Hands-on creativity

By Matt Romania

Interested in exploring the ancient and diverse art of pottery? There’s a group in Gordon ready to guide you.

Every Tuesday evening, the Gordon Pottery Group invites enthusiasts of all backgrounds and skill levels to transform clay into art, whether they’re newbies or veterans.

“We help newcomers with some of the basics. Everyone who comes has their own ideas or what they like to do. Some like hand building and others like the wheel. It’s fun to see what people come up with,” Nichole Knight told The Moorabool News.

Hand building refers to techniques that use only the hands and simple tools, not the pottery wheel, such as ‘pinching’, ‘coiling’, and ‘slab building’. On the other hand, the pottery wheel allows clay to be shaped while it spins, often resulting in symmetrical pieces like bowls or vases.
The pottery process involves several stages. Initially, there’s the shaping of the clay, using either hand building techniques or the pottery wheel. Once shaped, pieces often go through a drying phase. Finally, to solidify and finish the pottery, it’s subjected to high temperatures in a kiln, a process known as firing.

Ms Knight said there are a few potters in the area that help them out with different types of firing and advice when we needed.

“The process from making to finished product can take a while so you need some patience, and we usually have things to work on at different stages.”

For those concerned about expenses, the group endeavours to be as accessible as possible.

“We try to keep costs low and provide a lot of equipment and glazes, as well as keeping things pretty relaxed and casual and social,” she said.

The Gordon Pottery Group welcomes new members and you can find them on social media.

Meetings are held Tuesdays from 6.30 to 8.30 pm at the Gordon Public Park Hall.