Studio Saturday - heaving a sigh of relief

"Last year" I signed up for a ceramics course at Morley, "Exploring the ceramic surface with texture and colour" - four Saturday afternoons. A good way to ease back into the ceramics studio, to get re-enthused, I thought. 

And it promised well in terms of content, inspiration, opportunity. I hadn't taken in that there were two classes, a two-week break, and two more - which makes for some good thinking-time in the middle.

But I haven't grasped the nettle with any enthusiasm. There is a mental block, kinda like the one I get when faced with wiring diagrams. Yet it could be so much fun! I'm kicking myself for being "lazy"....

Thus it was was much relief that, preparing to go to the penultimate class, I realised that today is the second non-class week and it doesn't happen till next Saturday. But the knock-on effect is that I won't be able to attend the final class, on account of needing to be at my son's wedding. 

So I feel lazier than ever about this course. 

Never mind, here's what's happened so far.

First week - piddling about with over-complicated mark-making on tiles -

 ... much more fun to experiment with the leftover bits of clay -

 ... including this "water flowing over the scholar's rock" thing (or perhaps, "back view of wavy hair") -

 These went to the kiln -

Week 2, these came back from the kiln -

and these tiles had been kept back for further development -

 I'd looked for some things that might make interesting marks and enjoyed mucking about with this one -

Printing coloured slip onto tiles was fun - here's a (yawn) coordinated set - yes yes, it does look like a textile....

 These are a bit freer -

As for the sigh of relief, the free afternoon leaves time to make a panful of brownies, and do the hoovering, and go for a walk.