A few weeks ago, my mum and I happened to pass a pottery studio in our town centre, lured in by some beautiful hand crafted necklaces in the window! We struck up conversation with the lovely lady there called Connie who had made all these stunning items, from pots and crockery to jewellery and Christmas decorations. She mentioned that she had been looking for someone to help her out some days of the week, and I put myself forward. Today, I did my first day working with her.
First she showed me around the studio. She rents out one of the rooms in a big building which is also home to a magnificent art gallery, and a kitchen where I can be frequently found making tea.
Then Connie got me to work sanding down some mugs she was about to glaze, which took a lot longer than I had thought and made the most awful noise. However, it was immensely satisfying seeing my area of sanded mugs grow and the remaining unsanded ones diminish!
My next job was to rearrange the window display. I took my time taking things off the window, putting them back on, moving them around, going outside to see how it would look to passers-by. I did the same to the shelves inside too. Connie said she thought I had done an excellent job and admired my perseverance!
Lastly, I did what’s called sponging, which is exactly what it sounds like – taking a damp sponge and dabbing it on very delicate pieces of pottery (in this case, Christmas decorations) to smoothen the edges. I also used a little serrated tool to nick off any particularly jagged parts. It took a good hour or two to get them all done but Connie said it was a great help to her as they’re now ready for glazing and painting.
I didn’t get home until dinnertime and was so tired, but it was a lovely day and I really enjoyed spending time with Connie and meeting her customers and regulars! I’ll be back tomorrow, and then we’ll figure out future dates for next week.
Hello Lavinia, it’s so nice to read this post, to get such a detailed account of what you have been doing. Although rather basic, the jobs you helped me with were designed to get you used to handling Ceramics confidently – initially already fired and glazed ceramics, which needed ‘finessing’ before selling them, and then small items of greenware (unfired clay). I was impressed with your patience and perseverance.