Italy

This week, we kicked off our clay adventure with a fun game. We arranged envelopes labeled with different clay stages in the correct order and then felt the transformation firsthand, from soft and pliable to hard and dry. We also matched various clay activities to their appropriate stages, learning that shaping is best done early on and that color application is most effective when the clay is leather hard. We discovered that as clay dries, it becomes increasingly fragile. With this knowledge, we couldn’t wait to continue working on our hollow clay balls. This week, we transformed them into caricatures of our favorite animals! Bertie inspired us with examples of animals we could create, emphasizing the importance of short, thick pieces for strong attachments. We sketched our chosen animals, formed the necessary parts, and used slip to attach them to our balls. It was truly magical to watch our balls come to life as fantastic creatures. We created a cat, a shark, a panda, an owl, an angry bird, a sheep, a panther, a pig, and an elephant. To wrap up our session, we delved into the second chapter of our fairytale. Perfect Spheres The next day, the twins returned to the well of creation, curious to see how their bowls had evolved. To their surprise, they found a little fairy asleep in one of them, wrapped in a blanket of moss. “Look how sweet it is!” Marika whispered, enchanted by the sight. The fairy yawned loudly and stretched, her blue eyes shining with sleep. “Good morning, little friends! What are you up to?” she greeted, without waiting for an answer. “I slept like a log.” What’s your name, Mirko asked. My name is Marilu and I’m a woodland fairy.   “We’re checking our bowls. They already seem to be useful!” says Mirko smiling. The Fairy came out of the bowl, flapping her glittering wings. “Fantastic!” she exclaimed. “I’m going to have breakfast, see you later!” And with a flap of her wings she disappeared among the trees, returning shortly after with a basket full of blueberries. “I thought I’d bring you something,” she said, offering them the wild fruits. “Thank you, they’re delicious!” Mirko thanked her with a full mouth, while Marika carefully examined the bowls. “Look,” she said, bringing the two halves closer together. “Together they form a perfect sphere!” The fairy smiled. “Exactly! And with a little creativity, you can transform it into anything you want.” “How do we join them?” Marika asked, dreamily. “It’s simple,” the fairy replied. “Take a twig and use it to lightly scratch the surfaces. Then, with the slip you find in the well, you can glue them together.” The twins followed the instructions carefully, until they obtained a smooth and uniform sphere.   “It looks like an animal’s belly!” Marika exclaimed, amused. “We can create a sheep or a cat!” Mirko suggested enthusiastically. “With the same technique, you can add a head, legs and a tail,” the fairy explained. “I would like to make a bird,” Marika said. “And I would like to make a dragon!” Mirko exclaimed. “But we only have one sphere,” Marika objected, a little disappointed.

Our first day at Bertie Franke’s ceramics studio was a truly enchanting experience. We began our magical journey with a playful game that introduced us to the key terms and techniques of pottery. Bertie explained that we would be creating Raku ceramics, a unique Japanese style that involves a dramatic final firing.   We delved into the fundamental elements of pottery: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. We learned about the properties of different clays, including the refractory qualities of chamotte-infused clay. Bertie also shared insights into the firing processes in both electric and gas kilns. Our hands-on experience began with the ancient technique of pinching. We started with a simple clay ball and, with our eyes closed, gently pinched and shaped it into a bowl. The tactile sensation of the clay, the warmth of our hands, and the quiet concentration were incredibly meditative. When we finally opened our eyes, we were delighted to see the unique forms we had created. Next, we experimented with using molds, crafting two perfect hemispheres that we joined together with slip. This process required precision and patience, but the end result was a beautiful, hollow sphere.   As the day drew to a close, we embarked on a creative writing exercise, crafting the first chapter of a fairytale about twins who discover magical clay in an enchanted forest. This imaginative endeavor perfectly complemented our hands-on pottery experience, allowing us to explore the world of storytelling and ceramics. The Well of Creation Once upon a time, there were twins, Mirko and Marika, who lived in a small house on the edge of an enchanted forest. One day, while they were exploring the Vein river that wound through the trees, Marika exclaimed: “Look what I found!” Her hands were dirty with a dark and slimy mud. “Do you feel how strange it is?” she added, holding out a handful of earth to her brother. Mirko examined it curiously: “It seems malleable, sticky… it almost seems alive.” While the twins were busy exploring the strange substance, a soft voice made them jump: “Good morning, little explorers.” Turning around, they saw a gnome sitting on a rock, with long white hair that touched the ground and sparkling emerald green eyes. She was dressed in a long dark green dress. She had pinned a shiny gold brooch to her dress. “I am Mistress Gea, the guardian of the earth. Do you know what you have found? This place is called The Well of Creation. For millennia, your ancestors have used this clay to create magical objects.” “Can we try too?” Mirko asked enthusiastically. “Of course,” the Mistress replied. She took a piece of clay from the well and, with expert movements, transformed it into a soft ball. The twins followed suit. “Now, insert your thumb inside the ball,” she explained. The twins did as she told them and managed to pinch simple shapes of two hemispheres. As the sun began to set, the twins found themselves with each a beautiful bowl in their hands. But the Mistress had disappeared. “That was so much fun!” Mirko exclaimed, but Marika looked thoughtful. “I wonder where she went?” Leaving the bowls on the rock to dry, the twins happily returned home, taking with them the memory of an unforgettable experience….