As a project assistant I was able to join True Colours for potter throwing with Dimleby ceramics on the 18th of March 2024. This session was delivered by Matt who is a professional potter, the session started at 1O am and ended at 5 pm. There was 5 of us learning new skills, we went to their studio which had pottery wheels, we had one each, we put our name tags on the walls behind us to make it easier to remember each other’s names.
We started off by making small pots to learn how to position our hands and fingers, and the correct pressures we should be applying. The first two pots we made on the wheel were cut in half by Matt to show us what looks right and what doesn’t, and to check the thickness, he also did this to help us not get attached to what we were making as when making pots on the wheel it could easily go wrong and have to restart the process again.
After we went for lunch, we came back to make bowls with a larger quantity of clay, Matt was confident we would be able to make a few which we all did, all our pots looked slightly different.
After we'd finished making the pots we begun painting them, the method of painting the pots is to keep them on the wheel, spin it and carefully apply the paint brush, the spinning assures the paint is being applied evenly and quickly.
It feels like the time went fast, we all had a lot of fun and it was a really nice thing to focus on, there was a supportive atmosphere through out the whole session. I never felt under pressure or rushed, overall I really enjoyed the session it was a lovely environment to work in and a beautiful location.