my comfort zone because I feel more comfortable selling things that I think are going to be used. I absolutely love ceramic artwork that is just for the sake of art, but I battle a lot with - what if someone buys it and then they get tired of it. Whereas if they're using it all the time, I sort of feel like it's more justified.…but that’s just really putting my own feelings on others.”
Last year Reuben Shaw moved down from Auckland to Nelson with his family in the pursuit of better work/life balance. He’d always been interested in trying pottery and the shift meant pottery class was one of the things he finally found time for. An opportunity to “try something new, meet new people and just enjoy the gift of giving it all away to people that I love.”
A creative person with a background in jewellery making, Reuben enjoyed the practical, hands-on nature of the hobby and the group camaraderie.
“All of us could agree on the same thing, that when you walk in through that front door every Tuesday evening, you take your coat off, sit down at the wheel and just have a bit of yarn about how your week’s been. It was a place to unwind really and just relax. But, at the same time we're all here for the same reason, we're all here to make pottery together.”
He thinks one of the appeals of pottery making now is its alignment with sustainability and people’s desire to reduce or reuse. It doesn’t hurt that a handmade ceramic mug of the 21st century is likely to offer more aesthetic appeal, courtesy of glaze or shape. The heavy shades of 1970s brown show no signs of dominating store shelves anytime soon.
“People are starting to think more about reusing things more and more as opposed to using them once and throwing them out. And the colours are just incredible compared to what you might find in shops years ago.”
Taking a clump of the earth and transforming it into something that you can eat or drink out of probably plucks at the Neolithic DNA strands still threading through us. If we’re going to follow daily rituals, one that simply involves eating or drinking from something you made yourself seems like a rewarding way to start the day.
