here - Ceramic Arts Daily

April 2001
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CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
Volume 49
Number 4
Teabowl, 3¾ inches
(10 centimeters) in height,
thrown and faceted
stoneware, salt glazed,
by Phil Rogers, Rhayader,
Powys, Wales.
42
FEATURES
36 Jim Koudelka’s Layered Contraptions
by Daniel Duford
Assembled forms with multifired surfaces to suggest age
411ational Cup Invitational
Works by 50 ceramists at the Society of Arts and Crafts in
423hil Rogers
“Blue Cross Bourbon Bar,”
22 inches (56 centimeters)
in height, multifired, sand­
Bostonblasted stoneware, by Jim
Koudelka, Portland, Oregon.
Functional stoneware at Pucker Gallery in Boston
36
45 Vera Tamari by Carol Malt
Sculpture reflecting social and physical environment
47 Mary Barringer’s Conversations
by Leigh Taylor Mickelson
Using the vessel to explore the landscape of communication
52 Firing the Hikarigama by Janet Buskirk
Wood firing with women of the Northwest
59 Summer Workshops 2001
“Tall Bottle,” 27 inches
(69 centimeters) in height,
handbuilt earthenware,
with underglaze, glaze,
graphite and paint,
by Gary Schlappal,
Frederick, Maryland.
65
Contact information for opportunities in the U.S. and abroad
63 Charmian Johnson by Jim Weaver
Canadian ceramist benefits from cross-cultural experiences
65 Gary Schlappal by Marlene England
Experimenting with the vessel form for art’s sake
68 Cherchez la forme by Kerina Schweer
Exploring form and surface through architectural structure
The cover: “Small Vase,”
5 inches (13 centimeters)
in height, handbuilt stoneware,
with slips and glazes,
by Mary Barringer,
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts;
page 47. Photo: Wayne Fleming
April 2001
Peter Voulkos constructs a
large form during a workshop
at Anderson Ranch, Snowmass
Village, Colorado.
59
“Lily, Iris and Rose,”
40 inches (102 centimeters)
in length, stoneware, by
Charmian Johnson,
Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada.
63
3
UP FRONT
12 Potters Council
Professional association to benefit studio ceramists
12 Viktor Schreckengost
Retrospective at the Cleveland Museum of Art
12 Allison Skinner
Slip-cast sculpture at Material Matters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
12 Celebrating Winter
National invitational of functional forms at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland
14 Everson’s Ceramic National
Invitational at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York
14 John Glick
Sculpture at Sybaris Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan
16 African Ceramics in the Netherlands
Sculpture from 6 countries at Princessehof Leeuwarden
16 John Balistreri
Monolithic sculpture at gallerymateria in Scottsdale, Arizona
16 MaryLou Higgins
Figurative sculpture at Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
18 National Ceramics Exhibition in Texas
Juried show of 98 functional and sculptural works at the University of North Texas in Denton
18 Exhibition of Soup Tureens
Interpretations by 12 artists at gallerymateria in Scottsdale, Arizona
20 Carl Erickson Teapot Acquired by the Renwick
Editor Ruth C. Butler
Associate Editor Kim Nagorski
Assistant Editor Renee Fairchild
Assistant Editor Sherman Hall
Proofreader Connie Belcher
Design Paula John
Production Manager John Wilson
Production Specialist David Houghton
Advertising Manager Steve Hecker
Advertising Assistant Debbie Plummer
Circulation Supervisor Cleo Eddie
Circulation Administrator Mary E. May
Customer Service Mary R. Hopkins
Publisher Mark Mecklenborg
Editorial, Advertising and Circulation Offices
735 Ceramic Place
Post Office Box 6102
Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102
Telephone: (614) 523-1660
Fax: (614) 891-8960
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
Website: www.ceramicsmonthly.org
The Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery adds to permanent collection
20 Rimas VisGirda
Vessels and sculpture at the Lithuanian Museum of Art in Lemont, Illinois
20 Fund-Raising Events at the Clay Studio
Auction of more than 250 works realizes over $97,000
20 Christian Petersen
Retrospective of sculpture and drawings at the Brunnier Art Museum of Iowa State University
22 Online Merger of Art and Auctions
GUILD.com and eBay offer live-auction format for art on the web
22 Baltimore Clayworks’ Teapot Exhibition
Juried national in Maryland
24 National Clay Invitational in Texas
Works by 26 artists at the University Gallery at Texas A&M University-Commerce
26 Holly Hanessian
Installation at Blue Pony Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina
26 Exhibition of Japanese Ceramics
Functional works from the 1970s at Longwood Center for the Visual Arts in Farmville, Virginia
DEPARTMENTS
8 Letters
30 New Books
70 Call For Entries
70 International Exhibitions
70 United States Exhibitions
72 Fairs, Festivals and Sales
74 Suggestions
76 Calendar
76 Conferences
78 Solo Exhibitions
79 Group Ceramics Exhibitions
82 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions
84 Fairs, Festivals and Sales
85 Workshops
88 International Events
92 Questions
107 Classified Advertising
110 Comment:
Opening Doors by JeffZamek
112 Index to Advertisers
4
Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July
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Copyright © 2001
The American Ceramic Society
All rights reserved
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April2001
5
Letters
A Plea for Slide Uniformity
To the organizers and jurors of the great
and beautiful competitions we all want to
enter: Right now, some of you want slide
frames to have only writing (no labels) on
them; some of you accept labels. Some of you
have asked for our name to be written on the
slides; some have asked for the last four digits
of our Social Security numbers. Some of you
want the word “top”; some want an arrow.
Some of you want just the medium and the
year; some want details. Some of you want
dimensions given in the order of height X
width X length; other don’t specify order.
As potters, we have only limited money
for extra slides and limited time to prepare
entries, but we are so eager to enter! We need
uniform standards for slide submissions so
that a slide, oncelif returned, can be sent out
another time.
I suggest that slide frames be labeled A, B,
C, etc., to correspond to sections on the entry
form where additional information is requestedlgiven. Writing on the slide frames
should be limited to 1) the word “top” with
an arrow pointing upward; 2) the last four
digits of the potter’s Social Security number,
plus the initial letter of the potter’s last name
(I would be 7073E); 3) the dimensions as
height X width X length; 4) the year; 5) the
medium (Cone 10 stoneware, raku, etc.).
The additional information provided on
the application form could be as detailed as
you like: title, series number, forming de­
scription, decorating andlor glazing method,
firing process, etc.
We know whose side you’re on. Just
make it a little simpler for us, please.
Risa Hirsch Ehrlich, New York City
Beauty vs. Gimmickery
Please do not forget the value of beauty.
So many of the avant-garde pieces seem to be
opposed to the concept. I am not interested
in gimmicky productions.
Willow Connery\ Denver
State of Independence
Making pottery, ceramics, whatever you
want to call it, should give pleasure to its
creator. Those arrogant enough to rant on
and on about whether it is marvelous or
In keeping with our commitment to providing
an open forum for the exchange of ideas and
opinions, the editors welcome letters from all
readers; we may edit for clarity and brevity.
All letters must include the writer’s full name
and address, but these will be withheld on
request. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box
6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102; e-mail to
[email protected]; or fax to
(614) 891-8960.
8
horrible are within their rights to criticize,
but should not expect to convert others to
their points of view. It has taken me many
years of potting to come to this “state of
independence.” I know what I like to make,
what I like to buy, what I can’t understand
and what I want to learn more about.
I don’t really care if my thrownlaltered
piece that sold for $25 is almost identical to
two pieces shown for $1200.1 enjoyed mak­
ing it, was amused to see its twins in CM, but
disagree that they were worth that price!
More power to the artist who can pass
such pieces off for that sum. Helshe is prob­
ably famous, under a lot of pressure to con­
tinue such production.
I enjoy my freedom of choice, in a small,
unknown basement studio, being inspired by
the open spaces and mountains of Montana,
happy to read about others doing the same,
more or less, in other parts of the country.
Connie Christison Moss, Great Falls, Mont.
Comments Kudos
I have watched Ceramics Monthly evolve
over the past 40 years. Although at times the
works presented may have been questionable,
their presentation has never been. CM is first
rate—best of show.
I have most recently enjoyed the Com­
ment column dealing with aesthetics and
criticism. The contributors have been pro­
found, incisive, comprehensive and readable.
John Kudlacek, Topeka, Kans.
In Praise of a Bread Bowl
After a move last summer, I discovered
that my bread bowl was broken. One of the
most satisfying parts of settling into a new
home has always been finding just the right
place for my bread bowl. When I opened the
box I’d packed it in, something didn’t feel
right. Sure enough, the bowl that had trav­
eled from California to Montana to find me
22 years ago, then back to California, only to
move to Wyoming years later had shattered.
My bread bowl had been both beautiful
and functional. It was high-fired, glazed
stoneware, sturdy, yet light, with a nice wide
base, finely trimmed bottom, graceful slope
to the shoulder and well-set rim. It was a
good bowl to make bread in.
Baking bread isn’t the same now. The
yeasty dough still rises in the replacement a
friend sent me from Williams Sonoma, but it
isn’t the same. I keep that bowl in the cup­
board instead of out on the counter.
I know better than to try to throw a bread
bowl for myself; the standard is just too high.
My life has been a series of vessels thrown off
the hump. There are tall elegant pitchers
inspired by my mother’s love of ice tea;
plump-bellied bowls that my children ate
their morning cereal from; and planters with
drip catchers filled with herbs and plants
lining my windowsills. Of course, there are
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Letters
also teapots and mugs—my morning simply
doesn’t start without a cup of jasmine tea.
Most precious are the raku covered jars that
hold the ashes of my father and my daughter.
I cannot separate myself from being a potter.
When I close my eyes, I can see the wheel
turning, and I know life is good.
