Spinning Serendipity: Embracing Challenges on the Pottery Wheel | 拉坯初体验

The Kiyomizu ceramics in my last post brought up fond memories of a pottery workshop I had years ago. With the instructor's assistance, we prepared clay and centered it on the wheel. Throwing the wheel to create the desired shape was not so easy, but it's a lot of fun too.

In the hands of the master, the clay was as velvety as chocolate and transformed into a piece of art in a flash. When it was my turn, though, I messed up a few times until I was able to form anything with a regular shape.XD

The clay wobbled, twisted, and collapsed under the pressure of my inexperienced hands. With each attempt, I discovered the challenges and rewards of the pottery making process. I learned the importance of delicate balance of pressure, speed, and finesse required to shape the clay.

The workshop was a brief glimpse into the vast world of pottery making. As the session came to an end, I yearned for more. The wonderful experience left me hungry for further practice. I would love to enroll in a longer course where I could refine my skills and explore the art form on a deeper level.

上次说到京都的清水烧陶瓷器，又想起蛮久以前的一次陶艺体验。其实说陶艺有点牵强，因为并没有经历烧制彩绘上釉打磨之类的过程，只是拉了个土坯而已，相当于玩泥巴，不过是在飞轮上玩而不是徒手在捏。

当时是在徽州知名的古村落宏村旅行，前一天晚上路过这家工作室，便预订了第二天下午的体验课。体验馆的老师就毕业于距离不远的“瓷都”景德镇的陶瓷学院，他说上大学时就已经创立自己的工作室了，真是厉害呀。

先参观了一圈，地方比一些城市里的小型工作室要宽敞不少，临街的是店面，售卖各色陶瓷，有实用器物，也有纯装饰品，好多外形很可爱，比如我照片里那只粉蓝的小鲸鱼🐳。进去后是教学陶艺的作坊，还看到三岁小朋友手绘的盘子，童趣满满，好有天份! 后面有大大的库房，摆着众多陶瓷器，有些是专业的精美作品，还有些是学员练手出来的残次品，各种莫名的形状，堪称鬼斧神工，就像几小时后即将出现在此的我的“大作”XD。

老师先简单讲解了步骤，再揉搓好粘土团，摔在拉坯机的飞轮中心。飞轮不停地旋转，促使粘土形成表面光滑的锥形。接下来，用手往下按压锥形塔柱，进而捏制成想要的形状。期间，双手要保持湿润，还要不时用脚去踩踏板来维持稳定的转速。

看师傅做起来驾轻就熟得心应手，一会儿功夫就出现美美的雏形，等轮到自己的时候，可就没那么容易啦。师傅教导说要先构想作品的形状，然鹅，构想是丰满的，现实却是骨感的······ 我脑海中想象的蓝图和手下能够捏出来的形状根本不是一回事情啊! 在转动的飞轮上摆弄着粘土，时常感觉无法控寄我寄几。

师傅手下的土坯宛如巧克力般丝滑，而我捣鼓出的土坯却常常像一坨那啥，还是便秘时候的。好几次搞砸，粘土混成一团，也不能简单地和起来接着用，需要先清理飞轮，再向师傅要新的粘土重新来过。看他那佛系的笑容，估计也已经在多年的教学中习惯这种场景，哈哈。

我想起那句老话: “台上一分钟，台下十年功”，旅途中这几小时的初体验自然做不出什么像样的陶瓷，不过这还真是个治愈的过程呢。倒不是因为可以在安静的时光中化一团朴实的粘土为美好的艺术品，而是因为新手拉出来的土坯免不了各种奇形怪状、东倒西歪，总是让我也笑得东倒西歪，整个过程中充满欢乐，非常治愈 :D。

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