All good things have to start somewhere and it's not always possible to peek into the future and foresee how effective consistency and practice are.
This little piece is my very first attempt at playing with clay.
A couple of years ago I enrolled in a hand-building pottery class, turned up in my apron, and then fumbled around with the lump of clay on my workstation, which to be honest I wasn't all that keen on the texture of.
There was an array of tools and equipment that I think were supposed to spark some grand idea, but they all just looked sharp and dangerous to me.
After being shown how to prepare, roll, manipulate, coerce the clay - often more than once - into a functional piece I had made a little jug.
I cannot tell you how proud of that jug I was. I felt like I'd mastered this clay lark and was dead set keen to make more.
What I hadn't considered was that after firing in the kiln the jug would shrink, it would only hold approx 50 mls of liquid, it glugs rather than pours - and it has edges sharp enough to cut through an apple!
But … it sits in a prominent spot in my pottery studio to remind me when I'm not having a very productive or creative day, that all of the frustrations and hours of learning have paid off.
I also have the little jug to thank for sparking my interest in clay which led to throwing on the potters wheel, my favourite craft now.
Teresa x