The Pottery Dance

Creating with ceramics in the comfort of your own home has become one of the trendiest pastimes of the moment. In an era dominated by technology and remote connections, using your hands slowly, with attention to what you are touching, and at the same time with creativity, putting your senses into something direct and concrete, is conquering the whole world (even that of Gen Z).

Photo by Ambir Tolang on Pixabay

We have been taught since we were children not to waste time, to be punctual, to respect deadlines and schedules. They taught us to run, to always have something to do, to be constantly productive. They told us that "those who have time don't wait for time", and that everything must aim for the best possible result, with good organization. We have thus all become experts in programming and time management, just to carry out many activities well pigeonholed like in a colorful puzzle. And we were happy like that. Luxury status became not having even a minute of not knowing what to do: the busier you were and the less you stopped, the more valuable you were in society. Someone to look at with respect and admiration. Then, in 2020, the "patatrack": a global pandemic, everyone closed at home, severe lockdown. Every activity stopped, every human being forced into isolation, every relationship outside the home interrupted. Life as we knew it no longer existed, unless it was regulated differently and changed greatly from what it was before. There was a surge in online commercial activities, in virtual relationships thanks to technology, and the only ones who could be seen roaming the streets, for a long time, were express couriers. Each of us was presented, like a bolt from the blue, with the challenge of living in a closed environment, far from direct human contact, for a long period, without losing our serenity. And here, each person had the opportunity to bring out their creative side, looking for hobbies and moments of leisure that they could do at home alone or with their partners. We have seen people dedicate themselves to culinary art, gymnastics, board games; many (lucky ones) have dedicated themselves to gardening; there are those who have picked up the brushes of their youth again, those who have dedicated themselves to online courses, and those who have learned to draw, just to name a few examples. By slowing down the pace of our lives, we have rediscovered the pleasure of manual and creative activities: some of these have been adapted to home versions, taking inspiration from the artistic-professional versions performed on a broad spectrum and on a much larger scale. This was precisely the case with the art of creating with ceramics, which we discovered to be one of the most relaxing hobbies to try at home, also thanks to the use of tools that can be used in small spaces, and which are easily found on the market already organized into rather complete kits. Creating with ceramics in the comfort of your own home, in fact, has become one of the trendiest pastimes of the moment. In an era dominated by technology and remote connections, using your hands slowly, with attention to what you are doing and at the same time with creativity, putting your senses into something direct and concrete, is conquering the whole world (even that of Gen Z). But what is ceramic? And what can be achieved with it? Ceramic is the material obtained starting from clay (a resource present in the most diverse types of soil, therefore very easy to find), but is composed of a set of other elements such as quartz, limestone, marl, kaolin, sodium, and feldspars. The variable percentage of these elements within the material determines the quality of the clay (which takes different names, depending on its majority composition). For example: earthenware, terra cotta, stoneware, porcelain (the latter is the best in terms of quality).

