Life Lessons from the Clay: Staying Centered

Me, doing my favorite thing!

We have all been there. Starting something new. Your first day on the job, freshman year at college, you can probably recall those emotions at will if you needed to.

It's important to keep things in perspective during these moments. For the past three decades my daily time in prayer and meditation have kept my priorities lined up.

That being said, how about your first day in a pottery studio? That teacher who made it all look so easy. Then it was your turn to try to do the same steps.

I remember my first time on the wheel. I had built up so much expectation after years of trying to get back to the place where my art talent belonged. You see, I quit college right as I was taking my first pottery class. Now, 17 years later, I was finally where I wanted to be... at the pottery wheel.

I enrolled in a class at Cornell University's auxiliary studio. Got my clay and tools and set up my wheel. I watched my teacher, Diane Sullivan (Diane Sullivan Design), she naturally made it look so easy. I was even more excited to try it!

Then reality set in like a blast of freezing cold air. I tried; I really did.

I am not one who easily asks for help. As I desperately struggled, I looked around the classroom to see if other people were succeeding, and they were. Which only deepened my frustration. Surely, I could get this.

I would like to think I am fairly competent in the art realm.

Before the tears burst out, I called Diane over and explained my dilemma. Like a good teacher, she instructed me to go through the motions as she observed. She gave a few tips, to no avail. So, she asked to sit at my seat and to give it a go.

Sure! Yes! Please, show me what I am not doing or what I am doing that needs to change. She sat at my wheel, and I will never forget the words she loudly proclaimed as even she had a hard time centering this lump of clay.

" This clay is rock hard! Go get a new bag."

Those two sentences brought such relief and a big smile to my face. Though my centering skills still needed a lot of practice, I was now on my way.

Can you relate?

There are so many subtle moves that can make or break the centering process. I will confess that I hardly ever weigh my clay and my wedging is minimal, but centering? I got this.

When I teach, after my tutorial demo, I quietly watch my students and have been known to throw corrective tips their way. I love seeing them be successful. I am not that teacher who lets a student work it out on their own. The potter's wheel is a place that is easy to give up on.

Just like life, if you don't stay centered, things can get way off way early. It is the foundation of any good pot to be centered properly, and even likewise, important for everyday tasks in this topsy turvy world we live in. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Here are the key points I have learned about centering the clay:

1) Make sure you are properly positioned at your wheel. I like to use the adjustable stools so I can raise one side higher. This puts me at an angle to the wheel (short legs forward) where my back is naturally straighter. I also want my wheel to be close to my knee height. I add bricks to raise the wheel as well.

2) Give a good strong toss of the ball of clay onto the wheel. If it is stuck well but off center, I just twist the mound of clay into the center, I don't remove it. NO WATER YET.

3) I then slap center the clay into a cone shape. I use two hands and a slow wheel speed, keeping my slapping rhythmic. I do this until I see a pretty smooth cone. STILL NO WATER YET.

4) Now I add water, speed up the wheel to medium fast, and with my elbows grounded into my thighs I lean forward. I overlap my fingers so that I can encircle the clay at the base and press or squeeze my palms toward each other. Then I carry the clay upwards.

5) The next step is to bring it back down. It is important to understand a basic principle of physics here, the very center of your wheel and also the center of the ball of clay is where the ease of power occurs. My left hand is my side hand, and my right hand fluctuates from dead center on top to a slightly curved blade of my palm on the side of the top.

If your elbows are anchored correctly, your upper body leaning forward should be all the leverage you need to increase pressure. Sometimes I lean way close to the wheel if the clay is stiff. You should avoid strong arming the clay, it stresses your shoulders and neck.

6) Observe your lump of clay as you center. If the clay shimmies side to side you need more pressure from your left hand, and if it is uneven on the top, it needs more pressure from your right hand. The goal is to have equal pressure from both, but an air bubble or stiff spot can throw you off.

7) A very common mistake that people make is to jerk their hands as they approach the clay or as they let go of the clay. This will un-center your clay every time and undo what you just did. I usually take a breath and release the pressure before I remove my hands. Gentle on, gentle off.

8) The next biggest issue is opening the hole, take your time. You must be exactly in the middle when you start or the wall thickness will be uneven and it usually remains that way throughout throwing, though you can do a certain compression technique to correct this by bracing the inner and outer walls with your left-hand fingers on the inside of the pot and your left thumb on the outside of the pot. Then push down on the top of the rim with your right hand. You can use either your index finger or a sponge to do this. Be sure to get several wheel revolutions in before going to the next step. Overall, it is better to get it right the first time.

9) When you pull the walls, learn to stay at the rim for several revolutions of the wheel. People release the pot too soon. Be gentle at the rim. You also need to recognize a thinner or thicker spot in the wall and when to apply more pressure (thick) or use less pressure (thin). You can also throw down the clay wall to move clay back down into a thin spot. (start at the top and move the clay toward the wheel head).

10) The sooner you correct a problem the easier it is to throw and make a good pot.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

I love to observe my students, then I can assess exactly what they need to do to correct their course! Hopefully your teacher does the same.

If only other life issues could be corrected so easily!

Blessings, Charlene

Here is a quick video to see some of what I am saying.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d83240_4e512636a0f34d34a05005518e125211/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I look so serious when I throw!