Becca Thomas
“Three hours doing ceramics at Morley were the highlight of my week, so when lockdown cancelled classes and everything else around me changed, I put a pottery bench in my spare room. Being able to stay creative in lockdown has been invaluable, and Morley has given me the skills to do this.
Morley has amazing facilities which gave me the opportunity to try different making techniques and an enormous range of clays and glazes. In my first beginner’s class I made a pinch pot and over several years, I’ve tried throwing, which I didn't get on with, and coiling and slab building, which I love. At home, I'm using plaster moulds I made at Morley to create components for large sculptural vases.
The tutors at Morley are incredibly knowledgeable and share their experience in full class discussions, demos and also give individual advise. We often look at different makers' work on a large screen and being introduced to ceramicists like Jennifer Lee and Ashraf Hanna has inspired my own vases. Also, there's a really good selection of ceramics books in the library, and luckily for me I borrowed a really good book of glaze recipes which I've been using during lockdown.
Working at home, I feel like I'm continuously problem solving and it helps when I stop and remember tutors' demonstrations and recommendations that they've made to me in class. I also think about things tutors have said to other students about their work. Being part of a fairly large class with students working on different projects is a brilliant way to get exposure to the art of the possible and different kinds of problems people experience.
I miss the Morley ceramics studio, the students and tutors, but I'm hugely grateful that it's given me the confidence to spend time during lockdown doing ceramics at home.”
