Clay and Creativity at Bodmin Way Community Choir
Clay Workshop 1
There was plenty of creativity and laughter at the latest social and fundraising event organised by Bodmin Way Community Choir, as choir members discovered talents they didn’t know they had!
The first of two clay workshops was led by the choir’s Musical Director, Caroline Bailey, who is also a professional artist with extensive experience teaching ceramics. Caroline expertly demonstrated the techniques and encouraged everyone to have a go. Her enthusiasm and expertise quickly gave even the most hesitant participants the confidence to get creative.
Working the clay was the first step, followed by rolling it out like icing. That was soon mastered. The trickier part was deciding which design to choose from the wonderful selection of templates Caroline had provided.
Before long, the room had become something of a production line, with everyone busy creating their own festive decorations. Each piece was carefully finished with a hole so that, once fired, it could be hung on the Christmas tree.
The results were impressive!
One observer, watching two attendees working together, exclaimed:
“Wow! Your work is amazing. Did you think you’d be so good at it?”
Their emphatic response?
“No!”
It seems that discovering unexpected creativity was one of the highlights of the day.
For Catherine, the workshop was a completely new experience. She had never worked with clay before, but thoroughly enjoyed getting stuck in. After the session she said:
“Loved it! I really enjoyed it. It’s very therapeutic. I think working with clay is brilliant. I’ve never done it before and it’s good to know I am creative. I didn’t expect to end up with anything like I have.”
And the creativity isn’t over yet. At the second workshop, the newly converted clay crafters will return to add glaze to their creations before Caroline fires the finished pieces in her kiln, ready for Christmas.
The event was a wonderful opportunity for choir members to spend time together, try something completely different and raise funds for the choir at the same time.
With such a positive response, everyone will be hoping that more creative workshops can be offered throughout the year. It should be possible. These social and fundraising events are not just for the choir – everyone is welcome to come along.
Who knew the Bodmin Way Community Choir had so many budding ceramicists?
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