Olga

"My pottery night is the highlight of my week; I count days to the next lesson. Every time I learn more, and grow more passionate to create. Clay is so amazingly flexible and an inspiring medium, giving in under your hands to an idea and surprising you at the same time. 

Diana's pottery display in the studio is a huge inspiration. They are the best at providing productive instructions and nurturing creative spirits at the same time. Diana is a generous teacher. I see they get happiness from sharing their knowledge, experience, and useful tools. The studio breathes inspiration at all times.

Everyone likes to be surrounded by beautiful things. And it's so exhilarating to be able to make something beautiful even if it takes months of trial and error." - Olga 

 Olga has been a student since Sept. 2013. (Picture above is from 2021)

 

Olga's plates inspired by trip to Utah.

 

Hedgehog salt shaker.

Above is a video of Olga's sweet vase (also above) from all sides 

with Olga at the wheel in the background.

Olga made the top part of this lamp and 

sewed on the lace and beads after it was fired. She hung it over a bulb in her daughter's closet:

 Light on...

Light off

Olga carves, uses wax resist and underglazes, and gets inspiration for surface decoration from books.

Olga enjoys using all of her pottery:

Yum! 

 A successful "frog" (vase) made with two thrown bowl-shapes attached together to form a ball before adding the butterfly and cutting holes for flower stems.

Fish formed from slabs, put into a mobile:

Shell for the mobile with the fish above...and one of many orchid planters Olga has made.

She inspired me, and other students, to make containers (with holes in the sides) for our orchids too.

 Olga gets inspiration from indigenous designs found in books and on the Internet.

 underglaze pencil designs

Posted end of 2021, this is her most recent top picks from the past couple of years:

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Olga's daughter, Katya (age 10), came with her mother (now and then) 2013-2018.

"The classes are fun and entertaining. You can build interesting things. You can always try; you can mess up and restart. You can choose from many glazes. You can decorate your bowls with patterns. And of course, you get to take your bowls home! I hope you have fun." - Katya

Katya creates many creatures and other sculptures... sometimes making stop action videos while she works. Below are a couple of hers.

Katya made this fun animated film at home in 2016..."The life cycle of clay":