Salon de Tomo

サレーで陶芸体験

Making something with your own hands is always fun, isn’t it? While living in the US, my job as a stage MC often involved making silly hats (to entertain audiences), or, making character bento boxes for our kids (which was not always appreciated, I think). 

自分の手で何かを作るのは楽しいですよね。私はアメリカ在住時代、仕事がら「かぶりもの」（司会業務の時にかぶって観客を楽しませる）を作ったり、子供達の「キャラ弁」を作ったりしてました。

I was also known to be a creator of “Santapons” – a very feminine Christmas ornament (if you want to know more about it, let me know 😆). However, there was one thing I was interested in, but never had a chance to try… that was, pottery making.

そして悪名高き（笑）「サンタポン」をクリスマス時期に作ったりもしていましたが、ひとつ、興味があってもまだやったことのない事がありまして、、、それは陶芸でした。

So, when my friends told me about a “beginner-friendly pottery workshop” in Sale, a town across the river from Rabat, I was so ready to join 🙂

ラバトから川を挟んだお隣街、サレーで”初心者歓迎陶芸ワークショップ”に参加できる！と聞き、お友達と一緒に参加してみました。

From our home, we took the tram to the very last stop, Hay Karima. Then about a 15-minute walk to this beautiful Safirat Al Khazaf, a place known as a “goodwill ambassador for ceramics.” Our reservation was for 10am, so we decided to have a lovely petit dejeuner nearby before the class. Then we’re welcomed with this beautiful courtyard. 

我が家からはトラムに乗って最終駅Hay Karimaまで。そこから約１５分歩くと、この素敵なたたずまいのSafirat Al Khazaf、＜セラミックの親善大使＞という場所に到着。10時のクラスの前に、近場で朝ごはんをして英気を養いました。ちなみに、ワークショップは予約制です。

First, it was time for registration and payment. The workshop alone costs 50MAD (about $5). But if you want your creation baked and pick it up two weeks later, it is 80MAD (about $8). What a bargain! Of course, we chose to pick up our “masterpieces” later. About 10 people gathered, and all put on cool aprons and ready to start!

はい、まずはレジストレーション＆お支払い。ワークショップだけなら50MAD (約850円）、自分で作ったものを焼いてもらい、２週間後に取りに来るなら80MAD (約1300円）。ということで、私たちはやはり思い出として自分達の作品をいただく予定で支払いました。約10人ほどの生徒があつまり、エプロンを着用して準備万端！

There wasn’t any formal lecture to start. We were simply handed chunks of clay. Okay, what are we supposed to do with it? A very sweet instructor, Ms. Naima, said “Knead it well to remove the air. You can do so, by, kind of like making a bread, or you can divide it into pieces and just slap them on the table.” Good stress release activity for sure, for the first 10mins.

特に形式ばったトークなどはなく、とにかく粘土が渡されます（笑）。「空気を抜くように、よく練って。パン生地のようにしてもいいし、分けてテーブルにたたいてもいいのよ」と優しく指示をしてくれるナイマさん。

Next comes the shaping. “You can make whatever you like!” we were told. Hmm, I should have planned, because I had actually no idea what I wanted to make. Eventually, I decided to make a flower vase, and the method I chose was hand-building; it seemed perfect for me, because I remember that I won the play-dough contest when I was in kindergarten. However, very soon I learned that the glory of kindergarten is meaningless when it comes to pottery skills as an adult. The other method would be to use an electric potter’s wheel, just like the one Demi Moor gracefully uses in her “Ghost” movie. I had a chance to try the wheel, but I wasn’t graceful at all. Maybe I needed to listen to “Unchained Melody.”

次は成形ですが、「好きなものを作っていいのよぉ～」という事で、ちょっと迷いましたが『花瓶』に決定。私が選んだ＜手びねり＞製法は粘土を手で積み上げたり、付け合わせたりして行うもの。もう一つの方法は、＜電動ろくろ＞を使った、そう、あの映画でデミームーアーが優雅に、ロマンティックにやっていたアレです。私”もろくろ体験”をさせてもらいましたが、全然ロマンチックにはならなかったです。

Well, it seemed that my husband and I had completely different approaches to a pottery making. He used a wooden ruler, carefully calculating every detail, and using very mathematical methods all the way through. Such a scientist. Pour moi? I just decided to create “a vase with attitude” and just kept on going with my hands and with free-spirit. When it comes to pottery, your personality really reflects, I guess.

陶芸に対するアプローチが全くちがう夫婦です。旦那さんは、木の定規を使いながら細かい部分のギャップなども出ないように計算しながら。さすがサイエンティスト。私は「ちょっと生意気な花瓶」をイメージしてこのような、自由人ならではの製作過程。性格の違いがよく出てます。

The workshop lasted about 90–120 mins. Before we left the class, we added our names to the finished pottery (or, the finished clay chunk? blob? which MIGHT become pottery). I believe there were about 5 instructors/assistants for the workshop, and they were all sweet and encouraging. They laughed at my “vase with attitude” and that’s all I remember at the end. These clay things will be baked in a kiln after they dry – and will be ready to be picked up. Pretty exciting! If I want to paint the pottery afterward, there’s an extra charge… I think I will decide after seeing how it looks in two weeks.

ワークショップは90分～120分。最後に名前をいれて、作った陶器（になるであろう、粘土）と、先生方とお別れ。乾燥したあとに、釜で焼いてくれるそうです。たのしみぃ！その後絵付けをしたい場合はまた別料金がかかるそうで、、、こちらは、焼かれた後の状態をみて決めようかな。

So, here are five things I learned from today’s experience: 今回の陶芸ワークショップで学んだ5つのことを書いておきます：

1) It’s good to have a general idea of what you want to make; drawing it down on paper and bringing it with you might be helpful also. 何が作りたいかある程度のアイデアを決めておくといい。紙に書いて持っていくのも良いかも。

2) It’s best to keep your nails short. Also, it’s a good idea to remove rings, and tie your hair. 爪は短い方がいい。指輪も取った方がいい。長い髪の毛は結んだ方がいい。

3) It’s not possible to expect that you can master the pottery wheel techniques in one workshop. ろくろのテクニックは1度のワークショップでは学びきれない。

4) It’s also not reasonable to expect magic. It’s a full of “inshallah” when it comes to pottery making. 美しい陶芸品は期待せず、あくまで、インシャーラの気持ちで参加。

5) It’s fun to check out the HUGE Carrefour and its shopping center across the street from Safirat Al Khazaf after class. I felt like I was in Detroit. お隣にあるカルフールがすごく大きい。ショッピングセンターのようになっていて、デトロイトにいるかと思った。

Anyway, I am really looking forward to picking up my vase in two weeks! Inshallah! ２週間後に取りにいくのがとても楽しみです。

Tomo

The cat of the day :: Le chat du jour :: 今日の猫しゃん

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Tags: サレ市、猫ブログ, モロッコで陶芸、Sale, FIFA, I_Love_Rabat, Japanese_in_Morocco, Pottery making in Morocco, Rabati_Japanese, Safirat Al Khazaf, 日本語＆英語ブログ

This entry was posted on June 28, 2026 at 3:31 pm and is filed under General - 一般的な事, Moroccan Days - モロッコ生活 - Viva Maghreb. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.