progressing

Apologies to you all for my total lack of comments this weekend..bowl-making has proved to be an all-consuming process and all I have time for in the evenings is a chance to look at my photos from the day, tweak them a little and share our progress with friends.

Today we were hammering our bowls into shape. The weather was dry, so we all chose a part of the garden to work in - mine was on a little platform next to the pond. From there, I couldn't see anyone else, but I could hear them tap tap tapping all around. Although we were spread out for most of the time, as you can see from this photo, there are other times when people come together for help, encouragement and moral support. Jess has been a real star with the last of these!

When the hammering became difficult, it was usually a sign that the bowls needed to go back into the forge. I resisted this the first time, as I didn't want mine to lose its hard-win shine, but it was worth it to see the beautiful colours which appeared out of the metal when it was in the fire..and the shine did come back.

My bowl has been in the forge four times now. Tomorrow it will be hammered again, and then polished. Its a tiring and at times emotional process, but I'm so looking forward to another day of all this.

See you on the other side!