(cheerful music) - Amazing, I see art as-- - [Announcer] It's "The Infinite Art Hunt!"

- We're now in the clay classroom and we're at our wheels.

And I'm gonna show you how to throw on the wheel.

We're gonna make a simple bowl.

And I'm gonna start and show you how to do that.

- All right.

(cheerful music) - So I put my piece of clay in the middle.

My wheel is on.

I have water here as a lubricant, and this will allow the clay to slip through my fingers.

So I'm gonna put my hands on the clay, my elbows are down, and the first motion I'm gonna do is coning up.

So I'm squeezing the clay, so it comes up into a conical shape.

Next thing I'm gonna do is compressing.

So I'm gonna push the clay down.

And I'm actually gonna do these two motions until I get the clay centered.

The clay is centered when it's no longer wobbling or moving on the wheel.

So I'm gonna cone up again.

(cheerful music) I'm gonna add a little bit more water, and I'm gonna compress back down.

- How many times do you usually have to do that before it's centered?

- You do this as many times as it takes to get the clay centered.

It's a feel, your left and right hand work together to push and pull the clay until it feels as if it's perfectly in the center of the wheel.

It's something that takes practice and time.

And the more you can come in and work with clay, the easier it gets, and you'll learn and understand more.

So right now, my clay is pretty centered.

So now I'm gonna open the clay.

So I'll put my hands in the middle.

I'm gonna push down.

And then once I've reached the point where I'm gonna stop, 'cause I don't wanna go too far, 'cause I don't wanna hit the wheel head.

I'm now gonna pull the clay open.

- Wow.

(cheerful music) That's so cool.

- I'm gonna go back into my bottom.

I'm gonna compress the bottom of the clay.

Now, once my clay is open, I'm gonna move my hands over to the right hand side of the wheel.

I'm gonna push in and I'm gonna pull the clay up.

I'm gonna do this very little.

I'm gonna do a little bit at a time.

So I'm gonna do one pull.

I'm gonna get to the top.

I'm gonna compress my rim.

I'm gonna go back down to the bottom again.

Again, I'm adding more water, back down to the bottom.

We're gonna pull up one more time.

(cheerful music) So after we're done working with our pot, we'll then let it air dry, and then we'll put it in our kiln.

And the kiln will get fired up to a super high heat of 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit so that the clay will get hard.

- Wow, have you ever had any piece break in the kiln?

- Yes, I have had multiple pieces break in the kiln.

- What do you do when that happens?

- Sometimes if it breaks in the kiln, we can sometimes repair it, but most times we'll remake it.

It's part of the process, it's part of loss, and it's part of moving on and knowing that you can do it again and make it better the next time.

Do you wanna give it a whirl and try yourself?

- Yeah.

Do I use all this?

- Yes.

(clay thuds) Here we go.

- Okay.

- So I'm gonna turn the wheel on.

(pottery wheel whirs) There you go, good job.

More water on your hands, water is your friend.

(cheerful music) Very good.

So you're gonna cone up again, and I want you to bring your left hand over the top.

Forward.

Push, push, push, keep pushing, keep pushing, good job.

So you feel, you're all right.

You made a cone off side, what do I do.

(cheerful music) You're gonna raise your arm against the wheel to give you some stability.

- It's my finger, it's like kind of going in.

- Try to pull the wall up.

And then voila, we have a bowl.

(cheerful music) - This doesn't look like a bowl.

This looks like a lump.

It's like everything I do is just getting squished.

- There's a lot of things in life that you can't control, and part of it is clay.

So we have certain techniques and maneuvers that we use to try and control the clays.

I know it's hard to work with it when you're first learning, but just like things in life, it's part of learning and it's part of moving on.

But you can make another, which is nice, and try again.

Sometimes approaching clay with a lot of positivity and really great energy will make the biggest difference, just like in life.

- All right, I think I'm gonna try again.

- Wonderful.

- Okay.

(bright music) - And I'll help you a little bit.

I'm gonna take this hand, and we're gonna push forward.

And push, push, push, there we go.

Slowly relax and bring this hand on top.

I'm gonna push down.

Very good, I want you to very slowly take your hands off the clay.

There we go.

- Whoa.

- Very good, good job.

Now we're gonna open it.

- Okay.