I have tried to find the potter who threw
my bread bowl, but he isn’t listed anywhere. I
imagine that he’s quietly living somewhere in
the Sierra Nevada Mountains. When I close
my eyes, I can see his fingers on the bread
bowl. I remember watching him throw for
hours. (I had met him on my first day of
college in my first class—art history.)
To quote Marguerite Wildenhain: “If
you’re any damn good, you’ll make another
one.” You know where you are, Bob Hamil­
ton. I’ll expect a call after you’ve made it.
Dulcie Hills, Buffalo, Wyo.
In the holiday season, six and a half years
earlier, the long-distance telephone call had
come from the middle of Pennsylvania to the
middle of Texas—my twin sister Nancy had
cancer. Thus began what was to be yearly
flights out of Austin, through Chicago
O’Hare, then into Harrisburg International,
followed by that long car ride up the highway
to Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania.
A Ceramics Oasis
In each of those special moments during
It seemed almost through the mists of
succeeding years, I seemed to fall back
time that I could be there, like a brief dream through the decades, back to youth, when
of return. Surely, I would soon awaken to
Nancy and I had been together, skating on a
find myself back in my real life, with my wife nearby pond, warming our hands at a bon­
and children half a country distant.
fire, laughing at our collie who, also trying to
skate, would flop-slip on the ice. To scoops
of newly fallen snow our mother would add
canned milk and vanilla, mixing it into snow
ice cream, a bowl of which we would save in
the freezer for our father.
Initially, the prognosis had been lugubri­
ous: maximum hope, a year and a half. But
medicines improved, and the year and a half
have stretched into years. One thing that
added good cheer to the days for my sister
was the world of ceramics. So it was no
surprise that Nancy, her husband and I
ended up turning the car wheels into the
driveway of a pottery located in a former
flour mill beside Penn’s Creek. In fact,
Penn’s Creek Pottery, a production studio
and showroom since 1989, describes its
location as “at the creek’s edge on Route
104.” On that October day, in the brilliance
of multicolored leaves, it seemed a setting for
a Robert Frost poem.
How pleasant and down-to-earth the
owner turned out to be. Bill Lynch took all
the time in the world for what felt more like
a conversation than a sales pitch. With my
sister, he warmly conversed about the spe­
cifics of temperature and material, and lis­
tened closely to her thoughts about her own
work. Knowing this to be sweet pause in her
battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which
all doctors said would one day win, her
husband and I were truly happy that this
wonderful pottery by a creek could transport
Nancy to an oasis of happiness.
Tom McFadden, Austin, Texas
Life in Clay
“I am a potter.” This statement means
hours of my life spent with clay, in clay, by
and for clay, and for me. CM provides me a
dignity and a sense that I am not alone in this
singular occupation, but connected with
another more artistic and social earth. Thank
you forever.
Lynn Marzoni, Oak Harbor, Wash.
Ohs and Ahs
Great magazine! My roommates call it my
ceramic porn mag. I can’t stop ohhing and
ahhing over the beautiful photography.
Kat Coveney, Chico, Calif.
10
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Up Front
Potters Council
To provide professional and informational support for indi­
vidual potters and ceramics artists, The American Ceramic
Society (ACerS) recently launched Potters Council. A non­
profit subsidiary of ACerS, it will promote studio ceramics as a
professional and recreational activity.
In order to serve the best interests of the studio ceramists,
Potters Council will be governed by a board of volunteer
members who will work with ACerS to establish further
benefits; for instance, liability insurance, credit card programs or
other professional services.
Members will receive a 20% discount on all ACerS publica­
tions, which include Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illus­
trated and books, plus assistance from the Ceramic Information
Center (copies of published articles, technical papers, etc.). The
20% discount also applies to all ACerS meetings, including the
annual artist workshop.
Informational forums provided by Potters Council will
include an online directory of members (beginning October
2001), support of the Clayart online discussion group and a
printed quarterly newsletter for members.
For further information, or to become a member of Potters
Council, please contact Chris Schnitzer at (614) 794-5819, or
[email protected], or visit the Potters Council website at
www.potterscouncil.org.
1920s. When he began teaching there at age 25, he was the
youngest faculty member. By the mid 1930s, he began pursuing
his interest in industrial design, and founded CIA’s Department
of Design. (He continues to teach there today, at the age of 94.)
Along with the first mass-produced American dinnerware,
Schreckengost designed the first Mercury bicycle for Murray in
Ohio, as well as childrens pedal cars, a printing press and the
first cab-over-engine truck.
Allison Skinner
Ceramic sculpture by Canadian artist Allison Skinner was
exhibited recently at Material Matters in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. This “Accumulation Series,” which was slip cast from
colored porcelain, “was created in reaction to observing industri­
ally manufactured wares that mimic handmade pottery,” she
noted. “The sculptural vessels of this series exploit the produc­
tion process of slip casting by deliberately exaggerating the
inevitable seams and the ability to create multiples of an original
pattern.
“Since the Industrial Revolution, manufacturers have sup­
planted potters for providing the mainstay of traditional domes-
Viktor Schreckengost
The first major retrospective of works by Cleveland, Ohio,
artist/designer Viktor Schreckengost was presented through
January 6 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Featured in “Viktor
Schreckengost and 20th-Century Design” were over 150 works,
Viktor Schreckengost’s “American Limoges Manhattan
Meerschaum (Working Model) Shapes,” to 6½ inches
(approximately 17 centimeters) in height, 1935; at the
Cleveland (Ohio) Museum of Art.
about half of which were ceramics, including vessels, sculptures
of animals, political figures, etc., and functional dinnerware.
Shown here is the first modern American dinnerware design
to be mass produced.
Schreckengost studied ceramics at the Cleveland School of
Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art or CIA) in the mid
Submissions are welcome. We would be pleased to consider
press releases, artists' statements and photos/slides in con­
junction with exhibitions or other events of interest for publi­
cation in this column. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, Post Office
Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102.
12
Allison Skinner’s sculpture from the “Accumulation Series,”
10½ inches (approximately 27 centimeters) in height, slipcast colored porcelain, with cast aluminum; at Material
Matters, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
tic ceramics. In essence, I have reversed the influence. This work
adopts and recognizes the relatively recent mass-production
technology, and consequently enables the creation of individu­
ally conceived forms.”
Celebrating Winter
The sixth annual “Winterfest 2000,” a national invitational
featuring functional forms by 25 artists, was presented recently
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
13
y P Front
senior curator Thomas Piche Jr. then selected the individual
objects to represent each artist.
Although the worlds fell into one of three categories—
functional, sculptural or conceptual—“there is only one teapot
in ‘Ceramic National 2000’ and less than one-third of the
objects refer to the vessel tradition in any guise. This seems like
a good thing,” states Piche in the accompanying catalog. “To
Linda Cordell’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” 25 inches
(approximately 64 centimeters) in length; at the Everson
Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York.
Victoria Christen’s “Yellow Teapot,” 10 inches
(25 centimeters) in height, red earthenware;
at Baltimore Clayworks, Maryland.
at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland. Among the works on view
were teapots, platters and vases by Oregon potter Victoria
Christen. “I intend my pots to function at several levels, both
for myself and the user,” she commented. “First, I strive to make
everyday objects for the home, pieces that individuals use in the
supposedly mundane activities of their lives. My cups, bowls,
cake platters and containers, I hope, emphasize the beauty and
significance of these daily rituals.
“On another level, I intend my pots to embody my own
experiences, attitudes and values. My work is both thrown and
constructed, intuitive and patterned, self-conscious and flam­
boyant. [There are] references to my seamstress mother’s use of
patterns and tucks to make highly functional creations infused
with her own passion, to my father’s work as both a machinist
and a maker of folk art, to my own paradoxical desire for both
order and freedom, and to my pots as both containers/dispensers of everyday materials and as metaphors for the body as both
receiver and giver.
“While I do not intend others to share in all of these mean­
ings, I hope that the personal level of the work will free users to
perceive their own selves in these objects.”
me, this indicates that artists working with ceramics are lessen­
ing their reliance on the historically strong pull of ceramics
traditions and breaking away from the essentializing mire that
an overarching reverence for material produces in any medium.
“By and large, the ceramists in this show are producing work
that is content driven, that speaks about our particular moment
in time, about the fragmentation of long-existing orders, about
the uncertainty of meaning. They frequently question the
historical legitimacy of ceramics traditions, sculptural traditions,
painting traditions, and the historical divisions that have kept
them separate and unequal.”
John Glick
“Place,” an exhibition of ceramic sculpture by Michigan artist
John Glick, was presented recently at the Sybaris Gallery in
Everson’s Ceramic National
The 30th “Ceramic National,” an exhibition of works by 67
artists, was presented recently at the Everson Museum of Art in
Syracuse, New York. For this show, the museum assembled a
panel of 10 advisers, including ceramics artists, educators,
curators and critics. Each was asked to nominate 8 artists at any
career stage (emerging, mid career or established). Everson’s
14
John Glick’s “Place Series #1,” 14 inches (approximately
35 centimeters) in height, glazed and soda-fired stoneware,
$3500; at the Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, Michigan.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
15
Up Front
Royal Oak, Michigan. While Glick is best known for his
functional ware, he also enjoys creating sculpture. “Place,” his
latest series of free-standing works, reveals his interest in paint­
ing and drawing, as well as landscape imagery.
The forms are surfaced with multiple applications of glazes
and may be fired several times. Further imagery is developed by
masking with various materials and sandblasting through the
glaze layers, sometimes exposing the clay body beneath.
“The power of place’ to capture the imagination is what
fascinates me,” Glick commented. “Having experienced the
beckoning of landscapes that felt magical or meaningful, each of
us can recall childhood visits to enchanted places. My ideas float
in that twilight realm between memory and reality, where a
place’ can re-emerge transformed.
