Sundays are always the most peaceful days of the week, but even more so for the Clay Collective.
Throwing clay is a great way to wake up on a lazy Sunday, especially for someone like me who has no idea what they are doing.
Hosting their meetings right next to the Kohl Center at the Art Loft, the small group of friends have a huge space to work on anything clay related.
Splattered with lumps of clay that are way too creative for me to decipher, the workshop has everything ranging from misshapen-looking tiny humans to an incredibly detailed dragon — all made from pinching and throwing tactics.
Pinching and throwing must be incredibly therapeutic because when the club met to figure out details, it couldn’t have been any tamer. Planning a trip to the National Council in Education and Ceramic Arts in Portland, the Clay Collective had the smoothest budget meeting in the history of all budget meetings.
In Da Club: Hitting the Michelle Kwan with UW figure skating
Even while the monks of the clay collective work out budget issues (get it, because they’re calm), members move about the studio and promptly work on their own projects. Art student Mark Turner checked on his work in the kiln — he had more than 200 pieces of work roasting as the meeting went on.
Looking into the kiln and feeling the intense heat, one can see there are five cones that act as timers.
“They melt at specific rates and you know it’s done when they are at their certain points,” said Turner.
In Da Club: Hypnotiq dance crew made my booty drop so low it fell off
Before going in the kiln, it is typical to paint the clay using underglaze to make it more lifelike, Clay Collective member Laura Williams explained as she pinched what would become a sheep-person made from clay.
The Clay Collective must know how to “throw” a good party, because their members are all happy to be involved in the calmest club on campus.
