PICTURES: Kids go potty for clay play day

But these children could be ceramicists of the future after attending a pair of sold-out pottery lessons. The sessions took place at the Rustington Museum in The Street, Rustington on Friday, August 19. The 30 children that attended were shown how to make clay sculptures using a variety of techniques and equipment by professional ceramicist Finola Maynard, who teaches pop-up classes around the country. Finola, who is based in Eastbourne, said the children weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty when it came to making their creations, which involved tile-cutting, rolling coils of clay and ‘throwing pots at the wheel’. She said: “They loved it. The thing with pottery throwing is that it’s really rare to do now. At school, ceramics are being cut out of the curriculum. “It was such a lovely place to work; the people at the museum were lovely, as were the children, and there was a really nice atmosphere.” While Finola said she couldn’t pick a favourite out of her pupil’s creations, one did catch her eye. “A girl made a ceramic basket with a separate base and a handle; I was very impressed.” Finola has taken the pieces back to her studio to dry, which she said will take a couple of weeks. Then she will bake them in her kiln to harden them – a process called bisque firing – and then apply a coloured glaze and bake them again. Each step will take around 12 hours, and then the children will be reunited with their finished artwork to keep as a memento. Julie Covey, who works at the museum, said the event had been a big success. “They made coasters, bowls, everything they could fire up in their imaginations. It was very educational, as well as lots of fun and mess!” Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.