A little over two and a half years ago, I entered a pottery studio for the first time.
Pottery was always something I was enthralled by. It’s a dance between the artist and the clay, a natural medium that insists on taking the lead. After many years of watching others create, I decided that it was time for me to try and learn.
During my first class, I sat timidly behind the wheel and watched with amazement as the instructor created a beautiful vase from a ball of mud. After she finished, she said the words I had been both dreading and yearning for, “OK, your turn!”
Ever since then, I have been creating pieces of my own. For a while, I would sit behind the wheel and throw pots, but I noticed that thanks to my less-than-perfect back, I was leaving my calming time of creative expression achy rather than renewed. That’s when I started making pinch pots and bringing Patina Ceramics to life.
Sitting behind my desk, I’d roll porcelain into a ball and begin pinching. Over and over, round and round, I lightly pressed the clay between my fingertips, lost in the act, bringing forth the delicate forms that before had only lived in my imagination.
I would glaze the pieces with a celadon glaze and place them on my shelves, but it felt like something was missing.
It was also around this time that I started doodling. What began as a way to quiet my fear brain during plane rides (which I loathe), turned into one of my favorite past times. Inspired by the refuge I found on our farm, I began drawing whimsical depictions of the flora and fauna around me in my sketchbook.
And then one day, I decided to combine my two artistic expressions into one, and it felt like I had finally brought a part of my soul to light.
I am so excited to be able to share some of these pieces with all of you. I hope that they bring you joy.
If there is something that you have been wanting to try, but feel like perhaps you are too old, or don’t have it in you, consider this a sign to give it a go.
You never know what you could create, or what parts of you it could bring to light.
xx
Brooke
