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Joe and Mark are joined by Karina Bates, a potter from Omemee, Ontario.

Karina takes the lads through a quick tour of what it’s like the throw pots and other ceramics on the wheel. Her work tends to be functional and purposeful.

“It’s a nice feeling to have people hold up a cup you’ve made and say they enjoy having their coffee in it,” says Karina.

Joe attests to this, as he has one of her mugs and a honey jar that he uses every day.

On the bottom of every piece, Karina leaves her “maker’s mark”, which is the Eye of Horus. In ancient Egypt, Horus was represented as a falcon-headed man, and was the god of order. His right eye was the morning star, embodying power, and his left eye was the evening star, representing healing.

When she was a kid, she would have nightmares, and her mother would draw the sign on her window, helping her sleep.

One of the things she loves about pottery is how it forces the artist to be present: “There really aren’t any rules in pottery, just physics. It forces you to be in the moment, because if you’re not, your clay ends up stuck to the wall.” They also get into the chemistry of pottery, as they discuss what happens with the kiln.

This is a thoroughly engaging conversation about the art of pottery, the purpose of guilds, and ancient Egyptian mythology.