Team Franco
The end, the beginning
There’s been a bit of a delay between posts. By now I’m back home on Ngudooroo/Lamb Island in Queensland’s Southern Moreton Bay. After La Meridiana I had seven more travel days in Italy, then too many days to get over the inevitable jet lag. I also needed time to work out what I wanted to say. Turns out it’s a lot.
The first morning of our final week kicks off as usual - pots down to the kilns, all lined up so Giulia can load for bisque firing. Back in the studio the energy changes. Anything we throw from this point until the end of the week will not be fired or kept. It’s oddly bewildering, but bewilderment soon gives way to a sort of freedom. It’s time simply for practice and asking questions. Unlimited clay! Franco has asked us to think of anything else we’d like to see revisited or demonstrated, noting that Wednesday will be dedicated to glazing so that everything will be complete on Friday morning.
We have two new glaze options that I’m particularly interested in. They’re ‘dry’ glazes made with 45% ash - in this case ash collected locally from burnt vine and olive prunings . I really like the idea of the surrounding landscape being literally baked into pieces I’ve made here. Visually, the fired result is very much my sort of thing - matte and textured - so I’m adding this to the list of things I’ll try at home.
Cut to Friday - our last day. Today is all about thoroughly cleaning the studio and fond farewells but first, everyone is eager to witness Franco and Giulia unloading the kiln. As our final pieces emerge there’s admiration and applause along with acceptance of the odd glazing fail being shared around the table.
One of many things that can happen when glaze firing objects with lids is that despite best efforts, the glaze can fuse the lid to the pot. Have you guessed where this is going?Sometimes lightly fused lids can be released. Unfortunately the lid on my sweet little bird teapot was stuck fast, never to be removed. Also unfortunate because the teapot was actually nice to hold and poured without dripping. Come si dice - Uffa! I was about to consign it to the nearby bucket where you get to smash your rejects into little pieces with a hammer when a visitor from a Florentine art school asked if she could have it to take home! Not quite so uffa after all.
All week we’ve been choosing what pieces to keep, what to leave behind. It’s an increasingly tough decision for everyone. I’ve already decided not to ship things home, so anything I want to keep I’ll have to carry with me for the next week and this absolutely sharpens my decision making.
Our cleaning and packing is joyfully interrupted by lunch. And lunch is joyfully interrupted when Tali stands to thank all of those who’ve taught, nourished and wrangled us for the last month. There are gifts and hugs. Tali wonders apologetically on our behalf if we’ve driven Franco crazy….Franco says he needs more crazy people!
We’ve exchanged contacts and will stay in touch about our future pottery adventures. We’ve become Team Franco! We are potters. We are friends. All that’s left to do now is show up at our own farewell Pizza Party. More talk, more plans, more reflection upon a remarkable shared experience. More love, more wine, more pizza, more dancing.
