‘I find the permanence of pottery so appealing’

Tessa Moore, 84, began pottery classes two years ago at the Clay Studio in East Sussex

I’ve always liked looking at pottery – I’ve got nine jugs on the kitchen window sill, collected from junk shops. I also love The Great Pottery

Throw Down – so when I saw a sign outside a local farm advertising pottery classes, I had a look. It was a barn converted into a beautiful studio overlooking the fields. I signed up for a three-hour weekly class – I’m the oldest person there – and never stopped.

When you go to an art class you look at something, like a model, a view or a still life, and everyone tries to reproduce it. Then if it doesn’t work, it’s frustrating. With pottery, you don’t have to “reproduce”, you use your imagination to create anything – and if it doesn’t work, you can turn it into something else. When my attempt at a square vase failed, I turned it into an ornamental fish. When my candle stick was a funny shape and couldn’t carry a candle, I made a clay candle instead so I’ve got the whole thing.

At my age, I’ve got a house full of stuff. I don’t need plates so I just make things that look nice on a table – little jugs, bowls, ornamental birds, angels and snowmen at Christmas. I’ve given quite a lot to my children.

When you make something, unlike a painting, it’s permanent. We learn about past civilisations through the pots they’ve left behind – if you’re lucky, you’ll find a bit of mosaic but usually it’s clay pots that survive. There’s something special about making them yourself and thinking some of it could be around forever.