Moulding clay drives the blues away

Dubai: "Don't mind the constant nodding," Michael Rice, a professional cer-amic artist, said during the free pottery workshop conducted last Saturday at the Dubai International Art Centre (DIAC).

"It is called a potter's nod," he said to the group, mostly first timers to the art form that creates objects from clay. He was seated at a machine, a potter's wheel, with one elbow resting on his thigh, torso tipped slightly forward, and working with his hands gloved in damp clay.

"The nod happens when you follow the circular motion of the pot to make sure it is symmetrical," he explained, demonstrating basic techniques to manipulate clay.

As he worked, patting the clay into a cone, forcing it in to the centre, opening the centre, and pulling the walls higher and wider, the participants watched on. Later, one would reveal how watching the clay take shape is visually appealing as well as therapeutic.

Several benefits

Rice, an art teacher at the Greenfield Community School, Dubai, and a known figure having exhibited recently as part of the DXB Store at Sikka, Design Days Dubai, and Art Dubai, and an artist who retails through Caspaiou in Dubai, said that pottery has several benefits.

He told Gulf News, "It can be extremely rewarding; it allows you to create beautiful objects from the very elements of the Earth. It is exciting to create something with your own hands. It is also exciting to explore the endless designs and embellishments that can be applied after firing [finished piece is turned into ceramic material in a furnace or kiln] and during glazing [decorating and/or colouring]."

According to therapy forums, it is this excitement that makes pottery engaging and immersive. As the clay spins and begins to form, your mind and body are synergised. This can help people with mental and physical issues, say psychologists. Pottery helps those with depression and bipolar disorders by providing a non-threatening environment in which they feel calmer and less anxious. Those seeking physical therapy too benefit from enhanced motor skills, hand-eye coordination along with mental concentration.

Patience is key

Rice said, "It requires patience and in turn, rewards you with great satisfaction."

When Polish resident Beata Szymonik and participant at the workshop, tried pottery five years ago, she was amazed at how calming the experience was, even just watching someone at a potter's wheel. Now as a potter with more experience, she told Gulf News that she plans to share her knowledge with young adults with special needs at the Mawaheb from Beautiful People art studio in Al Bastakiya this month.

She said, "I volunteer with the art studio in Al Bastakiya and hope to share this therapeutic art form with the young students at the studio."

Speaking of the cathartic benefits of pottery, she said, "When you work with clay, you learn to be patient. You cannot be in a rush. Each movement is deliberate, forcing you to think about what you are doing. Part of the therapeutic aspect is how something as simple as a piece of soft clay can be transformed into something solid, something extraordinary. Pottery uses your imagination and creativity."

First-timer Korean Donghak Lee loved the way the clay felt in her hands. She told Gulf News, "I love the idea of creating, using my hands. It takes up a lot of my focus and concentration. We [Koreans] have a strong ceramic history, and I have always been interested to learn, but never had the chance to until now."

Bhavna Lakhwani, an Indian fashion design student and also a first timer, told Gulf News that the experience has taught her to prepare for the unexpected. "I thought with my background in fashion design, it would be easy creating art. But I was completely taken by surprise… During the demo, Michael made it look so easy; it isn't."

Overcoming hurdles

When Rice spoke of the need to "prepare for the unexpected", he said one needs to learn to turn failure into success. "Pottery can teach you that. So yes, it can be frustrating. You may fire a finished piece hoping for one result, and end up with something else. Pottery also teaches you to be willing to see a mistake as a challenge to be overcome. At times, these may not be mistakes, but an opportunity in disguise. The attitude then should be to work with these happy accidents. I know first hand — I've had plenty of these."