Clay is my thing but, as a creative person, it’s not my only thing! I have always loved painting and drawing too but if I am honest with myself, I probably think that making actual ‘things’ with my hands is what I love most.
I have been making little panels out of plaster of Paris this year, using my clay to create small soft bases into which I can impress various types of foliage and then build up the sides to make a kind of box before pouring in the plaster. You’d have thought that with my various broken bones I’d give plaster a wide berth but I seem to be inexorably drawn to it! I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing so I made some rookie mistakes. I’m also extremely impatient and I lost a few in the beginning because I didn’t attach the sides well enough and the plaster just flowed out on the table or possibly, even more stupidly, I just couldn’t wait long enough for the plaster to set rock hard and the piece would break in half when I pulled it off the clay. I get cross with myself but know this is a part of me I have to pay attention to, and I work hard on diverting myself for an hour or two or trying to sit on my hands peacefully and wait.
Peeling off the clay and seeing the finished result is astonishing to me every time because the clay picks up far more detail in the foliage than we can see with our eyes.
Making these has brought me great joy, not least because I have loved to see the final results which are so exquisite and detailed and exceed my expectations every time, but also because I am extending my creativity and as a professional potter it is hard not to get stuck in a creative clay-filled rut! We stand still at our peril, and this is a departure for me, but I couldn’t have made these without my clay which remains a key part of everything creative I do. I have a few of these little flower panels for sale (approx 7cm x 8cm) and costing £24 each including p and p. They're not on my website so if you are interested send me a message and I will let you know what I have.