I’m out in the wilds of Snowdonia trying to make the scenery match up with the wiggles on the Ordnance Survey map, as part of a two-day mountain skills course. “Remember, when the contour lines are parallel, it’s a steady slope,” says Ross Worthington of Raw Adventures. The east face of Snowdon as viewed from the Miners Track, Snowdonia National Park Photograph: Christopher Nicholson/Alamy Car hire was provided by Regent Holidays, which offers self-drive tours of Slovenia from £885pp
It takes a lifetime to become an expert ceramicist, but I left amazed at what we’d achieved in three-and-a-half days.Ī four-night stay with Vawaa costs about £950 for one or £1,285 for two, including materials, firing, accommodation and some meals. They came out of the kiln intact and, once mine arrives in the post, I think I’ll feel OK about having it on display in my London kitchen. “It happens: that’s ceramics,” said Katja. Only one didn’t make it: a pretty cantaloupe-coloured pinch bowl made by Kalpana shattered in the 1,000C heat because of a hidden air bubble. Try achieving that between seven and nine on a Tuesday. Work, home and to-do lists melted away the only decision looming was what pattern to pick for the sides of my pot. This is why Vawaa beats, say, evening classes. Using my fingertips to “see” air bubbles or bulges was a new sensation for one whose most frequent connection is with a keyboard. Hours flew by as we joined sections with “slip” (runny clay), smoothing, squeezing, trying to keep walls upright. This was the steepest learning curve and the most absorbing work: slowly building with 3cm strips of rolled clay. We both opted to make a tall pot to store onions and garlic. The plan was to complete one major work during our stay. I painted one bowl indigo green outside and acid yellow inside with green dots.
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Katja gave our creativity free rein, but was ready with practical help – such as a piece of foam rubber to steady your hand. Another afternoon we toiled for an hour up neighbouring Kriška Gora, before accepting that we wouldn’t make its 1,473-metre summit.īy day two we already felt at home in the studio, tweaking and trimming pieces that had dried “leather-hard” overnight, then painting them with “engobe” pigments. It was 10 minutes’ drive to the high rock walls of Dovžan Gorge, with its circular walking route and scary via ferrata. Krize is a short drive from lakes Bled and Bohinj, but we found plenty to enjoy much closer after our hours in the studio. Just as pleasing was the unreal prettiness of Slovenia. It made a more regular bowl and, led by Katja, I added a pleasing pattern to mine with a textured cloth. “More time, better result,” said Katja.Īnother method was familiar from making Christmas mince pies: rolling out clay – between wooden slats for even thickness – before pressing it over a mould.
It was also a lesson in slowing down, patiently coaxing the clay. You only need hands for this, but strong ones: it takes effort to press a ball of fresh clay into a cup or bowl shape. We started with the oldest technique: pinching. Onion and garlic pots made by Liz and Kalpana in Slovenia.
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