A Little Different

Embracing difference can mean accepting imperfection, even welcoming it.  Embracing difference is something we need to learn more of, from the global level, right down to our own little worlds.

The clay I used to make this pot had a lot of impurities in it, bands of darker colour running through it.  The pottery buys the cheaper clays for community use and the patterns the staining creates are usually completely hidden by the glaze.   This pot was made with a base formed in a mould, using a rolled slab of clay.   That part displayed a large, disfiguring 'birthmark.'  Above this the pot was made using coils of clay, gradually building up the rest of the shape.  Some were made with clay lacking impurities but the bulk had the stain running through, however the coiling spread the staining out, creating an effect that reminded me of wood grain, a thing of beauty to be admired.  So, I have used a clear glaze to highlight it, picking a tried and tested combination of glazes above and below.  It's about 5 inches tall and six inches across, larger than my average pieces.

A nine hour work shift today.  I finished it feeling a lot better than when I started.  Kill or Cure perhaps for the malaise that had been affecting me this week.  It wasn't the busiest day, probably just as well for me but there was a pretty intense couple of hours at lunchtime.   Today I was the face at the till, taking orders and making drinks mostly, the till work which I enjoy also stretches me mentally as I don't do this job very often.  I often say that at work every shift is different as I am used in a variety of roles and locations to fill gaps in the rota.  It's never boring, that's for sure!

Not much else today.  A walk at Rhydyronen with John and Meg this evening and another early night ahead in the hope that I can get up early and get Meg out before I go off for the day, leaving Jamie in charge at home for a while.