Arrival — ELIN HUGHES

Well, after months of preparing, packing, form-filling, and Googling ‘dangerous creatures of Illinois’ I finally touched down in the Prairie State on February 1st. I’ve made it to Mill Creek Pottery, my home for the next 18 months where I’ll be apprenticing to wood-firing potter Simon Levin (see last post).

Simon’s studio is situated in rural Illinois, not far from the state capital of Springfield, and surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans. The plains are a marked contrast from the mountains of Snowdonia where I’ve spent the last three years. My uneasiness at the wide expanses of flatness was quickly driven away though by the beauty of the sunsets here. Not quite on the coast in Dolgellau, they often get eaten up by the surrounding hills, but here the light stretches out in a sweeping panorama - it’s a real sight to behold.

New to me as well has been learning to throw on a Leach treadle wheel. I’ve tried both momentum and treadle wheels a couple of times in the past but at a time when I couldn’t centre the clay, I found them frustratingly slow. Now however I’m excited to see how this foray into considering how a more direct relationship between my body and the clay will affect my work.

This week I’ve been trying out Laguna B-mix WC379, a creamy white smooth and porcelaneous stoneware. I’m focused on evolving a mug form that I’ve played with on and off for a while - I suppose you could call it a barrel form that tapers toward the rim and flares at the base. We used to have a couple of stripy mass produced ones of this shape at home until they broke. I remember the conic shape made them great for carrying tea around without spilling and keeping drinks warm.

On Simon’s suggestion I listened to Pete Pinnell’s ‘Thoughts on Cups’ today. In just 30 minutes it has succeeded in establishing a completely new frame of reference in my mind. Pinnell proposes that comfort is not the ultimate criteria in defining the success of a cup’s function. He suggests that many in the pottery community hold the attitude towards functional pottery that the Victorians held towards children - that pots should be ‘seen and not heard’. To dispel this belief is to embrace giving pots a voice, and that is an extremely liberating notion. Another metaphor he draws is between choice of outfits and choice of pots. A wedding dress that makes you feel fabulous is likely not going to be the most comfortable garment in your wardrobe.

I’ve got a lot of contemplating to do. In the meantime I’ve taken over the @1potaday Instagram page where I’ll be posting daily photos of Simon’s stunning work that is available to buy through his website www.simonlevin.com. Do give the page a follow.