The last visit of the day was at the studio of Galip, an internationally known prize winning potter, who uses the clays of Cappadocia for his many and varied designs. Galip, who looks like a younger version of Einstein, greeted us warmly and then welcomed us into his cave-like pottery studio for a demonstration of how he fashions something out of literally a lump of clay. Seated in front of the potters wheel, he began spinning the wheel with his legs. Wetting his hands he then started fashioning the clay. Just when I thought I knew what he was going to do with it, the form changed before my eyes; at first, a tall vase; then a bowl, finally, a fluted pot with scalloped edges, all done within a moment's time.
Our group fell silent during this process, as we knew we were in the presence of a master artist, but even more than that--I felt as if I were watching an ancient act of creation- fashioning from dirt and water a bowl, a water pitcher, a vase. It's no coincidence that in the Bible the potter is used as a metaphor for God; shaping that which is formless; having the ability to create (or destroy) whatever the Potter has fashioned.
After Gulip created the bowl, he invited questions. Knowing how prominently this ancient art form is featured in the Bible, as well as talking to potter friends who find this craft deeply spiritual, I asked him: " Is there any aspect of the process that you connect with the most; that touches you--spiritually?". He took a while to answer through the translator, and then finally said what I thought he might; the act of putting his hands in the clay and letting the clay speak to him; letting the clay decide what it shall become. He also spoke of the connection with his ancestors; not only his father and grandfather, who were potters before him, but the ancient people from Mesopotamia, who created these objects of practical art.
Afterwards, we were invited to his studio showroom to purchase any items if we wished, and Wayne and I took a long time deciding what to buy. We wanted something that was created from Gulip himself, so we finally chose a plate that carries one of his unique designs, a tulip exploding from the center of a swirl of Cappodocian colors reminiscent of a Grateful Dead poster cosmic spiral. It will serve as a small reminder of the moment with the Master; witnessing creation being fashioned beneath his own clay-stained hands.
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Location:Cappadocia, Turkey
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