Pottery provides a lasting record of a special event.
As the wedding took place in Western Australia, it seemed pointless to cart clay or a wet pot, across the continent. There was also a risk that the WA quarantine people would object to its importation anyway. So, clay was sourced locally - however, equipment was transported.
A puki construction seemed the most viable option for constructing a largish bowl with a minimum of equipment. "Puki is the Hopi word for the curved plaster base the most Indian hand-built pottery" Also, "a Tewa term meaning a dish, often made from the bottom of a broken pot.
The technique I used is to slap a round disk of clay onto the bottom then build up the pots with coils. Others simply smoothe the clay with a scraper, but the technique I was taught involves paddling it.This requires a wooden paddle in a sock and another sock full of sand to support the clay while it is being paddled.
The pot needs to be dry enough, that it isn't damaged when people try to write on it but also wet enough to make it easy for them to write on. After testing various tools, it turned out using a ball point pen worked best. People were familiar with this, if not writing on clay. You also need to give people time to think about what to write on the pot.
Annamarie and Gabe's pot was a terracotta body and was fired by the clay supplier before being carried across Australia. It remains unglazed.
The second pot ws for a 20th wedding (china) anniversary. This time I used an oxide on the raw signed (engraved) white clay body. Then a pale green glaze. I have promised to add a silver or gold lustre to mark future anniversaries.
This pot was made to mark a friend's 50th Birthday. This time, it was a black oxide to bring out the text, and clear glaze on the top and blue on the base.
Writing a lasting message on a pot, requires some instruction and concentration, particularly if it is the first time you have touched raw clay.