“These small-scale sculptures are a passport to travel to the
landforms we loved, the skyscapes we glimpsed, and the spirithomes of our hearts.”
the Netherlands, the exhibition featured works from Mali,
Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Chad. Many of the
figures were loans from private individuals, as well as from the
Ethnographic Museum in Antwerp.
The small tribes in northeast Nigeria seem to have had a
strong tradition of figurative pottery representing humans,
animals and imaginary beings. Their pots often had heads with
open mouths, and were usually arranged in groups as an altar.
John Balistreri
Monolithic sculpture by Ohio artist John Balistreri was exhib­
ited recently at gallerymateria in Scottsdale, Arizona. Handbuilt
from stoneware then wood fired, Balistreri’s large forms often
African Ceramics in the Netherlands
“Magic Earth: Figurative Ceramics from Africa” was on view
through February 4 at Princessehof Leeuwarden in Leeuwarden,
Netherlands. The first showing of African figurative ceramics in
John Balistreri’s “Neocubic Figure #8,” 61 inches
(155 centimeters) in height, handbuilt stoneware,
wood fired; at gallerymateria, Scottsdale, Arizona.
reach 10 feet (nearly 300 centimeters) in height. He prefers to
fire with wood because he likes the direct connection between
himself and the fire.
MaryLou Higgins
“Mother with Child,” 33 centimeters (13 inches)
in height, figure from a Mbari altar of the Ibo tribe
(1900-1950) in Nigeria; at the Princessehof Leeuwarden
in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
16
Stoneware sculptures of figures on cars, drawings and furniture
by North Carolina artist MaryLou Higgins were exhibited
recently at Somerhill Gallery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Higgins’ appreciation of cars extends back to her childhood,
when her father was a traffic manager; however, a model-car
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Up Front
see; John Gargano, Louisiana; Suze Lindsay, North Carolina;
and Brad Schwieger, Ohio. Jim Connell, South Carolina; Ryan
Fitzer, Ohio; and Mark Peters, North Carolina, received honor­
able mentions.
Shown from the exhibition is a sculpture by Jason Briggs,
Tennessee. Images of all the works in the show can be seen at
the website alphal.fmarion.edu/-cusa2000/index/html.
Exhibition of Soup Tureens
An invitational featuring soup tureens by 12 artists was on view
recently at gallerymateria in Scottsdale, Arizona. Shown from
the exhibition are works by Farraday Newsome Sredl, Phoenix,
and Eric Van Eimeren, Helena, Montana.
Eric Van Eimeren tureen, 12½ inches (32 centimeters)
in height, assembled from cast, thrown and press-molded
elements, whiteware and steel; at gallerymateria,
Scottsdale, Arizona.
MaryLou Higgins’ “On Top of It All,” 151/4 inches
(39 centimeters) in height, stoneware;
at Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
purchase for a grandson was the impetus for this series of
sculptures. Bright glazes and conspicuous symbolism were used
to illustrate the relationship between people and their vehicles.
National Ceramics Exhibition in Texas
“Ceramics USA 2000,” a national juried exhibition, was on
view recently at the University of North Texas in Denton. From
over 600 entries from 44 states, juror Ellen Shankin selected 98
Assembled from cast, thrown and press-molded elements,
much of Van Eimeren s work “tends to be tongue-in-cheek,
whimsical renderings of everyday pottery objects. I am inspired
to find innovative solutions to century-old problems regarding
functional ceramics,” he explained. “The mechanical nature of
the forms often hint at the future, while the colors and fluid
movement of the glaze will suggest something aged. I regard the
pot as sculpture, always extending the possibilities of form
without sacrificing function.”
Like Van Eimeren, Sredl assembles her forms from various
elements, which may be thrown, handbuilt, slab rolled, press
molded and/or extruded. Glazing is done in a painterly style
Jason Briggs’ “White Fetish,” 14 inches (36 centimeters) in
length; at the University of North Texas, Denton.
works ranging from functional ware to sculpture by both
established and emerging artists.
From the works on view, California potter/gallery owner
Sandy Simon chose the award winners: merit awards were
presented to Ruth Borgenicht, New Jersey; Jeff Brown, Tennes­
18
Farraday Newsome Sredl’s “Yellow Life Drift Soup Tureen,”
15 inches (approximately 38 centimeters) in height, thrown,
press-molded and extruded terra cotta.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
19
Up Front
using her own, as well as commercial, glazes. “After applying a
round of white glaze, I brush on successive layers of color, using
full-bodied glazes rather than the more common majolica
practice of brushing on thin washes of colored oxides or stains.
This enables me to build up a fatter and more complex glaze
surface. The resultant translucency allows for visual mixing of
the layers, and a depth and fluidity of color.”
Carl Erickson Teapot Acquired by the Renwick
Minnesota potter Carl Ericksons “Teapot with Rattan Wrap”
was recently added to the permanent collection of the
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in
Rimas VisGirda’s “Looking toward the future thinking about
the past,” 15 inches (38 centimeters) in height, coil-built
white stoneware, with black engobe, underglaze pencil and
lusters; at the Lithuanian Museum of Art, Lemont, Illinois.
not always efficiently converse, but rather function as separate
dialogues. Through these technical diversions, VisGirda conveys
images of historical and cultural significance.
“The comic strip is a consistent vehicle for his repeatable
subjects,” Jacobi continued. “VisGirda’s work, like the best
comic strips, is most clearly understood when the commonplace
and the extraordinary are simultaneously realized. This format
and its social commentary enable [him] to satirize at one time
both himself and his society.”
Fund-Raising Events at the Clay Studio
Carl Erickson “Teapot with Rattan Wrap,” 9 inches
(23 centimeters) in height, porcelain with blue celadon
glaze, rattan-wrapped handle; at the Renwick Gallery,
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. Made of porcelain and glazed in blue
celadon, the teapot was donated by Kenneth R. Trapp, curatorin-charge of the Renwick, in honor of Gretchen A. Mehring.
“Couplets: Duality in Clay,” an exhibition and auction featur­
ing over 250 works that examined the idea of “two,” helped
raise funds for the Clay Studio in Philadelphia. Participating
artists depicted such dualities as inner/outer, front/back, posi­
tive/negative, functional/sculptural, yin/yang, etc. Traditional
Rimas VisGirda
Sculpture and vessels by Champaign, Illinois, artist Rimas
VisGirda were exhibited recently at the Lithuanian Museum of
Art in Lemont, Illinois. “The vocabulary of VisGirdas creations
is drawn from his eclectic personal history of Lithuanian heri­
tage, California landscape and Midwestern academia, and
includes late-model cars and trucks, cigarettes, haircuts and
dogs,” noted Catherine Jacobi, a Chicago designer, in an essay
accompanying the exhibition. “VisGirda’s ceramic work is not
confined by the conventions of vessels or sculptures. His ap­
proach enables vessels to be slab built, sculptures to be thrown,
and the integrity of dimension to be disrupted by a blanket of
cartoons and illusory drawings.
“Following the lines of his heavy, black-outlined cartoons,
one remembers that a form exists beneath the painted slip,
beside the drawing. Form and drawing, bound by proximity, do
20
Christyl Boger’s “Couplet,” pair of figures, 10 inches
(25 centimeters) in height, earthenware with decals
and luster; at the Clay Studio, Philadelphia.
ceramic sets, such as salt and pepper shakers, creamers and
sugars, cups and saucers, were also created for the event.
The auction of many of the works realized over $97,000.
Artists received up to 50% of the winning bids for their pieces.
Christian Petersen
A retrospective of 90 sculptures and 100 drawings by Christian
Petersen (1885-1961) was presented recently at the Brunnier Art
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
21
Up Front
Museum of Iowa State Univer­
sity in Ames. Petersen arrived at
the university in 1934 to com­
plete a commissioned sculpture
project. Although he initially in­
tended to stay only a few
months, he remained for 21
years, becoming the country’s
first artist-in-residence at a uni­
versity.
While at Iowa State, he pro­
duced 12 sculptures for sites on
campus; among these is “The
Gentle Doctor,” which has be­
come an international symbol
Christian Petersen’s “Veterinary Medicine Mural,” approximately 23 feet (7 meters) in length, and “The
for veterinary medicine. He also Gentle Doctor,” terra cotta, late 1930s; at the Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames.
created hundreds of smaller
Maryland. “There’s something about the teapot that brings out
sculptures and drawings of family members, friends, colleagues,
the best and most creativity in an artist,” commented juror Peter
and campus life as well as nationalevents.
Pinnell, faculty artist at the University of Nebraska. “Teapots are
Online Merger of Art and Auctions
naturally friendly objects, and as such make an excellent vehicle
for delivering just about any idea.”
GUILD.com, the latest extension of the 15-year-old art publish­
Since many artists entered more than one piece for jurying,
ing company, and eBay, the online auction site, have announced
Pinnell
“had to decide whether it was better to have depth—
their plan to offer art in a live-auction format. The agreement
several pieces each from a smaller group of artists—or
coincided with the launch of eBay Premier, a new site for art,
breadth—only one piece each from a larger group. In the end,
antiques and rare collectibles.
Every day, GUILD.com puts up new works for sale on eBay
Premier, where they remain for seven days; eBay users are also
able to access the GUILD.com website and purchase artwork in
a fixed-price format.
“Our relationship with eBay is in line with our mission to
increase access to original artwork and ensure that our artists can
market their works to an even greater global audience,” stated
Toni Sikes, GUILD.com’s chair and founder. “The live auction
format provides any art collector or enthusiast with the ability
to bid on one-of-a-kind artwork with just the click of a mouse.”
