Ever since seeing the movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, I’ve dreamed of using a potter’s wheel. As Patrick guided Demi’s hands to shape the clay…I’m blushing!
Fast forward twenty-five years and I still wanted to try my hand at making pottery. This past winter, I had my opportunity sadly without Patrick…
Flo Greig, potter and owner of Greig Pottery Ltd. in Gagetown, New Brunswick offers pottery courses during the winter months. The course is divided into two classes several weeks apart. The first class is the shaping and building stage and the second class is for glazing. Flo takes care of baking everything created in between the two classes.
The class size is limited to five students as to allow Flo to provide as much personal hands-on guidance as possible. At one point, while I was ‘on the wheel’, my vase started to collapse. Flo was working near by with one of the other students.
Without looking, she reached behind her back to my tumbling lump of clay and with one hand reshaped it to the point where I could finish! It was unbelievable to witness such remarkable skill.
I hoped to create eight dinner plates. I did.
I also built two garden wine glasses, a small pitcher, one over sized bowl and two smaller bowls.
Fourteen pieces of pottery in one day. Flo called me a machine!
After an eight hour day of pottery making, I understood why Flo is in such amazing condition.
Our pottery needed to dry and be ‘cooked’ before we could decorate it. Two weeks later, we returned to color/glaze our work. It was fascinating to work with color that didn’t resemble the finished product. The glazes become the true color after being fired. Luckily, Flo’s shop is located next to her studio so we were able to see what was what..
Flo inspired each of us with her gentle approach to her art. If we headed in the wrong direction, she had a way of guiding us back to success.
She shared countless technique tips. When we thought we were finished, she would show us how to finish more professionally…
My pottery is not perfect but to have an opportunity to be taught by an artist with such profound skill was a dream come true.
Thanks for reading.