To describe some types, terracotta is more reddish and porous, and must be fired in a special ceramic kiln at a temperature between approximately 980 degrees and 990 degrees. The classic red color it possesses is caused by the presence of iron in the clay. We often find it used to create furnishing or decorative elements for outdoors. Porcelain, on the other hand, is made up of half kaolin and half quartz with feldspars, and after firing (which takes place at around 1300 degrees), it is much more compact and smooth (for these reasons, it is considered the most valuable type). Porcelain is usually used to create interior furnishing and decorative elements (plates, cups, statuettes, tiles of artistic value, vases, dolls, etc.). The characteristics of high malleability, softness to the touch, and the heat of the hands, plasticity, resistance to volume contractions, and refractoriness (which means its ability to be fired at high temperatures without deforming), have led ceramic to be one of the most used materials in the history of humanity, comparable to the use we make of plastic today. At this point, we can ask ourselves how a beginner who wants to try his hand at working with ceramics at home can get started (and what he needs). In this regard, a small "guide to creating with ceramics" can be outlined. First of all, working with ceramics means shaping the material with your own hands: the modeling phase is fundamental, and can be done using only your hands and objects such as buckets, molds, or commonly used objects (dishes, rolling pin, vases, to name a few), with which you help yourself shape clay blocks without cooking, self-hardening, or self-drying, guided by your imagination. Another way to shape is using a machine (which can be of various sizes), called a pottery wheel. Both the blocks of ceramic ready to be modeled and the ceramic wheel can be easily purchased on the web (large marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are full of them). Furthermore, hobby ceramics (which differs from professional ceramics because the latter must be fired at temperatures that are impossible to reach with a domestic oven), can also be easily purchased in fine arts and DIY shops. Other tools that can be used in the "do it yourself" processing of ceramics are: an electric oven for firing ceramics, wooden slats of different sizes to let the ceramics dry, tables for storing the artifacts; spatulas, sticks, wooden templates and modeling compasses; clay cutting wire, scraper, sights, hands and metal graffiti tools, sponges, and plastic turning rubber for defining and finishing. I know, it seems complicated but in reality, it's not like that: there are many online courses for beginners suitable for learning the basic techniques, and also the possibility of purchasing rather complete kits (including colors) right away. The plate is one of the simplest artifacts to make, to start: you begin by wetting the clay a little without cooking, until it is malleable. Then it is placed on a rigid surface and, with the help of a simple kitchen rolling pin, it is rolled out as you would with dough. You have to roll the "pastry" until it reaches a few millimeters in thickness and, subsequently, give it the shape you like best (here comes the best part: have fun! It doesn't have to be round!). Now, using the appropriate mirettes or sticks (or any object that your imagination suggests), begin to decorate in bas-relief style. The last step is the color: with the help of special glazes and colors for ceramics (without firing for self-drying ones) or colors for firing (if an electric kiln for ceramics is used), the surface thus obtained is decorated. The same process can be used to create other objects such as vases, small containers, decorative tiles, and even jewelry: the important thing is to let your imagination fly! And don't pay attention to the passing time, let yourself be carried away in your creative work without wanting to be precise, but following a minimal and completely experimental style. We said previously that there is also the possibility of using fired clay at home, with the help of a special electric oven. It is usually an option that evaluates those who have already been passionate about this creative hobby for some time and therefore are more confident with the equipment, but nothing prevents you from starting here! In the shops and sites mentioned above, you can also purchase kilns dedicated to ceramics, of various sizes and prices. Finally, everything depends on the space you have available in your environment, which you can dedicate to creativity. There are people, highly involved in this creative activity, who even consider purchasing the famous potter's or ceramic wheel. Some of them are so stimulated by this process (I quote their experience), that they have added various tools over time to be able to always increase their degree of freedom in creativity, going so far as to actually use any commonly used object to create effects on the surface of the matter (such as, for example, old embroidered centerpieces). For them, owning a lathe had therefore become an obligatory step. What is it about? The ceramic wheel is a machine that exploits the friction between the centrifugal force imparted to the clay, placed on a disk, and the opposing force deriving from the hands of those who work it, to obtain a regular shape. There are various types of lathes: pedal-powered (very exciting, listening to the opinion of those who have tried them, because the whole body is used in the work), but also motor-driven and electric (less tiring). The first are the oldest, the centrifugal force is given by the speed impressed with the foot on the pedal and require skill in coordinating foot and hand movements. The others are less tiring, suitable for long and continuous work. In any case, knowing how to use a lathe means great consistency of practice, as you come to master the machine after some time, and it is not so obvious. The biggest mistake you can make in this artistic activity is, in fact, being hasty and fickle for large periods of time, which guarantees the loss of manual skills (especially if you use tools). Being able to observe a lathe being worked is like watching a show, a "dance of the hands". First, the material is placed on an already moistened central disk, and the ball of clay is pressed with both hands to make it adhere as much as possible to the base. After which, the lathe is activated: the disk is turned at high speed and the hands are used to pierce the clay, work it, smooth it, also with the help of sponges and spatulas. By doing this, you give the desired shape to the material, widening or narrowing it, manipulating it both in height and width (does the famous vase scene from the film “Ghost” tell you anything?).

Photo by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash

Once the artifact has been obtained with the desired shape, and possibly decorated with bas-relief, it can be colored with the preferred technique: raku, cuerda seca (which are relief enamels), tear enamels, engobe, or even photoceramics (it is a digital printing applied on ceramic); and again: high or low temperature ceramic glazes, solid colors with effects, 3D colors, paints, crystalline, opaque colors. Once the last phase, that of glazing, is completed, the product is left to dry (if colors that do not require firing are used). And here is the finished work. If by reading these lines you can imagine the effect that would make you sink your hands into a soft block of material, which is shaped by the touch of your imagination, forging it with maximum freedom, experimenting without anxiety about the result, and the idea of whether it will be liked, all I can do is urge you to try it. It is no coincidence that the activity of making ceramics at home is considered one of the most relaxing, motivating, and rewarding creative hobbies. The sense of satisfaction that accompanies the creation of an artifact beats performance anxiety, the need to be precise, productivity at all costs, and the multitasking to which we were and still are accustomed. Even the endorphin rush from hyper-connection on social media is beaten. Seeing is believing. Today, the new status of the person of great social value is no longer the maximum possible active employment, the maximum productivity; it has become knowing how to give yourself a true quality of life. Knowing how to modulate the rhythms in your favor, through true enjoyment of your time, is the key. Ceramic manufacturing is a great opportunity to use this key to your advantage, also reminding us that it is not only an individual artistic activity but also a social one, to be shared together with others.