GUILD.com also recently announced that it is being ac­
quired by Ashford.com, an Internet retailer of fine personal and
home accessories. Following the acquisition, GUILD.com will
become the Art Division of Ashford.com.
Baltimore Clayworks’ Teapot Exhibition
“100 Teapots,” a juried national featuring 100 functional and
sculptural teapots by 71 artists from across the United States,
was presented through February 24 at Baltimore Clayworks in
Tom Schiller’s “Black and White Teapot,” 10½ inches
(27 centimeters) in height, earthenware; at Baltimore
Clayworks, Maryland.
Eunjung Park’s “Korean Landscape IV,” 8½ inches
(22 centimeters) in height, porcelain.
22
I decided to include as broad a range of work (and artists) as
possible,” he explained. “I felt this would make a more interest­
ing show, and give the viewer a better feel for the incredible
diversity of work that can fall under the heading of teapot.’
“My method for jurying exhibitions is a simple one. I look
for good work. I’m not looking for any particular approach or
technique. I simply look at which artists have succeeded in
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
23
Up Front
Washington, Illinois. Beasecker’s work in the show is “one of a
series of ‘carriers’ that have recently occupied my interest in the
studio. It represents a combination of things seen and felt in my
travels this year,” he explained. “Encountering Richard Serras
Torqued Ellipses has reinvigorated my investigation of interior
and exterior space—particularly that enclosed, cavernous space
between two imposing walls. Also a simple drum ‘carrier’ I saw
in a flea market in western Massachusetts, resembling an open
wooden hatbox with a thin metal handle spanning the volume,
struck me as a beautifully sparse and sturdy object. In their own
way, both the sculpture and carrier express a sense of clarity and
elegance. The piece in this exhibition reflects my wish to have
such qualities in a functional object.”
Miller wants her figures to “communicate on a profound
level. I make art in order to express what I can not in words,”
Matthew Hyleck’s “Shino Teapot,” 5 inches (13 centimeters)
in height, porcelain with iron slip, reduction fired to Cone 10.
reaching their own goals. As for the process of jurying,” Pinnell
continued, “I prefer to sit alone in a dark room, looking at the
slides over and over, gradually winnowing things out until I
think I have a good show.
“In this case, it was difficult to keep with the ‘alone’ part,” he
concluded. “I kept finding myself running out to grab students,
saying ‘Look at this one! Isn’t that great?’ and then shooing
them out again so I could think.”
National Clay Invitational in Texas
Twenty-six ceramics artists from across the country were invited
to present work in the recent “Texas A&M University-Commerce National Ceramics Invitational 2000.” Curated by
faculty artist Barbara Frey, the show represented a cross section
of current trends in ceramic art, including sculpture, figurative
forms, functional pottery and vessels.
“In selecting work for this exhibition, I opted to emphasize
the diversity of approaches and possibilities in working with
clay,” Frey commented. “Viewing this exhibition provided an
excellent opportunity to see what is happening in contemporary
American ceramics. I was also motivated to include work by
artists who support themselves in a variety of ways with respect
to their involvement with ceramics.” Many, for example, are
also instructors.
Included in the exhibition were works by Peter Beasecker,
Dallas; Piero Fenci, Nacogdoches, Texas; and Marlene Miller,
Peter Beasecker’s “Carrier,” 14 inches (36 centimeters)
in diameter, porcelain.
24
Marlene Miller’s “Queen,” 19 inches (48 centimeters)
in height, stoneware with underglazes and stains; at the
University Gallery, Texas A&M University-Commerce.
she stated. “In its raw state, clay responds to the makers hand
with unrivaled sensitivity and expressive power. Fingerprints,
gouges and tool marks remain, energizing the surface of figures
that emerge.”
Immediate concerns in Fenci s work are “intimate scale, the
history of use, the tactile qualities of touching and lifting, and,
above all, the interaction of surface and form. My work...con-
Piero Fenci’s “Leaf,” 10 inches (25 centimeters) in height,
handbuilt earthenware.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
25
Up Front
stitutes loosely rendered reinventions of the past,” Fenci com­
mented. It is “my attempt to build a family tree of spiritual
ancestors, a heritage of my own passions.”
Holly Hanessian
“Transitory Memories,” an installation by Michigan artist Holly
Hanessian, was on view through March 31 at Blue Pony Gallery
in Charlotte, North Carolina. Presented in conjunction with
the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
forgotten books add a sense of holding, loss, intimacy and
awareness of knowledge. Old photographs and rusty hardware
link the narrative structure created in the assemblage.
“My work does not stem simply from a love of romantic
handmade objects and all things old, but acts as a visual refer­
ence, wedding together parts that have symbolic meaning and,
when combined, form new ideas. The books, photographs and
ephemera come from a point in time when people sat down to
write elegant handwritten letters and valued the importance of a
book. Our culture makes cards for us to sign and paperback
books, which, after a few readings, disintegrate. As information
in our society speeds up, we lose the time it takes to write letters
and savor a handsome, well-made book.
“Clay continues to play the central role in the assemblages I
create,” Hanessian noted. “Before I start looking for the found
objects, I sketch and put together various materials to see how
well they match up with the ceramic pieces I’m going to make.
The surface is manipulated with a variety of textures, showing
the inherent malleable quality of the clay. Lastly, I cover the
ceramic pieces with stains and glazes, fire them in an electric
kiln to Cone 02 and add the other nonceramic treatments,
including encaustic and the found objects.”
Exhibition of Japanese Ceramics
“Shaped with a Passion: The Carl A. Weyerhaeuser Collection
of Japanese Ceramics from the 1970s,” an exhibition of over
100 clayworks by Japanese potters, was on view recently at the
Kanjiro Kawai’s glazed stoneware vase, 91/4 inches
(approximately 24 centimeters) in height; at the Longwood
Center for the Visual Arts, Farmville, Virginia.
Holly Hanessian’s “Balancing the up til now with the ever
since,” 9 feet (2.7 meters) in height, earthenware, metal
and books; at Blue Pony Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina.
(NCECA) conference, the exhibition included books, plumb
bobs and cradles suspended from the ceiling.
“I create sculptural assemblages, which combine ceramic
handmade objects and salvaged antiquated memorabilia,”
Hanessian explained. “Old books play a significant symbolic
role in my artwork. For the last ten years, I have been involved
in either making books by hand or weaving them into my
sculptures. Along with the words and stories they imply, these
26
Longwood Center for the Visual Arts in Farmville, Virginia. “In
1971, Carl A. Weyerhaeuser began planning a trip to Japan to
collect contemporary ceramics. Three years later, he had as­
sembled a group of over 300 pieces produced by many of the
leading potters at kiln sites and ceramic centers throughout
Japan,” stated guest curator Samuel C. Morse. (Morse traveled
with Weyerhaeuser as his research assistant and interpreter.)
Weyerhaeuser preferred stoneware, collecting only a few
porcelain objects, and he favored traditional forms, such as teabowls, vases and dishes. The collection was later donated to the
Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
New Books
Painted Clay
Graphic Arts and the Ceramic Surface
by Paul Scott
“There is ceramic work that is neither
pottery, nor sculpture. It is painting, drawing
or printmaking, but on a ceramic surface,
sometimes, significantly, flat,” observes the
author of this nicely illustrated survey. “There
are many contemporary artists who use ce­
ramic surface not because of its self-referen­
tial possibilities, and not because it occupies
three-dimensional space or deals with ‘vol­
ume,’ but because us­
ing slip, underglaze,
luster, onglaze enamel
and glazes gives an
outstanding palette
with which to paint,
draw and print.
“Not only does the
ceramic palette offer
extraordinary depths
and ranges of color, but surfaces can have
remarkable tactile qualities,” Scott contin­
ues, “and the resulting works have a degree of
permanence unobtainable by using any other
paintingldrawing or printmaking medium.”
The initial chapters look at “ceramic his­
tory from the view of a painter or graphic
artist, and examine the development of dif­
ferent methods and techniques.” Included
are examples by artists who are primarily
Imown for their work in other media, such as
Raoul Dufy and Pablo Picasso, as well as
studio potters, such as William Stake Murray,
Sam Haile and Robert J. Washington, who,
in the days of Bernard Leach, “swam against
the tide” and created painterly forms.
Washington, explains Scott, “was quite
clear in his belief that ceramics was a valid
medium for a painter, and without necessar­
ily the baggage of painting on forms: T have
prepared gesso grounds—made and ground
my colors—primed panels with glue of the
old hoof variety—mixed varnishes—boiled
oil—and can fairly claim to know the quali­
ties and potentiality of most painting media.
Therefore when I say to you that...the quali­
ties of silica and its fluxes in the fire give me
a satisfaction and an end product in no way
similar to any other, you surely have to accept
its validity.’”
Scott goes on to discuss studio potters
working in the same manner in Great Britain
and North America today. Trompe l’oeil and
relief imagery are covered as well. Finally,
Scott looks at printing and photographic
transfers onto plates and tiles.
30
Throughout the book, photographs are
captioned with in-depth descriptions about
the work, anecdotes about the artist and/or
artists’ statements. 176 pages, including bib­
liography and index. 233 color and 9 blackand-white photographs. £28 (approximately
US$40). A&C Black, 35 Bedford Row, Lon­
don WC1R4JH, England; telephone (44) 171
2420946.
Wood-fired Ceramics
Contemporary Practices
by Coll Minogue and Robert Sanderson
“The total involvement required during
[wood] firing is undoubtedly part of the
attraction—there is a desire to be actively
involved in the final, and in many ways the
most important, stage of the pottery-making
process,” state the authors of this survey.
Most potters, they continue, “decide to wood
fire because they are attracted by the fired
results, ‘the random yet deliberate mark of
the fire,’ the unique effects which cannot be
achieved in any other way.
