Potter's tears remind us of the risks of creation

We are rather late to the party - but we have recently got into The Great Pottery Throw Down on Channel 4.

- Faith Ian Paul

At one level, it is feelgood TV — but in fact it is full of conflicting emotions.What has struck us is how much of themselves the potters pour into their work. Clay is not just inanimate, merely shaped by technique, but is given attention, patience, imagination, and hope.

Long hours and energy are invested in wedging, throwing, trimming, and glazing. Each piece carries something of its maker - their intention, their struggle, even their vulnerability. The potter is never detached from what they create.

When Keith Brymer Jones squashes an imperfect pot, you can feel the potter's pain! What is destroyed is not just an object, but the hope invested in it; you can see the pain of failed creation.