October evening pinch/press pot making at Tremadog, Gwynedd
john ayling
I made the most of a fine autumn evening and set off for Tremadog (my favourite climbing spot about twenty years ago), with a lump of clay, a pot of clay powder and brush; a couple of wooden tools; a flask of tea and a packet of Garibaldis.
The way in to Craig Pant Ifan . . .
Looking up to the distant crag of slanting slabs with overhangs.
Clay powder, clay and wooden tools.
Two pinch pots.
One of the pinch pots has been pulled up...
...and the other.
And three hours later, after pressing and shaping (it was nearly dark at 7pm, this was an 8 second exposure).
These will be 'guinomi' - saki cups, or shot-cups, with carved footrings. It was too dark to carve the feet with the wooden tools so I wrapped the pots in a slightly damp tea towl and felt my way back down over the boulders.
Back at the studio . .
. . after carving the feet into the leather hard clay.