“With wood firing, the creative involve­
ment extends from forming the work, to
stacking the Idln, to firing the kiln—all these
stages are part of what it means to wood fire.
Even as the work is being fired, the potter has
the opportunity to actively influence the
process and ultimately the outcome.”
Divided into three sections (Bourry-box
kilns, nontraditional kilns and Oriental-in­
fluenced kilns), the book focuses on the work
and firing methods of, as well as the types of
kilns used by, 26 individual potters. Each
section also includes an annotated “gallery”
of works by other artists.
Kiln schematics and photos are included
as well. For example, Australian artist Sandy
Lockwood fires her work in what she calls a
“long kiln.” A photo shows that it “consists of
a Bourry-type firebox,
connected to a chim­
ney by long, low,
parallel walls (the
chamber), and a flat
roof which is remov­
able for packing,” the
authors explain. “This
concept is basically an
extension of the prin­
ciples used in the series of‘train kilns,’ built
by the American potter John Neely.
“The firebox takes logs 50 centimeters in
length. In addition to the main firebox, there
are three stokeholes along each side, one
adjacent to each stack of pots... .The chamber
roof sections are made from dense cast slabs.
Insulation...fiber pinned to light metal mesh
frames are placed over the slabs, with sheets of
aluminum kitchen foil between to protect
the fiber.” 160 pages, including appendixes
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
31
New Books
on kiln logs, recipes and kiln drawings from
various potteries; bibliography; and index.
102 color and 105 black-and-white photo­
graphs; 34 sketches. £25/$45. A&C Black
Limited, 35 Bedford Row, London WC1R
4JH, England, telephone (44) 171242 0946.
Published in the United States by University of
Pennsylvania Press, 4200Pine Street, Philadel­
phia, Pennsylvania 19104-4011.
Shigaraki
Potters’ Valley
by Louise Allison Cort
Located near the ancient Japan capital of
Kyoto, Shigaraki has long been recognized as
a center of stoneware production. “A journey
to Shigaraki begins with a passage through
mountains, and so the texture of the day—
season, weather, mood—becomes part of the
journey. Even after en­
tering the valley, be­
fore reaching the
present pottery-making center, one passes
the outlying villages
still surrounded by
paddy fields. One
starts to learn the his­
tory of the valley by
coming to know the
cycle of its seasons,” observes the author of
this historical overview (first published in
1979 and now back in print).
“The landscapes on Shigaraki jars have
seasons also,” Cort continues. “Some jars are
as bright and vivacious as a spring morning,
with green glaze cascading over a warm or­
ange surface. Others are moody and with­
drawn, barely touched with color—streaks of
lavender and blue—against dry gray clay.”
After discussing the early settlement of
Shigarald, Cort addresses the medieval pe­
riod and the ceramics of that time, which
were “made in a limited number of shapes as
the part-time activity of Shigaraki manor
farmers and distributed to a small and mainly
rural market.” By the 15th century, however,
“the circumstances of production and distri­
bution began to change as Shigaraki jars
became identified for use specifically as teastorage containers, attaining a new significance
not only in an expanded commercial market
but also within the repertory of utensils being
established for use in formalized tea drink­
ing.” The circumstances behind the change
in the status of these jars are covered in the
following chapter.
Next, Cort focuses on the ware used in the
tea ceremony and merchants of tea ware. “By
32
the Kan’ei era (1624-44), Kyoto tea taste...
had acquired a momentum of its own
that...shut out the rustic rural wares in
favor of elegant Shigaraki utsushi [copies]
coming from Kyoto. Had Shigaraki de­
pended solely on tea-ware production for its
survival, this change in taste would have been
fatal”; however, survival was guaranteed by
government decree in 1632, when it became
the official source of jars for the packaging of
tea. “The annual production of those...tea
jars (goyo chatsubo) was to be the lifeblood of
the Shigaraki kilns throughout the Edo pe­
riod (1603-1868).”
Cort also writes about glazed domestic
wares, response to Westernization, the “hibachi era” of the early 20th century, and mod­
ern Shigaraki (ofthe 1970s). “Certain changes
in the Shigaraki valley have occurred in re­
sponse to a new element in the valley’s his­
tory: the force of tourism. Signs beckon
tourists from a considerable distance along
the road. In many places the road is wide and
smooth; and it is supplied with gasoline
stations, roadside restaurants and coffee shops
with names like Old Jar and Climbing
Kiln... .Within recent years the main streets of
Shigaraki have grown brighter with neon
lights.” 440 pages, including appendixes on
Morita Kyuemon’s diary, Shigaraki in 1872,
a Shigaraki woman’s life (as told to a reporter
by a woman who was both the daughter and
wife of master potters), Shigaraki in Omi (by
Kawai Kanjiro), Shigaraki kiln sites and
Shigaraki clays; bibliography; and index. 52
color and 300 black-and-white photographs.
$80. Weatherhill, Inc., 41 Monroe Turnpike,
Trumbull, Connecticut06611; telephone (203)
459-5090.
Marvelous Majolica
An Easy Reference and Price Guide
by Jeffrey B. Snyder
Nicely illustrated, this guide to American
and European majolica wares made during
the 19th century provides pricing informa­
tion on a variety of
items, ranging from
platters and tea sets to
wall sconces and um­
brella stands. Most of
the book is devoted
simply to images of
specific pieces with
their estimated values;
however, brief histo­
ries of the major manufacturers are also in­
cluded. 176 pages, including recommended
reading and index. 564 color photographs.
$29.95, softcover. Schiffer Publishing, 4880
Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pennsylvania
19310; see website at www.schifferbooks.com;
or telephone (610) 593-1777.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
33
Jim Koudelka's
LAYERED CONTRAPTIONS
by Daniel Duford
“Primary Function Cup and Saucer,” 6½ inches (approximately 17 centimeters) in height,
press-molded stoneware, with glazes, multifired, sandblasted.
It seems simple enough. A lidded con­
tainer with a “red cross” symbol. A ves­
sel stitched and twined together with
the refuse of a junkyard. It has only one
of its original legs. The other two seem
to be bits of rebar and a shovel handle.
The can leans wearily on its attached
shovel-handled leg. It is entitled “Aid
Container.” But look again. If, indeed,
it is an aid container, it seems more in
need of aid itself. It has a skin scabied
by rust and corrosion. The cross that
should serve as a sign of solace and
comfort is the bright red of an inflamed
wound. Its improvised and ill-fitting
prosthetic limbs look like crutches. Sud­
denly, this amalgam of parts is not just a
vessel, but a figure, a wounded soldier.
“Aid Container” serves as an apt repre­
sentative of Jim Koudelka’s body of
work. He didn’t “try to make it just a
figurative piece, or a machine or just a
36
vessel. I tried,” he explained, “to make it
all those things at once.”
At his home in Portland, Oregon,
Koudelka commented, “I’m definitely a
‘more is better’ person. If you look
around my house, you see there’s this
conglomerate of stuff. It all goes to­
gether because it’s me.”
This is true. In every part of Koudelkas arts and crafts bungalow, his col­
lecting obsessions are evident. There are
old clocks on the wall in the kitchen,
vessels of all sorts on the shelves and
mantels, gizmos and machine parts
tucked here and there amongst his own
body of work.
“You look in this house. You go down
to the basement, behind the house and
you see piles of stuff that I accumulate.
That started when I used to deliver pa­
pers. On Tuesdays, everybody put their
garbage out; as I delivered the papers, I
filled my wagon up with old aquariums
and just stuff that people threw away.
I’ve always had an ability to see the
potential for broken-down and busted
things. You take them back and make a
fort in the woods out of them, or strap
them together, just as a kid tinkering.”
Koudelka’s sculptures are built in lay­
ers—layers of parts, layers of color and
texture. These simultaneous and incon­
gruous layers form the content of the
work. “This stems from my love of the
vessel and my interest in industrial and
mechanical artifacts,” he explained.
The origin of his approach to assem­
blage lies in his earliest ceramics classes.
“My teacher had the layered approach.
You know, it was ‘here’s the potter’s
wheel, but there are also molds of plas­
tic chickens.’ He would put molded
chickens on his thrown pots. He would
do all these interesting things. He had
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Little Buoy Jewelry Jar,” 15 inches (approximately 38 centimeters) in height,
thrown, press-molded and assembled porcelain, wood fired, with metal additions.
April 2001
37
“Aid Container,” 23 inches (approximately 58 centimeters) in height,
multifired and sandblasted stoneware.
38
CERAMICS MONTHLY
the whole gambit of techniques. I
learned that these are all different ways
to work with this medium.”
Sometimes, Koudelka focuses more
on making thrown pots; at other times,
exclusively molded or slab-built forms.
Then he allows it all to flow back to­
gether. Most importantly, he stays open
to all the tools at his disposal. “What I
have to work with is this library or
vocabulary of, lets say, my molded im­
agery. There are about 50 to 75 molds
down there in the studio right now.
That’s my dictionary. Obviously, the
more words in your dictionary, the more
variable sentences and paragraphs you
can make.
“Part of the assemblage idea comes
from trying not to have too much or
too little. You need X amount of A’
words, ‘B’ words and ‘C’ words. I gen­
erate ideas from the collection. Its a
play between what I might sketch, think­
ing about what I have to work with. I
start to do some sketches as process. I
never stay true to those sketches be­
cause so much happens along the way.”
If the parts are the words of his work,
then the various vapor-fired surfaces are
its inflections. From early on in his un­
dergraduate career, Koudelka worked
with one of those rare urban salt Idlns.
