With that in mind come along with me on an adventure to Smak Dab, a pottery place in Brantford. I went last night with this fun writers group I have joined. There were six of us for most of the evening with one late comer showing up while we were labouring over our pottery. I had never done anything with clay before, nor had I ever been to a pottery place before. The building had a very unique smell to it, which I had not expected, nor would I want to experience it again in the near future. Thankfully the people who own the pottery place also owned a Pizza place right next door. So the delightful smell of dough cooking floated into the pottery room every once in a while to compensate for the clay smell in the room.
Seeing the potter working on the wheel with a ball of clay was fascinating until I learned that it takes 3 or more semesters of pottery classes to learn how to do some very basic things on the potter's wheel, like making a jar with straight sides on it. I was relieved to discover that we would not be put through the rigourous ordeal of attempting to use the potter's wheel. Yet, secretly I would have loved to experience the feel of the clay taking shape around my fingers. Maybe some day, when life has slowed down I will take private classes and have the tactile experience of forming something of beauty on a potter's wheel--some day!!
This pottery place was very unique in that it had more animals in number than the people we had in our group and the instructor had more stories about the animals than we had time to listen to. Good thing the pizza joint was right next door because we soon got hungry. The pizza was very good. Some enjoyed the vegaterian one, but my favorite was the Pepperoni one. It arrived at our table so hot that I burned my lip and tongue when eating the first piece.
Due to the complexity of the potter's wheel the instructor had already shaped something for us to work on to create what ever we wanted it to be. Typically I am stumped at moments like this. That is when I would look around at one of my four children to either get an idea from them or to turn my attention on them so my attempts can fade into the background and no one notices that 'mom' does not do a piece of pottery because after all she has been too busy watching and helping the children.
Drats, the children are all grown and have left home and my grandson is only 4 months old and lives in Winnipeg now, so he was no help to me either, even though I had my newest most adorable printed photo of him with me. Still, I had to do something, I could not fade into the background and there were no children there to pump the prime to attempt, and probably fail, to get the creative juices flowing in 'mom'. For some reason though, this night my juices were already flowing. What gives with that I wondered.
Then I realized it was probably Dianne's fault because she coloured my hair in the afternoon which probably activated my creative juices!! My brain was coming up with ideas and images through out most of the evening which is absolutely unheard of for me. Maybe it is true--that blondes do have more fun!!! Here I was laughing with others and there was no fear that I could not do this pottery thing.
Remember I said I had not worked with clay before? Well I neglected to mention that I really do not like getting my hands dirty or wet, yet I found myself on several occasions covered with wet clay on my hands. Each person was required to touch the clay, to squeeze it and turn it and score it and put thin wet clay on the item that we were working on. Amazingly there was no freaking out going on outwardly or inwardly. A new me has been born!!!
I even put my hand inside of the object to apply the clay to brace the sides of the object I was making. Of course one must use equal and opposing force to both sides when one does such things with clay and I was able to remember and come on board with it. Definitely it was a new day for me, on this first day of the Jewish New Year, as well as the first day of the 20 days of 'Reconciliation with God' according to Arthur Burk's material on the four seasonal changes, and on top of everything I was now a blonde--hmm things are definitely looking up in the world.
Then the news came that we were to put something creative on our new creation and immediately I knew what I would make--Alef and Bet--the first two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet along with a heart cut out for my very first hand made 'candle holder'. For that is what my creation is going to be once it dries and is fired and glazed. I had come up with the perfect solution to my problem of what to put on my pottery, for I just started my Hebrew class at McMaster Divinity College the day before the pottery class. I am very excited to be taking Hebrew and I will definitely be burning the candles at both ends to pass this course. So, my personal hand made candle holder is a perfect idea for right now. Truly my creative juices were flowing all day on the first day of the Jewish New Year.
Bob Jones proclaimed that this is the year of the Lion, so again my Alef and Bet candle holder is very appropriate for the year. I think God knew what he was doing when he got my creative juices flowing. I can't wait to see what my candle holder looks like when it is all done--but more importantly I can't wait to see what God is going to release through me and others this year as our creative juices flow. I am sure it will be good, a wonder to behold for sure, but it will all be good for he is a good Papa pouring out these creative juices on us his children.
So, that was my adventure to Smak Dab in Brantford. Glad that you were able to come along with me here on my blog. To see photos of everyone's creation check out Dean Ellis' or Sharon Willson's photos.
