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Pottering around at the Barn
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| Rebecca on the potter's wheel with Arielle Swainbank |
OK, so I was half expecting Patrick Swayze to be there and yes, I admit, I was a little disappointed when he didn't turn up, but as my pottery session continued at Barleylands Craft centre, I forgot all about the cheesy hunk and started to thoroughly enjoy myself.
If you've ever fancied re-enacting the famous scene from Ghost then this is the place to come. They might not take too kindly to a revealing outfit and smooch with your boyfriend at the end, but you never know - the staff seemed like an open minded bunch!
Instead, they will guide you through the process of making something from clay using a potters wheel.
Hazle Boyles set up the centre 17 years ago in Brentwood and three years ago settled into new surroundings at Barleylands near Billericay.
Famous for her Nation of Shopkeepers collectible ceramic wall plaques, Hazle also oversees the bustling day to day running of the pottery barn that holds classes and courses for people of all ages and abilities.
"The range of what we do here is unique," she says.
"We do hand clay building, pottery painting, china painting. It's very relaxing too and as everyone's really busy these days, you can take some time out and de-stress. It's a three way thing though - you get the relaxation of doing the activity, there's a buzz about creating something and also you can take home an item that's very useful."
That was my aim. A virgin potter, I was determined to take home a bowl to add to my diminishing collection.
Unfortunately I wasn't the natural I had envisaged and although I had the expert help of experienced potter Iona, I was given some shock news - my centrifugal force was all over the place.
"The most important think about making something on the potters wheel, is to keep it centred," she said.
"If it doesn't start centred, you will end up with a very wonky bowl, vase, mug or whatever."
No one wants to end up crying over spilt milk, which is exactly what would happen if my cornflakes bowl turned out lop sided.
So I tried hard to concentrate on letting my thumb relax to find the most central point of the clay and started to push deep and make the beginnings of a bowl.
With my two fingers, I dragged the clay slowly but surely towards me, while remembering to add water and keep the top of the rim thick.
"At this stage you don't want to make anything too thin because it will just collapse on you," explained Iona. I was starting to think I was going to end up taking home an ugly little ash tray, similar to what I was making back in primary school.
But no, with a lot of help from Iona, I managed to construct a bowl-like item from the clay and even added some fancy patterns.
We left it on the side to be fired in the kiln and moved on to one that had been made earlier. It was time to learn how to decorate.
The workshop was buzzing with children and adults painting clay figurines. It's easy to walk in the door, buy a ready-made item from the wide variety on the shelf and settle down to an afternoon of painting. Cats, houses, mugs and aliens were all being delicately coloured before waiting to be glazed and picked up at a later date.
"You can really personalise a gift," says Hazle.
"We get lots of people coming in before Christmas wanting to make unique presents for friends and family. We're also going to be doing a course for people to come in and make their own nativity set!"
The pottery barn has for a long time been offering babies, toddlers, children and adults the chance to have a go at everything that's on offer, but just recently have started specific adult courses for those serious about developing their skills.
"A lot of people come in and say I don't have an artistic bone in my body," says Hazle.
"But being creative can give you such a great boost, whether you're good at it or not."
Adult courses can be taken in half day, full day or evening slots. The courses are stand alone and mean that a project can be started and completed within the time frame and your work will be fired at a later date.
I splashed some pretty paint onto my bowl, going for the textured look and even wrote my name on the front with a clever paint pen. Even though Patrick didn't show up like I was hoping, I still felt strangely serene and in touch with the artistic inner me - perhaps a spirit was at work after all.
Log onto www.hazlespotterybarn.co.uk for more information.
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