The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 13 ,2 01 8 | 42 I have always been that person who creates things without following instruc- tions. My Ikea furniture takes a few tries (or the help of someone nearby), and any sort of recipe is a real hit and miss in my hands. While skipping ahead and eyeballing measure- ments certainly keeps things interesting, in the world of beginner pottery, this is a no-no. There's pret- ty much one hard and fast rule: stay patient and follow the steps. Last week, my colleague and I visited the Credit Val- ley Artisans in George- town, where I attempted to craft a bowl for the first time. And while impatience is my specialty, it was satis- fying to perform each step slowly and meticulously, and to end the class with a decent piece of pottery, rather than a lump of goop on my wheel head. This wasn't without the help of our instructor Frans Rood, however, who showed us the ropes and gave us a hand here and there. My verdict is this: pot- tery gets a little messy. And for first-timers, your form is likely not going to be ide- al. But the feeling of clay on your hands and attempting to make something out of it can be therapeutic - if you can let go of your ego. For those beginners who are looking to get their hands dirty, here's the low- down on the primary steps to creating a basic piece of pottery. Don't wear your best clothes Expect to get a little messy, because you will. Generally speaking, the clay will wash off your clothes, but you may want to wear something you are not exactly in love with. Al- so, make sure to remove all jewelry that could get in the way (rings and bracelets) and keep your fingernails nice and short. You need to prep your clay before you can dive in Before you throw your clay onto a wheel, you will need to prepare it first, us- ing a method called wedg- ing. Wedging (kneading the clay in a triangular shape) helps make the clay easier to work with, while also aid- ing in the removal of any air bubbles. Centring the clay Once your clay is nice and malleable, you need to "throw" it onto the centre of your wheel head, or as close to the centre as possible, us- ing enough force to allow it to stick. Following this step, wet the clay with water and wet your hands as well. Then turn on the wheel and keep it spinning at a moderate speed. Cup your left hand around the left side of the clay and keep your left elbow tucked tight into your body. Place your left thumb over the centre to prevent a point from forming. Then, with every rotation of the wheel, move your hand ever so slightly back and forth to nudge the clay, until a cylindrical shape is formed. Whether you are making a vase, a plate, or a struc- ture in between, the process begins with creating a cyl- inder, Rood informed us. Opening the clay To open the clay, place your left thumb and right middle finger in the centre and gently push downward, opening the clay, but not reaching the bottom. Compressing the bot- tom of your piece In pottery, compression ensures a smooth and stur- dy base/floor. To do this, use a wet sponge and place it on the base of your piece of pottery. Then, apply a slight downward pressure and move sideways toward the wall of your piece, al- lowing the rotations to do the work, smoothing out the bottom. Collaring the clay To collar clay, wet both hands, cup them around the entire piece, gently pushing upward to begin to create the shape you desire. Finishing the rims Run a wet sponge along the rim of your piece to cre- ate a smooth and aestheti- cally-pleasing finish. This should be done after each time the clay has been worked. Pulling up the walls Begin by using your left thumb and index finger, starting at the floor of the piece. Keep your thumb on the outside and index finger on the inside, then gently pinch the wall to create an indent. Apply this same pressure evenly and as you pull upward through the wall with each rotation of the wheel. Credit Valley Artisans is offering two fall pottery courses beginning in Sep- tember and October 2018 re- spectively. For pricing and further information, visit www.creditvalleyarti- sans.ca/Pottery.html. OPINION IN POTTERY, THERE IS NO ART WITHOUT PATIENCE VERONICA APPIA vappia@metroland.com IFP reporters Alex Heck and Veronica Appia take a pottery class with Frans Rood of the Credit Valley Artisans. Carolyn Martin/photo SALES SERVICE INSTALLATIONSESA #7003060 DEKEReLeCTRIC ltd. 905-702-0515 www.dekerelectric.ca TIONS 2016SMALLBUSINESSOF THEYEAR Did you know DEKER eLeCTRIC will safely recycle your old batteries (any size!) at no charge? Drop them off at our location at 348 Guelph Street during office hours. Visit georgetownsoccerclub.com for details and full schedule Mustangs U13 and older RepTryouts MarkYour Calendar! Sept. 29th & 30th - Trafalgar Sports Park