Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Centered

After several minutes of wedging, the clay was ready.  He had worked out the bubbles, repeatedly cutting and pounding the mass.  Now the clay was kneaded and soft.  With a thunk! he dropped the lump onto the center of the wheel and sat down.  Setting the wheel in motion, he dunked his hands in a bucket of water before sliding his palms over the spinning clay.  His teacher's words echoed in his memory, "Center the clay first.  This is essential."  Leaning forward, he propped his elbow on the inside of his knee and laid his hand against the side of the ball.  His left hand enveloped the top of the clay, slipping beneath his skin.  Applying equal pressure with both hands, he pressed in and down feeling the lump bump, protesting and stubborn.  In a few moments, he felt the clay yield, spinning smoothly in a perfect circle.

Wetting his hands again, he made a depression in the middle of the mound, pressing down while supporting the growing wall with his other hand.  He sat back, inspecting his work before hunkering over the wheel and slowly pulling the wall up and out.  With gentle strength, he pressed on the inside of the delicate clay, rounding out the inside of the bowl.  Dipping a sponge in the bucket, he let it slip and slide over the outside of the pot, smoothing out the ridges left behind by his weathered fingers.  Carefully he softened the top of the bowl with the sponge and slowly folded the edge, forming a slight, rounded lip.  He sat back, watching the bowl spin to a stop.

With the cutting wire wrapped several times around each forefinger, he slid it along the surface of the wheel, freeing the pottery.  Gently he transferred the raw bowl to the wood slab to dry.  Before returning to his seat, he seized the doctor from the tray on the floor and scraped the wheel clean.  Then with another thunk! he set back to work.

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Linking up with Trifecta: 333 words inspired by the word:  doctor - a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface.

This takes me back to college and memories of slipping through the window into the pottery studio to work on our pots.  I remember the instructor could stand beside me, and with one hand, center my ornery clay.  My favorite piece I made sits in our kitchen filled with rainbow colored paperclips, several rubber bands, random nails and screws and a few lonely erasures. 

13 comments:

  1. Yes, that moment when the clay yields! I loved reading this... I could read it with my eyes closed.

    Great minds think alike with this prompt, it seems...

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    1. Thank you ... it was fun to take a little trip down memory lane! Although I think we called the scraper just a scraper. Pesky prompt. :)

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  2. I love this! Technical without being too technical (:

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    1. Thank you - I had hoped for more of the emotional than technical side of pottery throwing, but it needed an authentic feel, too. Glad it was understandable and enjoyable, too.

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  3. I love the title, how it not only describes the centering of the clay, but the centering of the character's mind as he works with it. Well done!

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    1. I'm glad you got that! I have often found this image to be helpful when I am wrestling (and whirring about) with life. Being centered by God and ending up the work of art He intends gets lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Thanks for your kind words.

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  4. I love this description. There was an emotional quality about it. Nice one.

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    1. Thank you. I had hoped to communicate more about the artist through his actions without a word from him -- his focus and centeredness.

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  5. I've never worked clay before, but it felt like he was at one with the piece. I enjoyed this glimpse into the process!

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    1. Thank you ... It brought back wonderful memories of working in the college studio, clay up to my elbows and a stubborn pot that won't obey!

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  6. Your description of process is wonderful. Makes me want to take up pottery.

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    1. Thank you ... I had to refresh my memories of throwing pots. But once I started, it was a wonderful walk down memory lane.

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  7. Well done! One of the few of us who used it as a noun. As the editors said - we get extra points. My entry is not what I have up at Write on Edge but if you want to read it just scroll down from the UFO post. Nice work!

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Thanks for visiting! Your comments are warm fuzzies! (And con-crit is always welcome, too.)