For the past ten years or so, he has been
involved in wood firing. But there was a
period, after graduate school at Indiana
University in 1980, where he didn’t have
the benefit of big atmospheric kilns. He
moved to Seattle and had a small studio
with only an electric kiln. It was a chal­
lenge at first, he recalled, but the limita­
tions were good. “You learn how to use
those tools to fit your thinking. You
find ways to use materials with those
tools that you have on hand. It wasn’t
the same, but it might have been better
in the long run; it taught me to learn to
work with what I’ve got.”
The sandblaster is currently one of
his favorite tools. “Like a giant eraser,”
it adds to his process, and process is his
ally. Before the pieces are subjected to
the erasure of the sandblaster, they go
through a myriad of surface techniques.
“Good Old Boiler,” 29 inches
(approximately 74 centimeters)
in height, glazed stoneware,
multifired and sandblasted.
When they are green, he might rub in
stains, embed rusted metal and/or ap­
ply colored slips. After the different firing
processes, such as salt glazing, he might
sandblast and then cover parts of the
surface with low-fire glazes. There is a
constant interplay—adding and sub­
tracting—in the creation of his work.
Sandblasting helps to reveal the layers
of history.
“A lot of my work doesn’t come to­
gether until the final days of pinning
and epoxying all the parts,” Koudelka
observed. “Because of that, I can make
five parts to fit one place, then choose
one of those five parts.”
He came of age in ceramics when all
attachments had to be scored and slipped
into place, and once the piece was fired,
it was done; however, he is now free
from those restrictions. Each individual
part can be treated and fired differently.
And from these, he can then choose the
best, not to mention the odd, artifact
from his scrap pile.
Sometimes clay is not enough. “As a
clay artist, I can make clay look like
anything. I love those great trompe l’oeil
works by Richard Shaw and Richard
April 2001
“Blue Stripe Bourbon Bar,” 22 inches (approximately 56 centimeters)
in height, handbuilt and press-molded stoneware, glazed
and multifired, with metal rod and chain.
39
“Big Fat Boy Jar,” 18 inches
(approximately 46 centimeters)
in height, wheel-thrown stoneware,
wood fired, by Jim Koudelka,
Portland, Oregon.
Notkin, or even Jack Earl, to a certain
extent. They have the ability to make
clay be whatever they want it to be. But
sometimes I get to a place where maybe
I just need to use the other material
more directly. Sometimes its just prac­
tical. Clay doesn’t like to be a stick; it
doesn’t have the tensile strength.
“One of my main considerations is
practical. Will it hold? Will it be stable?
How much of it can I do now in the
clay process, then how much of it comes
later? You have to account for shrinkage
and such. A lot of it is, how far will the
materials go?”
The making, firing and assembling
of his sculpture are laborious processes.
“When I see myself begin to tighten up
during a series, I say, ‘Damn, I lost all
the process.’ Then finally I decide to let
go and let process come back in. Usu­
ally, I get back on the wheel and make
really immediate work, with clay solely
as a plastic material.”
Koudelka’s functional pots have an
unprepossessing quality. Rather than
wondering how to coax clay into por­
traying a more rigid material, he merely
allows it to be itself in the pots. They
have a slight torque, a plastic fluidity
that reveals their soft clay origins. His
decorations are quick and fresh. Stripes,
dots, bands of color all mingle on the
droopy skin of the pot.
His “Fat Boy” jars—large with stripes,
bulbous scalloped bellies and wavy,
earlike lugs—are the “Good Time
Charlie” cousins of the more serious
sculptures. Koudelka obviously enjoys
making these wheel-thrown and altered
jars, and they are integral to the ongo­
ing dialogue present in his work.
Many of these pots are made during
his throwing classes at the Oregon Col­
lege of Art and Craft in Portland. Here
is an example of how teaching is a con­
stant source of energy for Koudelka.
Being in an academic atmosphere, where
everyone is always trying something new,
keeps him fresh. “You try to push your
students to explore, to take risks and
develop their work,” he explains. “So
it’s a constant reminder to yourself to
do the same.” A
Recipes
M.J. Bronze Glaze
(Cone 01-10)
Ball Clay............................................. 15%
Calcined Alumina (or Alumina
Hydrate)........................................ 18
Cedar Heights Redart...................... 60
Flint................................................... 7
100%
Add: Cobalt Carbonate................. 15%
Copper Carbonate................ 15 %
Manganese Oxide................. 50 %
Crack and Crawl Glaze
(Cone 06-04)
Barium Carbonate...........................
Gerstley Borate................................
Magnesium Carbonate....................
Nepheline Syenite............................
Kaolin................................................
Flint....................................................
9%
19
19
28
16
9
100%
Fake Ash Glaze
(Cone 8-10)
Whiting.............................................. 33 %
Zinc.................................................... 11
Alberta Slip........................................ 56
100%
For blue green, add 0.5% cobalt oxide and
5% copper carbonate. For a brown-green
to tan, add 3% iron oxide and 4% rutile.
Do not use on food surfaces. Add oxides
or commercial stains for color variations.
Jims Crackle and Flash Slip
(Cone 6—10)
A very toxic glaze. Wear gloves and respira­
Borax........................................... 5 parts
Jims Sinter Shino Glaze
tor when mixing and applying, and fire in
Soda Ash...................................... 5
(Cone 9—12, reduction)
a well-ventilated kiln. Runs when thick at
Custer Feldspar.......................... 20
Soda Ash........................................... 5 %
high temperatures.
Ball Clay....................................... 10
Nepheline Syenite............................ 20
Calcined Kaolin.......................... 15
Spodumene....................................... 10
Chinese Bronze Glaze
Edgar Plastic Kaolin.................. 10
Calcined Alumina (325 mesh)....... 65
(Cone 9-10)
Helmer Kaolin............................ 10
Barium Carbonate............................ 40 %
100%
Flint.............................................. 10
Nepheline Syenite............................ 44
Add: Bentonite................................. 5%
Zircopax....................................... 5
Ball Clay............................................. 8
A dry white to orange glaze, depending on
Flint.................................................... 8
90 parts
underlying clay. For orange brown, add 1—
100%
Apply to bisqueware. Experiment with
3% iron oxide. For blues, add 1-3% co­
Do not use on surfaces that will come into balt carbonate. Add rust particles for iron thickness in order for slip to crack without
peel. Flashes in light salt or soda.
contact with food. Good in salt/soda firings. specking. Flashes in salt/soda or wood
For copper green, add 4% copper carbon­ firing. Good over oxide washes.
ate and 2% rutile.
40
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Polka Dot Cup,” 7 inches (18 centimeters)
in height, handbuilt earthenware with oxides
and underglazes, by Michaelene Walsh.
“Monkey and Ball Cup,” 7 inches (18 centimeters)
in height, handbuilt earthenware with low-fire glazes,
by Michaelene Walsh, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
National Cup Invitational
“Our Cups Runneth Over,” an invitational featuring func­
painted with a colored slip, the tissue drawing is transferred
tional and sculptural cups by over 50 ceramists from across onto this background slip color by pressing with a damp
the country, was presented recently at the Society of Arts and sponge. This transferred ink image is then finish-painted
Crafts in Boston. Shown from the exhibition are sculptural with glaze, using either a brush or a trailer.” ▲
interpretations by Michaelene Walsh of Baton Rouge, Loui­
siana, and Jeanee Redmond of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Walsh begins her cups by handbulding a series of small,
hollow, sculptural elements (balls, mittens, abstract forms—
“whatever comes to mind”). A cup-shaped form (usually a
“head”) is created, then she “composes the small parts around
it, adding wet clay where needed,” she said.
To develop a broad palette of colors and textures, she
applies multiple layers of glazes and slips. (Most of her pieces
are fired at least two to three times.) “I am interested in some
element of surprise occurring in the firing, so I use glazes
that tend to react differently when layered and refired,”
Walsh explained.
Redmonds trio of cups, “Aubrey,” “Maturin” and “Sur­
prise,” were based on Patrick O’Brians seafaring stories.
“The detailed images on the cups are first drawn and Xeroxed “The Patrick O’Brian Series: Aubrey, Surprise, Maturin,”
to the scale of the various cup sections on which they will be to 8½ inches (20 centimeters) in height, wheel thrown
and handbuilt, with colored slips, glazes and transfer
painted,” Redmond explained. “Each image is traced onto images, fired to Cone 6 in oxidation, $1800 each,
tissue paper, using a water-soluble ink pen. Once the cup is by Jeanee Redmond, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
April 2001
41
Phil Rogers
Yunomi, 3½ inches (9 centimeters) in height, wheel-thrown
stoneware, with nuka glaze over iron slip, $180.
F
Round jar, 11 inches
(28 centimeters)
in height, thrown
stoneware, with ash
glaze, salt fired, $900.
42
unctional ceramics by Welsh potter
Phil Rogers were exhibited through
February 7 at Pucker Gallery in Boston.
“Phil works in a series, varying propor­
tions, angles and curves in a quiet man­
ner,” observes Minnesota potter JefF
Oestreich in the accompanying catalog.
All of the forms “are cousins to each
other. This mode of making gives the
feeling that his pots are born and not
made. The balance of working within
the polarities of intellect and intuition
is apparent.
“One must handle each piece to cap­
ture its essence. I have had the pleasure
of eating and drinking from his plates
and teabowls in homes here and abroad.
This is their true environment—bowls
of stew on wooden tabletops, vases full
of flowers, and bowls stacked in cup­
boards waiting for the next porridge.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Oval bottle, 8½ inches (22 centimeters) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware, side fired on shells, $450.
April 2001
43
Jug, 14 inches (36 centimeters)
in height, wheel-thrown stoneware,
with incising, salt glazed, $900.
“One must experience the hand on
the handle, the lip on the lip; this is the
stage where these pots come to life and
communicate to the user,” Oestreich
continues. “On the other hand, they
have the ability to exist in a gallery
setting, on a pedestal, under glass, and
their message is equally penetrating.
