The very first project we tackled was making a pinch pot. I had never tried this technique before, so at the beginning I really didn’t know what I was doing. I started shaping the clay by pressing and pinching it together, experimenting to see what might happen. As I worked, I decided it might be fun to turn the pot into a little snowman by stacking the forms and shaping them into rounded sections. Unfortunately, before I could finish or glaze it, the piece got misplaced somewhere in the studio and I never saw it again. Even though the final snowman never made it to the end, the experience taught me how to work with clay and gave me a better feel for how pinch pots are formed.
Next, we moved on to an animal project, where everyone had to choose a creature to sculpt. I decided on an octopus because I liked the idea of shaping all the twisting tentacles. Once I started working, I ended up making more than just one I created a small group of them because it was fun experimenting with different poses and sizes. After they were sculpted and dried, I painted each one in bright colors to give them their own personality. One turned out a deep purple, another a vibrant blue, a third a bold orange, and the last one a mix of orange and teal that blended together in an unexpected way. Seeing the set of colorful octopuses together was really satisfying, and it made me realize how much variety you can create even when working with the same basic idea.
