Holding the Wild now

It’s hard to believe that a whole ten weeks of making has already passed. Clay has a funny way of bending time. Some days stretch slowly between wedging and glazing, and then suddenly the shelves are full and another term has come to a close.

Term 1 has been full, curious, and quietly wild.

Next term we’ve added an extra week into the calendar, which means a little more clay time for everyone. Something we are very excited about.

Autumn has technically arrived in Cape Town (although the weather seems unconvinced). This late heat wave has kept us on our toes in the studio. When temperatures climb, clay can dry far too quickly, so we have been watching pieces carefully, wrapping shelves, misting surfaces, and trying to make sure nothing cracks before its time. Clay is so sensitive to the weather.

Holding the Wild

Our theme this term has been Holding the Wild.

As always, many students interpreted that invitation in beautifully different ways. Some approached it directly with finely detailed sculptures and curious creature forms. Others built amorphous animal totems that feel like they might have wandered in from another landscape.

Some took a lighter approach. A suggestion rather than a statement. A slightly off centre vessel on the wheel. A textured surface that feels wind worn. A piece that holds the spirit of the theme without spelling it out.

And of course, many students bravely chose to be completely off brand this term and ignore the theme altogether. We salute your rebellious creative spirit.

Theme or no theme, beautiful work has been emerging from every corner of the studio.

We share many of these moments in our Instagram stories, where you can peek behind the scenes and see fresh work coming out of the kilns. You can follow along here:

https://www.instagram.com/clayhands/

Or catch Abi and Tash with our latest live kiln unpack where we reveal some of the glazed student pieces from this term https://www.instagram.com/p/DVimPMnjOu1/- should we do more of this?

Clay in the Wild

One of the conversations we explored this term was a simple but powerful question.

What is clay, really?

We looked at raw clay in its crushed and powdered form, talked about where it comes from, and how it exists out in the landscape long before it reaches our studio bags. It is always grounding to remember that the material we work with comes directly from the earth beneath our feet.

Kilns, Kilns, and More Kilns

Behind the scenes, the team has been busy.

Many kilns have been packed and unpacked over the past weeks. As the term wraps up, we are excited to see the final wave of glazed pieces emerging from the kilns. It is always a little bit magical when raw clay transforms into something finished and luminous.

Dates to Diarise

We have a few updates to some of the dates we shared in our last post.

Potters Market

The long running Potters Market has moved to 27 and 28 March and will be held in Constantia for the first time in its 50 year history. It was a difficult decision for the Ceramic Studio Association and we will support the move as much as we can! Unfortunately we are unable to make those new dates as a studio and so will just be browsing the market this time.

We're happy to say though that the Clay Hands tribe will be broadening our horizons and joining the Kindred Market this coming weekend on 22 March.

Come find us there. We will have a selection of student and member pieces available, as well as a small glaze bar where you can try your hand at dipping glaze yourself. Tash will also be on the wheel doing throwing demonstrations throughout the day.

Come say hello if you are nearby.

Student Showcase Update

We have also had to move our Student Showcase.

There is some exciting news brewing for the studio that we will share very soon. Because of this, we will be postponing the showcase until late May. The exact date is still to be confirmed.

The silver lining is that it gives everyone a little more time to finish their masterpieces. Which, in clay terms, is rarely a bad thing.

A Small Celebration

April also marks Clay Hands’ 8th birthday.

Eight years of muddy aprons, kiln firings, creative experiments, and a growing community around clay. We would love to celebrate it with something simple and social.

We are planning a small community pub quiz style evening at the studio. Nothing too serious. Just good people, a few laughs, and perhaps some questionable trivia.

More details on that soon.

For now, thank you to everyone who shaped, carved, threw, glazed, experimented, and occasionally ignored the theme entirely this term.

The wildness is alive and well in the studio.

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With the support of the National Arts Council funding we are opening up three sponsored seats for women for the upcoming term. This initiative is something close to our hearts and is aimed at creating space for women who would love to spend time in the studio but may not otherwise have the opportunity right now. If this speaks to you, or someone you know, applications are open until 20 March. You can apply here: https://forms.gle/b6hGv64sz2i1Djy18