You Don't Have to Ask Permission to Play with Clay: T’uru Art Studio Manta
- Julie Harper
- Aug 15, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 26
By Julie Harper
As a little girl, I used to go down to the creek bed to play in the thick red Georgia clay. I felt amused taking a handful of that ‘red mess’ and squishing it really hard, watching it ooze out between the fingers of my tightly closed fist, amazed at how, no matter how tightly together I held my fist, the clay always found a path of escape. I was curious at how silky smooth it was in its wet form because it was so crude when dry and hard. I formed it into different shapes, then lovingly decorated my clay cakes with dandelion flowers, tiny wild strawberries, and an occasional bird feather. It also was something I could do alone. No playmates needed, thank you very much. You don’t have to ask permission to play with clay. It’s always there, and there was always enough for everyone down by that creek. It was blissful!
The very image of working with clay undoubtedly transports many of us to that super sensuous and passion-riddled scene in Ghost between Demi Moore and the beloved Patrick Swayze, as “Unchained Melody” plays hauntingly in the background. That was about 30 years ago, but it still burns in our minds, sizzling! The true lovemaking was in the clay.
Though the polar opposite of that sizzling, yet fully clothed scene, to actually watching a potter’s hands gently spin and mold a clump of wet clay, gently transforming it into a beautifully crafted piece of art, one can almost feel their blood pressure drop. Just watching the action moves us into a peaceful, zen-like space and creates an undeniable urge to ‘participate.’