“One must experience his lifestyle
and persona to grasp their essence. Phils
pots are a reflection of his personality—
quiet, unassuming and approachable.
His environment is also mirrored in his
work. Living and working in rural Wales
in 16th-century stone buildings among
rolling lush hills cannot help but im­
print on his pots. The serenity of this
environment is reflected in his work.
“How a potter orchestrates the mar­
riage of form to surface, glaze and pat­
tern is telling. The relationships can be
tenuous. However, we observe a quiet
confidence in Phils choice of firing tech­
niques and methods of stacking. Some
patterns are passed down through ages,
endowed with his own signature, and
others are a reflection of his milieu. All
are imbued with a quiet serenity.” A
Arched bottle, 11 inches
(28 centimeters) in
height, stoneware with
white slip and incising,
salt glazed, $800, by Phil
Rogers, Rhayader,
Powys, Wales.
44
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Vera Tamari
by Carol Malt
“Olga and Alexandra,” 36 centimeters
(14 inches) in height, slab- and handbuilt
terra cotta, with engobes.
i
t is not unusual for a woman to be­
come a ceramics artist, and to receive
national and international recognition
for her work, but it is unusual to find
one from the Arab world. Vera Tamari s
achievements belie the stereotyping of
the repressed Arab woman whose tal­
ents and ambition are thwarted by a
male-dominated society.
In her homeland of Palestine, pot­
tery making was traditionally the do­
main of women who coiled or slab built
utilitarian containers as part of their
domestic tasks. In the mid-20th cen­
tury, however, male potters began to
open private workshops, especially in
the towns of Gaza, Hebron and Jenin,
throwing pots on wheels and firing in
closed kilns. Tamari was the first
woman to open a ceramic art studio
April 2001
“Oracles from the Sea, Jaffa Beach,”
160 centimeters (63 inches) in height,
handbuilt terra cotta, metal rods, photographs.
in Ramallah, a town near Jerusalem,
where she now lives.
Asked about historical traditions and
the future of pottery making in the
area, she observed: “Unfortunately, the
making of handbuilt clay forms by
women has almost stopped. In the
1970s, when I started my work in ce­
ramics, I remember visiting a woman
named Im Musa in the village of Sinjil
near Ramallah. She did the traditional
large water jars, hand painted with iron
oxide geometric designs. I watched her
at work and was fascinated by her skill,
assuredness and the lovely rhythm of
her gestures and movements while build­
ing up the jar. As one of the few re­
maining women potters who still prac­
ticed this craft, she was not too enthused
about teaching her daughters pottery
making, because she wanted them to
become educated and pursue different
careers. Nowadays, I don’t know of any
women doing this anymore. I hope I
am mistaken.”
Born in Jerusalem in 1945, Tamari
received a B.A. in fine arts from Beirut
College for Women, studied at the
Istituto Statale d’Arte per la Ceramica
in Italy for two years, then went on to
receive a masters degree in Islamic Art
and Architecture from the University of
Oxford. These years of study, plus sev­
eral residencies and workshops, paved
the way for a multifaceted career.
In addition to her work in ceramics,
Tamari wears many other hats: educa­
tor, writer, arts activist, painter and muralist. She is a lecturer on Islamic art
and architecture at Birzeit University,
45
where she recently expanded her duties
to spearhead the establishment of the
Ethnographic and Archaeological Gal­
lery and a small contemporary art gal­
lery that features art from the permanent
collection. She is also actively involved
in promotion of the arts in Ramallah
and Jerusalem.
Inspired by her environment and the
realization that one should interact in
harmony with ones surroundings, her
work often expresses life’s journey, com­
munication and continuity. In her se­
ries on family, three-dimensional plaques
based on 20th-century family photo­
graphs capture a sense of passing time;
they are snapshots of domestic interiors
with faceless people. They represent the
human condition, the extended family.
They are reminiscent of the flat, shapeconscious compositions of Gauguin or
Matisse (albeit without the color) and
the works of Pierre Bonnard. And, like
Bonnard’s work, they seem obvious and
easily understood, but closer study sug­
gests unforeseen complexities, interac­
tions and subtle details drawn from a
deeply humane perception of her world.
She uses form, pattern and color to
create this ambiance. The soft muted
greens, pinks, earth tones and color re­
lationships of many of Bonnard’s works
bring this comparison even closer. “I
love the freedom of Matisse and the
absolute glow of color and light on
Bonnard’s work,” Tamari commented.
While some of her works are repre­
sentational, some are symbolic, and
46
some just express the joy of the ma­
nipulation of her material. But whether
the product is a pot, an abstract sculp­
ture, genre scene or landscape, there is a
universal warmth, a comfortable famil­
iarity to her work.
It is evident that her environment
has had a positive influence on the
themes of her work, but has it impacted
her production in other ways? One
might think a logical extension of her
love of the land would be a purist insis­
tence on using indigenous materials.
She has, of course, attempted to use the
local clay (called al huwwar, which is
ocher colored and fires to a soft buff),
but it does not suit her needs and is
difficult to work with.
“The local clay is earthenware, and
can be found in many locations here in
Palestine,” she explained. “But it has a
lot of impurities and needs special treat­
ment and the addition of other materi­
als to make it suit works that need
glazing or artistic decoration. Also, it
does not withstand higher temperatures
in the firing. I unfortunately resort to
imported clays from Spain, Holland and
the United States.”
Another challenge, regardless of the
clay she uses, is the constant problem of
drying, especially in the hot summer.
Even under layers of plastic, the clay
dries quickly, creating large cracks. There
is no climate control or space for cre­
ation, and the many steps of prepara­
tion, manipulation, drying, firing and
storing are limited. Her studio, located
on the ground floor of the stone house
in which she lives, is small. So, too, is
her electric kiln, but both are adequate
for the intimate scale she prefers.
“Mainly, I am a miniaturist at heart,
and the subject matter of my works—
especially the family portraits series and
other relief works—have a very inti­
mate nature. They are in a sense like
personal icons. I couldn’t envision them
in large-scale formats.”
Typically, she uses low-temperature
glazes, some commercial and some she
mixes from her own recipes. Recently,
she has been relying more on slips,
engobes, oxides and stains to achieve
the desired surface effects and texture.
“Since my themes are mainly inspired
by nature and the landscape, I find the
earthy natural tones of the slips very
well suited to the subject matter and
have a special gentle, expressive energy
that doesn’t distract the eye from the
form and shape; on the contrary, it en­
hances and complements it.”
This “gentle expressive energy” she
refers to was especially evident in the 30
worlds exhibited recently at the Sakakini
Cultural Center in Ramallah. ▲
“Icons,” to approximately 37 centimeters
(15 inches) in height, handbuilt
earthenware with engobes and stains,
by Vera Tamari, Ramallah, Israel.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Rectangular platter, 13 inches (33 centimeters)
in length, slab-built and incised stoneware,
with multiple slips, fired to Cone 6.
Rectangular platter, 14 inches (36 centimeters)
in length, slab-built and incised stoneware,
with multiple slips, fired to Cone 6.
Mary Barringer s Conversations
by Leigh Taylor Mickelson
H
er pots are quiet, but not silent.
They begin whispering to you the
moment you come into contact with
them. If you listen, they will start a
conversation with you about nourish­
ment, space and celebration. Behind
the words will be echoes of history, land­
scape and culture. At Mary Barringers
recent solo show at Baltimore Clayworks, I felt an instant connection to
her pots. It took some much-valued
time with the work, as well as with the
maker, to understand why.
The way ceramics artists first come
to clay seems to feed the core of their
visual language. Barringer was led to
clay in a roundabout way. She was study­
ing sculpture at Bennington College in
the early 1970s, making figurative work
April 2001
at a time when her instructors and the
greater “art world” thought there was
not much that could be done with the
figure that had not already been done
before (sound familiar?). At about the
same time, she had signed up for a
required class: ceramics. The combina­
tion of the responsiveness of the mate­
rial and the nonresponsiveness of her
teachers led her away from the “hierar­
chies” of the art world and into a more
personal journey with clay.
Although Barringer started out mak­
ing wheel-thrown stoneware pots, she
soon detoured from the wheel toward
handbuilding, which opened up huge
possibilities that she had never consid­
ered before. “There were so many pots
made for different purposes and cul­
tures, made by people with no written
record, so pots were their record, their
stories. This was very vibrant for me.”
From this point on, Barringer’s work
took on a sense of history and back­
ground, suggesting the passage of time
through layering of textures and colors,
faint nuances to discover as the work
was handled. It was at this point that
the conversations began.
In 1988, after 16 years of selling her
pottery and sculpture out of various
studio spaces, she moved to a small
town in western Massachusetts. Here,
the landscape—formed by glaciers and
water—seems to “echo whats going on
internally” as Barringer works. “The pro­
cess of forming landscape is like handbuilding pots—there’s scraping and
47
Vase, 9 inches (23 centimeters) in height, stoneware,
with multiple slips, fired to Cone 6.
48
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Ovoid dish, 12 inches (30 centimeters) in length,
slab-built and incised stoneware, with multiple slips, fired to Cone 6.
burnishing; rocks bore holes into other
rocks. Like pots, rocks are things that
are formed incrementally over time.”
For a while, Barringer focused pri­
marily on making sculptural forms, but
then she began to miss making pots for
use. She missed the “more informal,
personal set of experiences that go along
with domestic space.” So the pieces
shown at Baltimore Clayworks in “New
Work from a New Place” (she recently
moved into a new studio) consisted of
functional vessels: platters, teapots, vases,
plates, creamers and basins.
Within this work, there is a balance,
or rather a tension, between form and
April 2001
function, texture and line, color and
image, hard and soft, warm and cool.
