Ready to retire from the corporate world and needing an activity beyond veggie gardening to keep her “mind and hands busy and boredom at bay,” Ali Krollig was searching for a creative outlet when she discovered the art of pottery.
Now the owner of Muddy Marks Potter Studio at Kapunda Ali shares her artistic endeavours with others, welcoming people to find their own creative muse.
“I knew I wanted to engage in something that could be done at home and with other people and had amassed a list of activities including weaving, junk art and pottery as possibilities,” Ali explained.
“The idea was to give each activity a try and pick one or two. At the time, WEA had advertised some beginner pottery workshops on the weekends, so I took up one of these and it wasn’t long before I had enrolled in further classes with Urth Clay Studio followed by TAFE. It didn’t take me long to realise that this was the thing for me and the rest is history,” she explained.
Having family living in Japan added a further dimension to Ali’s creative education, with exposure to time-honoured pottery techniques and decoration.
“As my immersion in pottery deepened as has my artistic confidence and knowledge and skills in forming and decorative techniques increased,” Ali said.
“On my recent visit I took up some basic classes to see what the differences are between what we learn in Australia and that taught in Japan. It was well worth it – I now have a new
pinch pot technique to use and impart to Muddy Marks potters.
“As I perfect my skills from these learnings, I look forward to making available the outputs in 2025.”
Aside from the pure joy of creating, having your hands in clay is often described as a therapeutic endeavour, which Ali attributes to the level of concentration required, allowing a mental retreat from other distractions.
“Like a number of creative endeavours, working with clay requires a focused attention that tends to draw the practitioner away from the outside world. I refer to it as a slow movement activity because you can’t force clay.
“Working with clay is great for anyone who’s stressed and needs time to chill, this is a great way to leave it all behind for a while and just a moment or two to themselves and their creativeness,” she said.
“I also get great joy in working with people who have different abilities that may limit how they work or engage and allow them to experience the joy of working with clay.”
With Christmas around the corner, Ali is offering classes to give people a taste of working with pottery and enjoy the spirit of the season with a festive creation.
“I’m excited to be offering a wide range of Christmasy orientated classes…,” she said.
“This year I’m offering classes for kids which I haven’t done before, I’m particularly excited by the little monster classes which will be great fun both for the kids and I.”
