Looking back

wendydiamond20
Jan 28, 2024
1 min read

It's been an odd sort of year in the studio. On the whole I have been supporting people to come and 'have a go' as a result very little of what has been produced has been mine. Some U3A ladies have though and a number of other individuals. Pots have been developed using all the basic techniques - Slab building, coiling, sculpting and of course, throwing.

Gourds and houses have featured over the months. The last month however has proved to be a very interesting project. ' A Posada for Newport'

The original Posada remains a firm tradition in Mexico and parts of the United Stated. The Newport Posada illustrated Mary and Joseph travelling to Newport, not Bethlehem, and visiting four main visitor attractions to correspond with the four Sundays of Advent. Although not a pure pottery project, it has some individual ceramic elements in it, mainly curtesy of Carol, who crafted a replicas of the bull and the cathedral.

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Realising a Dream..

This is me. Setting out on my journey as a hobbyist potter.

Pottery was an ‘add on’ O level course when I was at school, only offered in the sixth form. In to studying Music and RE to A level, I embarked on pottery ‘O’ level as a bit of light relief. I loved it although I was never particularly good at it. I made a few pots, mainly handbuilding using slabbing and coiling but didn’t really learn much.

What I wanted to do more than anything was throw on the wheel – the school did have a wheel but no one was allowed near it unless they knew what they were doing… an interesting approach to the process of acquiring skill methinks. I do have one of my very first pots – rather crude really, but its mine, with my initials ‘scrauped’ on the base. Over the intervening years, of which there were many, I watched the art of throwing from a distance, always hoping that one day it would happen.

We had bought our little cottage in Halifax in 2009. Six years later the adjoining house became available so we set about creating a home by combining the two halves. The ‘under-dwelling’, a feature of a number of houses in that area of West Yorkshire was a real gem; we converted into a pottery studio for me and there began my journey. I enrolled on a course in Springhead. Oldham and my amazingly talented pottery teacher, Sue Devine gave me one-to-one tuition in throwing. I bought a pottery wheel and was given a small kiln. My journey had begun – 40 years later!

Twelve month ago, my partner and I moved to Newport in South Wales. I am most fortunate have a pottery studio here. Why Andante Ceramics? Well, I work slowly, I go with the flow, I create no deadlines for my self. My world of clay is completely self-asbsorbing and tomorrow, if I am fortunate to have one, is another day.

My media pages give a flavour of what I do and my blog documents my thoughts as I journey through the wonderful world of pottery and ceramics. I wont sell any of my work but I delight in making pieces specifically for friends; I love the challenge that creating bespoke pieces bring. If you would like me to make something special do please ask.

Wendy Diamond

Looking back

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