Pottery week-end

Keď som bola v remisii ochorenia, chodila som si z hliny modelovať. Vznikli zaujímavé kúsky z plátov, ozdôbky na zavesenie, ale keďže nemali hrnčiarsky kruh, splnila som si sen až teraz v júni. Odjakživa ma hlina ťahala. Môj manžel to vie. Hrnčiarsky víkend bol vlastne geniálny vianočný darček od neho.

When I was in remission, I used to make models from clay. I made some interesting pieces, hanging decoration, but there was no potter´s wheel, so I have made my dream true only in June. Since my childhood the pottery has attracted my attention. My hubby knows that. In fact, the pottery week-end was a brilliant Xmas present from him.

Víkendový kurz na Starej škole v Smrečanoch mal svoje čaro. Išli sme tam viacerí, chlapi sa postarali o deti a urobili si svoj program, kým my s kamarátkou sme strávili zopár príjemných hodín v dielni Starej školy. Taká dielňa s čarom od začiatku, ako sme do nej vstúpili... Srdcom Starej školy, občianskeho združenia v Smrečanoch neďaleko Liptovského Mikuláša, je Evka Dudzíková, ku ktorej sa ľudia  na kurzy, myslím, radi vracajú. Aj my dúfame, že si to ešte zopakujeme.

The week-end workshoop in Stará škola Smrečany (The Old School in Smrečany) was glamorous. We were several to go there, however our men were looking after the children and they had their own plans while my friend and I spent some agreeable moments in the Old School workshop. A workshop with its own magic from the beginning we entered in... Evka Dudzíková is the heart of this citizens´association in Smrečany near Liptovský Mikuláš and I think people like to come back to her workshops.

Naučili sme sa niečo o druhoch hliny. Vyskúšali sme si plátovú keramiku, točenie z ruky i na elektrickom kruhu. Zdobili sme odtlačkami, engobou, sgrafitom. 

Každá sme mali vyhradený čas na hrnčiarskom kruhu tak, aby sme naozaj niečo plnohodnotné stihli aj vytvoriť :-) Bolo to zaujímavé, centrovnie bolo dosť ťažké, ale rovnako prax treba aj pri formovaní hrnčeka, či vyššej vázy... keď sú steny príliš úzke, všetka práca je zmarená, ťahať hlinu dohora, to tiež nie je veľmi ľahké. Keď sme na začiatku sledovali našu lektorku Evku, zdalo sa, že to pôjde od ruky aj nám... no priznala, že sú to roky tréningu.

We have learnt some news about the pottery, the sorts of clay. We have tried various techniques of working with it and even some more decoration tips like engoba, sgrafito or imprints.
Each of us had her own time reserved for working on potter´s wheel and each of us could make something really adequate, real or useful on it. It was amazing. The centring was difficult, but in the same way, you need more practice for clay formation too. Otherwise it is not usual to make a shape of a mug, a cup or even a higher vase... When the side/wall is too narrow, all the work can be lost, pulling the clay up isn´t easy at all. When at the beginning we looked at Evka, it seemed that we could make it, but she agreed that we could have seen lots of years of everyday practice in her hands.

Kto má chuť zrelaxovať si hlavu a bavia ho podobné aktiavity, vrelo odporúčam! Je to balzam na dušu. A stihli sme aj navštíviť Pribylinu - múzeum liptovskej dediny a pri zapadajúcom slnku sme sa poprechádzali pri Štrbskom plese vo Vysokých Tatrách. Palacinky neďaleko boli už len čerešničkou na torte na ukončenie wíkendu.

Who wants to relax his/her mind and who loves similar activities, I heartily recommend it! It is balm to the soul. And we also had time to visit Pribylina - the open air museum with old wooden houses in Liptov region and we were even walking at the sunset around Štrbské Pleso Mountain Lake in the High Tatras. Pancakes in a nearby restaurant were only the "creme de la creme" (the icing on the cake) to finish a nice weekend.