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GOING POTTY FOR POTTERY
As Victorians begin to prepare for winter, it’s tempting to want to stay rugged up inside all season. Venturing out in the cold, dreary weather isn’t enticing as sitting in the warmth of your home with a good book or your favorite TV show. However, it’s important to keep your mind and body stimulated even throughout the chilliest season of the year.
One activity you may not have considered trying is pottery - once an ancient art, now a popular pastime. While the thought of getting behind a pottery wheel may evoke images of that famous movie scene, pottery is really a valuable and rewarding activity for the whole family.
A brief history of pottery
Originally invented to serve a myriad of everyday and decorative uses, the practice of pottery dates back thousands of years. Encyclopaedia Britannica estimates that the creation of pottery and earthenware began approximately 9000 years ago, in the Neolithic period or New Stone Age.
Around 7000 BC, human settlements around the world began producing what is now known as pottery. Pottery refers to items made up of clay and permanently hardened with heat. Generally, such items revolved around vital resources such as food and water. These creations often took the form of plates, bowls, jugs and other vessels.
Places such as modern Egypt, Greece and China began using clay to line vessels for transporting resources. Along the Nile River, for example, Neolithic Egyptians wove baskets from reeds on the bank. These baskets were then lined with rich clay from the Nile River, allowing water to be transported from the river to settlements. When emptied, the clay lining the baskets would dry in the hot sun and become hardened. However, when in contact with water again, the clay would return to a soft state.
Other forms of pottery began appearing with the addition of different rocks and minerals such as sand or soapstone. This, during China’s Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), led to the creation of what is now known as porcelain. In the years until around the 20th century, the practice of pottery advanced to include glazes, embellishments such as gold, depictions of ancient scenes and the formation of decorative objects, as opposed to practical objects.
Throughout this time, human settlements discovered that high levels of heat would harden clay permanently. Around this time, pits of hot coal would be used to harden clay. This is the first known use of a primitive form of kiln. Later developments saw new and more effective kiln structures, allowing for higher heats to produce stronger pottery. Chemical changes occur in clay at around 500 degrees Celsius, allowing clay to permanently harden no matter its contact with liquids.
David Walker’s family has run Walker Ceramics since the 1880s, providing mainly industrial ceramics to businesses and the public. He explains that nowadays, kilns have been modernized for an easier and more effective firing process.
“A kiln is simply a large oven,” says David.
“Elements within the highly insulated kiln heat the interior up to 1300 degrees Celsius, and these kilns are usually electrically programmed.”
“A piece of pottery will be hand or wheel formed, dried and biscuit fired (the first firing of a piece of clay) at 1000 degrees Celsius,” he explains.
“Following this, it will be decorated then glaze [fired] from 1080 to 1300 degrees Celsius.”
Why should I practice pottery?
Modern pottery has, thankfully, come a long way since its inception nearly 10,000 years ago. Nowadays, there is a wide variety of physical, emotional and mental benefits to practicing pottery.
The Journal of the American Art Therapy Association published a study in 2016, showing reduced levels of stress and a positive effect on mental health after less than one hour of creative activity. Art therapy has been found to decrease levels of depression, improve quality of life in patients with medical conditions and increase self-esteem in older people in aged care facilities.
Rather than engaging in specific techniques and strict processes, art therapy can be a fun way to express your creativity in your own way. It doesn’t matter if the end result is ‘good’ or not, but rather that the benefits from the pottery making itself are rewarding.
Pottery making generally requires a lot of focus and attention. This is a great distraction from the stresses of everyday life. Reducing your stress levels while engaging in pottery making can also help you to become more mindful. Laury Rappaport’s book, ‘Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies’ explores how mindfulness practices such as meditation can mesh with creative art therapy.
“Artistic creativity is almost a therapy,” David says.
“Being able to focus on working with clay [can] take away all other outside issues.”
For those with conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis, pottery is a fantastic way to engage in low-impact exercise. Various studies, including a 2021 Harvard University publication, explains the benefits of gentle exercise, like that involved with pottery. Regular, low-impact exercise can increase bone strength and density, therefore reducing the risk of injury as well as falling. It can also assist in lessening joint pain and promoting joint dexterity.
Finally, pottery is an enjoyable way to get out of the house and be social. Make memories and pottery with your loved ones. Engage with others in your community and branch out into new social circles. Create meaningful gifts for friends and family, made with care and love. There are countless benefits to becoming a potter, while the only negative is that it may get a little messy!
How do I get involved?
Pottery classes and workshops can be found all around Victoria. Whether it’s a council-based community workshop or private class, you are sure to find your perfect fit.
“Lots of studios are now teaching pottery, as well as supplying a firing service,” David encourages.
“Buy some clay and tools, and start creating!”
Walker Ceramics is located at 5 McLellan Street, Bayswater. Visit the website and online shop at www.walkerceramics.com.au for orders and more information.