- All right, so you're gonna put this hand on it right here.

Then you're gonna take these two fingers.

You're gonna push down.

You're gonna let this hand rest against this one and use these fingers, you're gonna push down.

If you don't have enough strength use all three fingers.

If those don't work.

(bright music) Keep going.

Very good.

Again, when you take your hand, just take it out slow.

All right, I want you to go back down in there, and you're gonna pull the clay towards you.

- Okay.

(bright music) - Very slowly pull it towards you.

(bright music) Very good.

I'm gonna have you go over to the, this side of the wheel.

Hands like this.

There you go, elbows down.

Start your wheel up a little faster and have them over here.

And you're gonna literally push your fingers towards each other.

And you'll very slowly then move your hands up.

Slow your wheel down.

You're gonna keep going.

Slow down, slow down, slow down, slow down.

Slowly Take your hands off.

Good job.

- Whoa!

- Very good, very good.

And then what we'll do is we will use a rib, which you didn't do before.

I'm gonna have you hold it like this on an angle.

- Okay.

- So use this hand instead.

And then you're just gonna go all the way down to your bottom down here, and then we're slowly just gonna push it out.

(bright music) There you go.

- Whoa, it looks like a bowl.

- Very good.

All right, so now that it's all finished, we're gonna now take the piece up to the kiln room and we'll fire it.

And now you'll have a bowl for your friend.

- Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- Bye.

- Bye.

- Okay, art peeps.

I have an update.

I think the reason that I've been feeling so bleh is because I feel like I can't control what's happening.

I don't want Sable to move, but there's nothing I can do about it.

And that is not a great feeling.

But like Nima said, I can face it with positivity and make the best out of anything.

I think I have an idea.

(soothing music) - You ready, Freddy?

- Ready, Ty.

- Come on in, Sable.

- Sable!

- Freddy.

- All right, so I have this gift I want to give you, but before I do, I've been having a rough couple days, and I figured some things out.

I'm really sad that you're moving, but I can't control that.

I can only control how I react.

You know, I've been really sad and frustrated, but I've decided to focus on the positive.

I'm happy that you're exploring a new adventure.

I'm happy about all the memories we've had together, and I'm happy for the awesome reunions we're gonna have in the future.

- I'm happy about that too.

- So without further ado, your going away present.

(pottery shards clink) - Uh-oh.

- No, this was supposed to be a piece of home that you could take.

It must have broken in the kiln because of an air bubble or too much moisture.

- Let me see.

You know, I think I have an idea.

I'll be back.

- It's the thought that counts, Freddy.

- No, but this was supposed to be a bowl that you could take on your new adventure, not broken pieces of a bowl.

I'm sorry your gift didn't work out.

- You can't control that it broke.

Just like how I can't control that I'm moving.

I've been feeling the same way, you know, sad, but trying to make the best of it.

I'm gonna miss seeing you all the time.

- I'm gonna miss you too.

- All right, here we go.

One piece of home for Sable, and one piece of home for Freddy.

(soothing guitar music) (car horn honks) - That's my dad.

I'll call you later?

- You better.

(soothing guitar music) - My little clay babies!

Did you say goodbye to Sable?

Did you learn about clay?

Did you stay away from that Schuykill River clay like Tilly told you?

- Yes to all of it.

- And I was able to untangle that ribbon.

Well, most of it.

- I also learned how to make clay on a wheel.

And clay can kind of be a little unpredictable sometimes.

But with a positive attitude, you can turn it into anything.

Kind of like a lot of things in life.

- Okay, philosopher Freddy.

Sounds like you learned about a lot more than clay.

I'm proud of you babies.

I'll talk to you later.

- Do you have any words of wisdom for this ball of ribbon, Philosopher Freddy?

- Some balls of ribbon are meant to not be unraveled.

- Nice try.

(soothing music) - We made it, art peeps.

My mission of learning about clay is complete.

Another round of applause for philosopher Freddy.

(audience applauds) Clay can be hard to control, but feelings can be harder.

And sometimes with a positive mindset, you can change everything.

Well, maybe not stop a bowl of clay from exploding in the kiln, but it can do a lot of things.

And now we have these beautiful piece of home necklaces.

I love them.

Until next time, I will see you on my next mission for "The Infinite Art Hunt."