Cristy in the City

Macky turns one and gets to visit the Iloilo Esplanade 1

April 05, 2023

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Weekends at Ceramico Arts and Crafts

Two Saturdays were productively spent learning a new skill--pottery! I've always loved playing with modelling clay when I was a child and pottery making is a grown-up version of that cherished hobby. There's a pottery studio in Lapaz District wherein you can indulge your love for clay whether you are a newbie or an advanced learner. I booked my pottery tutorial session at Ceramico Arts and Crafts via Facebook messenger and the owner responded promptly to my requests and inquiries.

During the first session, you will be given a short lecture on the different kinds of clay and the particular clay you will be using during the workshop. Then comes the hands on tutorial on how to use a motorized or manual pottery wheel. This is the most challenging part of the pottery experience that will give you a new perspective on how wonderful our hands are in molding the design that we want. As clay is very sensitive, almost fluid, the slightest pressure will alter a design. It will take months, if not years to develop a sensitive potter's hand.

After the pottery wheel tutorial, you will be working on a large flattened slab of clay wherein you will do free form designs. In other words you can fashion anything out of the sheet of clay such as pinch pots, trinket holders, figurines, paper weight or anything you can think of. You can use cutters and other tools. After you have completed your creations, the items will need two weeks to "rest" before being baked in a kiln. Afterwards, another follow-up session will be devoted to painting your pottery creations and dipping them in glaze. The painted pieces will then be baked in a high temperature kiln to develop the color and strength of the clay.

The fun part is seeing your raw masterpieces transform into unique, beautiful finished products!