Clay Play!
Clay Play Bali is where we played the other day. Clay Play Bali is a fun place to learn and play in Sanur Bali. My brother and I looked them up online and made an appointment to attend a wheel-throwing class. We stopped at Massimo’s Italian restaurant for lunch. My bro had a pizza and I had gnocchi pesto. Way too much pesto for my liking and the pizza was average at best. After a somewhat disappointing lunch, we moved on to our main venue for the afternoon.
I have always wanted to try messing about with clay. Playing with clay looks like fun! To make a vase or a pot seemed easy enough in the movies. Conjuring up images of the movie Ghost seems like a relaxing time for all. This is the first time I tried this and while it looked easy, it was not so.
Let’s Play!
If you would like to play with clay you can check out Clay Play Bali’s TikTok account. However, if you really wanna play, you need to book a class. The class we booked was for three hours and it included 1 kg of clay with tools and instructions of course.
The 1 kg of clay was split into 4 parts so we could make 4 individual items or as in my case I made three. I ended up with three because my first attempt went bust. Once the clay had been messed with and collapsed. It contained too many air bubbles and water. It needed to be recycled and I had to start over. Surprisingly there is a lot that goes into pottery. I was learning the technique and getting your body, arms, and torso in the correct position is key. Centering the clay is crucial and the process of working with the clay begins. It is hard to center the clay and even harder to build up the walls consistently and smoothly. Once the clay is centered and well lubricated, it feels like you’ve got the hang of it. Then as the process continues, it is hard to balance the wheel speed and the expansion of the clay without making a complete mess of things. As the clay forms it takes on a life of its own and seems to want to escape from your grip. But that is the fun part, of it!
So How Was It?
I felt like a kid, that’s for sure. I got dirtier than I thought I would and was more stressed than I thought I would be. The instructors were amazing and the play was way too much fun, so I should go back one day.
As this goes for everything, it is always easier said than done. The instructors made it look easy but trust me it wasn’t. The clay feels alive in your hands. The process includes lots of water, cleaning, and practice. In reality, the 3 hours is a bit short. The basics for everything need to be learned and tried over and over. As my first peace went plop, I tried another and another. The first piece I made was the best. It was what I wanted. The second piece was the imitation of the first but having two identical pieces for a first-timer is impossible. The third piece I wanted to finish as I was hot and tired. So the last one is a mug, a vase, or something in between. No matter, we had fun and we chose colors for each and they will be baked and glazed. So if you wanna get dirty, wanna have some fun, and learn a bit along the way, go visit Clay Play Bali in Sanur, you will have fun, believe me.
