Introduction — Context
After a forced pause, returning to the wheel happened cautiously. My body was not quite ready to resume the same rhythm as before, but the gesture itself was ready to come back.
This challenge grew out of that gradual return. It was not about setting off in a completely new direction, but rather about returning to essential points of reference: centering, pulling, building a base, observing the form.
Finding support again also meant returning to a very concrete gesture: bracing my elbow into my groin to center the clay, finding stability in the body, applying the right pressure, breathing. After the pause, near the scar, these technical details became a challenge in themselves. They reminded me that the grounding of a piece begins even before the form appears, in the way the body positions itself at the wheel.
The intention of the challenge
After the work begun in the dominant foot challenge, this new challenge allowed me to return to grounding in another way. It was no longer about discovering the importance of the foot, but about consolidating that attention through simpler forms, at the moment of returning to the wheel.
The goal was to work on the relationship between the base, the belly, and the neck. I wanted the base to contribute to the visual balance of the piece, without necessarily becoming the main subject.
The initial constraint was to stay within modest formats, around 1.5 lb of clay. But along the way, I realized that my current balance is closer to a minimum of 2 lb. That weight gives me enough material to build a real presence, without losing control of the gesture.
A question of looking
This challenge mainly led me to observe more closely what grounding can do within a piece. It is not only a matter of a well-trimmed foot or a stable base. It is also a feeling: a piece that seems settled, assured, present.
On some pieces, the carving came to complete the form. On another, however, I chose not to add anything. That choice of restraint is also part of the work.
What I found difficult
The most difficult part was not confusing simplicity with banality. Some forms seemed incomplete to me at first, almost too quiet. I had to take the time to look at them before deciding whether they needed an intervention, or whether they simply needed silence.
Carving is a pleasure for me, but it must remain in service of the piece. This challenge reminded me that not every surface asks to be filled.
Where I cheated… or worked around the constraint
I worked around the weight constraint for one of the pieces, which was thrown with 2 lb of clay. It was not planned, but that piece helped me understand something important: for the vases I am currently trying to develop, 2 lb seems to be my point of balance.
Letting the form speak
In the end, the three pieces took different directions.
One received a structured carving that completes the belly and connects the form to the foot.
Another became a field of exploration, with a more developed base and lighter lines across the belly.
The last remained bare, carried simply by its form.
Perhaps this is where the main learning lies: choosing when to intervene, and when to stop.
A practice taking shape
The title of the challenge came naturally. Finding support again meant finding support in my body, in the gesture, in the clay — and then in the very base of the vases.
This challenge marks a return, but also a consolidation. It extends previous learning without trying to repeat it. It allowed me to return to the wheel with more attentiveness, both toward the clay and toward my own rhythm.
