The deeper we dive into our Hobbies of Simbithi series, the more we find something beautiful being shaped in our community: the spirit of freedom to be, to enjoy and to create. In this edition, we explore a hobby that does just that, held safely in the hands of the lovely Lisa Dancaster. Meet Lisa, the kiln and the wheel!
Lisa greets us at the door of her airy, tasteful home in Fuschia Way, and the first thing she remarks is that I have not brought an apron. Upon seeing my confused expression, she winks reassuringly and says, “of course you’re going to have a go at the wheel!”
The wheel, of course, is a pottery wheel, one where Lisa finds the utmost enjoyment. “My mother was a potter,” Lisa shares, pointing out one of her mother’s creations, a vase, on display. “Growing up, there was always a studio where we lived and when I wanted to see her, I would wander up to her studio.” Childhood holidays, Lisa recalls, always included stops to view the work of renowned South African potters, like Andrew Walford and David Walters. “It didn’t really interest me much as a child,” she admits, with a laugh.
Six years ago, a friend in Zambia surprised Lisa with an electric pottery wheel as a Christmas gift. “He sent me a photograph of it and told me I could enjoy it when I visited.” A while later, Lisa’s daughter showed her a collection of ceramics at a local gallery and suggested she try her hand at making a few. “I thought I had better get some lessons, so I signed up at a studio in Westbrook to learn the basic techniques.” Lisa first experimented with handwork, whereby potters use their hands to shape mounds of clay. “Within my first lesson, I knew I wasn’t too keen on handwork, so I moved onto the wheel.” Soon, she learnt to ‘throw’ clay, the practice of shaping wet clay on a pottery wheel, and the connection was instant.
Trying out her present in Zambia, Lisa began exploring the art of feeding wood into the kiln to elevate the heat to 1000 degrees centigrade, which is the optimal temperature to fire pottery. “There’s no heat gauge, of course, so one has to watch the colours of the flame to ascertain when the best time is to put the piece in. It is a bit of a hit and miss exercise, but your patience is rewarded when you see the beautiful colours on the ceramic.”
Upon returning to her Sabuti apartment, where she previously lived, Lisa purchased a ‘kick’ wheel. “My wheel in Zambia is electric, so this allowed me to practice centering my clay. The kick wheel was a great way to learn on my balcony in Sabuti, overlooking the sea.” Now, Lisa has her wheel, small kiln and tools set up in her garage. “It is by no means a fancy studio, but I spend hours in here creating pieces and honing my technique.”
For Lisa, pottery is less about perfection and more about the journey. “There are so many facets to it, from kneading out the clay to remove bubbles and learning how to tame it. If you rush the process and fight with the clay, you’re not going to enjoy the experience,” she shares. “But, if you put on some music and sit patiently at the wheel, you’re going to bring the clay into submission and make something truly beautiful.” Her favourite part of creating a new piece is opening the kiln. “I am never exactly sure what I’ll find. The thing about pottery is that it might not always give you what you want, but there’s always a gorgeous surprise at the end of the journey.”
A hobby, Lisa concludes, is something that should be able to spend endless hours doing. “You’ll know you’ve found it when it is a good moulding of who you are, and it doesn’t torture you,” she says, quipping that pottery does not frustrate her the way golf, a second pastime, often does. “A hobby should leave you fulfilled, challenge you from time to time and allow you to grow. When I see people enjoying their hobbies, the enthusiasm is infectious!”
Ed’s Note: Lisa kindly allowed me to try my hand at making my first pot on her wheel. What a therapeutic experience, feeling the clay’s shape change as it yielded to the prompting of my hands. Minutes passed and I was enraptured by the whir of the wheel, and the rise and fall of the clay. I’m usually incredibly iffy about getting my hands messy but feeling them cake with clay was oddly calming. Highly recommended…and I might visit Lisa again, soon, to make another pot!
