This blog post sees us back in St. Albans, Herts, UK. I went searching for a quaint little pottery workshop where I had painted some lovely porcelain mugs years ago as a way of trying another alternative form of painting. While I couldn’t find that studio anymore in St. Albans, I chanced upon Pots of Art while on one of my random walks in St. Albans town centre. It is easy to find Pots of Art as it is situated on London Road, close to Lake Ver and Café Rouge (that serves lovely French food).

When I first entered Pots of Art , George, the proprietor and a seasoned graphic designer cum marketing expert, was at work kneading a big lump of clay. I was soon to find out that one of the specialities offered by Pots of Art, is the impressions. Basically, mothers stream into the shop with their little ones just to have some lovely foot printed (or hand printed –your choice) into clay as a keepsake memory.

George knew exactly how to go about the impression process. He exerted the exact pressure of the toddler’s foot into the clay (as shown in the pictures here taken by the CAT) without hurting him. “You need to ensure that the foot print is deep enough so the crinkling of the toes and fingers should be avoided,” he said. After the prints were taken, the rolled in clay impressions were taken to the back room where they were allowed to dry for a couple of days and then baked at high temperatures before the glaze colour of your choice is used, the children’s names imprinted and the impression was ready to be mounted into a suitable frame.

“We can also visit you at your homes to do the needful.” So who’s up for a lasting impression of toddlers’ prints? Christmas is round the corner, but there’s still time to place an order, I’m sure!

While I have no children of my own to try out Impressions by Pots of Art , this was a fun visit. The purpose of visiting artsy crafty places is not only to get to know the craft practiced but also the person behind the scenes. I gathered that George has visited the UAE a couple of times. “I was in Dubai ten years ago and remember Dubai Media City (DMC) . I would love to visit the UAE sometime soon.”

Sure George, it would be good to catch up over a cup of tea and as we slap in colour on clay and enjoy reminiscing about the good old Dubai days!