Children learn to create clay artwork in summer lessons

Local artist Ermelinda Duarte is giving people the opportunity to learn about creating pieces with clay by hosting workshops in her studio on Rosia Road.

“I started the classes with them making a pinch pot which is an essential technique for beginners,” the artist said.

“This is a simple form shaped by hand using your thumb and fore fingers. Starting with a ball of clay, the thumb is pressed into the centre of the ball whilst turning the clay and pressing making the walls stretch until you have the desired form. In this case they made round forms and then engraved their own geometric patterns.”

She explains that the second project was to make their own personal frames and in doing so they learned the technique of slab making and modelling clay.

The third and most challenging of all was making a piggy bank. “This took a few lessons to complete,” she said.

“The technique of coil building is used to make the main body and then create the main features by modeling clay. Other animals such as elephants, giraffe, cat and a frog was also made by the older students.”

“Lastly they have also created a hanging mandala using all the techniques learnt previously.”

The clay work is now at the stage of painting having been fired recently. She predicts this will take two or three weeks to complete and when it does it will mark the end of the summer workshops.

“I will then put together a virtual exhibition of all the work produced this year by my students which I will share online,” she said.

Her annual clay lessons for age 6-16years will start on the third week of September.

To register contact private message on Ermelinda's Contemporary Ceramics on Facebook, or Instagram duarte.ermelinda or via email: ermelindascontemporaryceramics@gmail.com