Although fired to Cone 6 in an electric
kiln, the surfaces have a richness and
depth that I had thought could only be
achieved in a reduction atmosphere.
Barringer creates a texture—lines,
scratches, punctures, grooves—with her
many tools. Then she brushes on some
slip, scrapes it off, brushes on another
slip, wipes it off with a green scrub pad,
over and over. And once the pot has
been bisque fired, she begins again, lay­
ering on various thicknesses of slips and
glazes, then scraping or wiping them
off. Here, especially, her technique mir­
rors the weathering of the New En­
gland landscape—the rhythmic motions
and fortuitous scraping of making and
erasing marks.
These marks are an essential part of
the conversation that her pots have with
their viewers. For instance, two rectan­
gular platters were hung next to each
other; though they were the same shape
and size, they were very different in feel
because of Barringer s use of texture and
color. The first was a warm hazelnut
brown with strong parallel lines and
lighter, seemingly random, diagonal
scratches that suggested weathering or
passage of time etched into the surface.
49
Creamer, 4½ inches (11 centimeters) in height,
slab-built stoneware, with multiple slips, fired to Cone 6.
Teapot, 6½ inches (17 centimeters) in height, handbuilt stoneware,
with slip, fired to Cone 6, by Mary Barringer, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
50
Embedded in the lines was a dark brown
slip. Under a strip of green glaze on the
bottom was some writing. At first, I
thought, “Oh, this will tell me what
this plate is about...,” but then I realized
that I could only pick out a word or
two, “cold day...sky above....”
On the second platter, the back­
ground was a soft cool blue, marked
with deep black grooves that were uni­
form yet randomly placed throughout.
On top of the light blue background
was a darker blue form—two structures
rising out of a thick red glossy strip at
the bottom. The image almost looked
like a worn building, one that was fall­
ing in on itself, or perhaps two torsos,
leaning in toward each other to ward
off the surrounding cool air.
Placed throughout the gallery were
seven vases, all torsos in their own right.
Slab built, they had quite apparent hips
and belly buttons, spots of bright glossy
red glaze that suggested the core of the
pot, the center of the pot s being.
Barringer incorporates this red dot
into a number of her pieces—plates,
creamers, dishes and basins—drawing
the eye out of the thick layers of slip
and texture to this poignant, potent
splash of color. The red gives us some­
thing to focus on—a spot of color within
the rich earth tones, a familiar place to
see and touch as you hold the piece,
rotating it in your hands. It speaks of
the kind of familiarity that relates com­
fort, like your favorite coffee mug in the
morning or those hand-knit wool socks
that you wear on cold days.
There is no doubt that Barringer is
“fascinated by the conversation that goes
on between people and things—and
between people through things—and I
want to participate in that with my
work. It means engaging in ideas that
are not just personal, and that my per­
sonal exploration goes on against the
backdrop of a larger, cultural set of ideas
about objects and functions. I like that
my pots go out and lead a life separate
from me, and become a part of some­
one elses life. That potential is a huge
gift for a potter.” ▲
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Recipes
White Slip Base
(Cone 6)
Frit 3124 (Ferro)........................... 10.0 %
Nepheline Syenite........................ 15.0
Ball Clay......................................... 25.0
Edgar Plastic Kaolin.................... 25.0
Flint................................................ 25.0
100.0%
Color variations are mixed with the fol­
lowing additions:
Black:
Black Stain .................................... 10.0%
Red Iron Oxide............................ 8.0 %
Blue-Black:
Black Stain..................................... 10.0 %
Cobalt Carbonate......................... 2.0%
Gray-Green:
Chrome.......................................... 3.0%
Copper Carbonate........................ 3.0%
Light Green:
Copper Carbonate........................ 5.0 %
Strong Green:
Chrome.......................................... 6.0 %
Blue-Green:
Chrome.......................................... 3.0%
Cobalt Carbonate........................... 1.5 %
Teal:
Copper Carbonate........................ 3.0 %
Teal Stain ...................................... 6.0 %
Medium Blue:
Cobalt Carbonate......................... 1.0%
Rutile.............................................. 3.0%
Cream:
Rutile.............................................. 5.0%
Yellow:
Yellow Stain................................... 10.0 %
Pink:
Pink Stain....................................... 10.0%
Ash Engobe
(Cone 6)
Talc..................................................... 15%
Wood Ash (unwashed)................... 20
Cornwall Stone................................. 25
Frit 3124 (Ferro).............................. 15
Ball Clay............................................. 25
100%
For a white/tan variation, add 7.5% tin
oxide; for pink/brown, add 1.5% nickel
oxide and 8% pink stain.
Stevenson Vitreous Engobe
(Cone 6)
Whiting........................................ 3.33%
Feldspar....................................... 8.88
Frit 3124 (Ferro)........................ 50.00
Ball Clay....................................... 11.11
Kaolin.......................................... 13.34
Flint.............................................. 13.34
100.00%
Add: Tin Oxide.......................... 11.11%
Glassy Slip
(Cone 6)
Gerstley Borate................................. 5 %
Lithium Carbonate.............................. 80
Bentonite.............................................. 15
100%
Dense Wliite Engobe
(Cone 6)
Frit 3110 (Ferro)............................. 10 %
Nepheline Syenite............................... 20
Ball Clay................................................ 30
Zircopax................................................ 40
100%
Add: Bentonite.................................. 2 %
Macaloid ........................................1%
Yellow Oxide Glaze
(Cone 6)
Lithium Carbonate.................... 4.35 %
Zinc Oxide.................................. 18.48
Frit 3110 (Ferro)........................ 28.26
Kaolin.......................................... 31.52
Flint.............................................. 17.39
Single-Fire Ash Glaze
100.00%
(Cone 6)
Wood Ash........................................ 19 % Add: Tin Oxide.......................... 4.35 %
Copper Carbonate.......... 0.44 %
Potash Feldspar................................... 25
Iron Oxide....................... 4.35 %
Kaolin.................................................... 12
Yellow Ocher.................. 0.54 %
Red Clay................................................ 13
Flint........................................................ 31
Metallic Black Glaze
100%
(Cone 6)
Add: Cobalt Carbonate................. 1-5 % Gerstley Borate.......................... 10.75 %
Red Iron Oxide.................... 15 % Whiting........................................ 5.48
Feldspar....................................... 78.86
Burlington Base Glaze
Kaolin.......................................... 4.91
(Cone 6)
100.00%
Lithium Carbonate.................... 2.03 %
Add: Cobalt Oxide..................... 2.07 %
Strontium Carbonate................. 5.39
Copper Carbonate.......... 4.14%
Whiting........................................ 12.21
Manganese Dioxide........ 4.14%
Soda Feldspar............................. 20.35
Albany Slip.................................. 22.38
Super-Dry Matt Glaze
Ball Clay....................................... 25.43
(Cone 6)
Zircopax...................................... 12.21
Gerstley Borate................................. 5 %
Vitreous Black Slip
100.00% Lithium Carbonate................................ 6
(Cone 6)
Strontium Carbonate.......................... 15
Borax.............................................. 10.0%
Color variations are possible with oxide, Nepheline Syenite................................ 60
Nepheline Syenite........................ 23.0
carbonate and/or stain additions.
Calcined Clay.......................................... 8
Kaolin............................................. 22.0
Flint.......................................................... 6
Chinese Ash Slip
Ball Clay......................................... 23.0
100%
(Cone 6)
Flint................................................ 22.0
Gerstley Borate.......................... 2.92%
100.0%
Color variations are possible with oxide,
Wood Ash................................... 48.54
carbonate and/or stain additions.
Add: Cobalt Oxide....................... 1.0%
Ball Clay....................................... 48.54
Copper Oxide.................... 4.5 %
Sheen-O Glaze
100.00%
Red Iron Oxide................. 4.5 %
(Cone 6)
Redart Slip
RC Slip
Soda Ash........................................ 2.9%
(Cone 6)
(Cone 6)
Gerstley Borate............................. 4.9
Lithium Carbonate.......................... 10% Whiting........................................... 30.0 % Spodumene................................... 22.8
Spodumene........................................... 10
Kona F-4 Feldspar....................... 20.0
Nepheline Syenite........................ 54.5
Cedar Heights Redart......................... 80
Cedar HeightsRedart................... 40.0
Ball Clay......................................... 14.9
100% Flint................................................ 10.0
100.0%
100.0% Add: Chrome................................ 0.5 %
Add: Red Iron Oxide....................... 2 %
Firing
the
Hikarigama
by Janet Buskirk
What do professional potters do for fun?
Many of us became potters because we
really enjoy making a variety of pots,
but then we find ourselves making blue
bowls for the buying public. While we
may actually enjoy making these bowls,
we often yearn for a time when we try
something new in the studio every week.
Enter wood firing, stage left.
Last summer, a group of professional
women potters assembled at the Hikari­
gama Kiln in Elkton, Oregon. All make
a substantial part, if not all, of their
living from clay. Many fire this kiln
regularly; many fire in other wood kilns.
But several of the others work mostly in
low-fire and had never fired with wood.
All had the urge to use wood firing as
an excuse to experiment, to have fun in
the studio.
Often when an eclectic mix of pot­
ters initially joins forces to fire a kiln,
there are obvious gaps in knowledge
Wood-fired box, 9 inches (23 centimeters) in height, thrown and altered stoneware,
with Peggy’s Oribe Glaze, by Terry Inokuma, Philomath, Oregon.
52
from one participant to another. With
this group, Barbara Campbell and Terry
Inokuma were the leaders, having had
previous experience with this kiln. Oth­
ers of the crew may or may not have
been able to hold their own in a debate
about the relative merits of apple wood
ash versus fir ash at Cone 13, but they
are still good potters, and they brought
with them an incredible knowledge of
ceramic materials, as well as that unex­
plainable sixth sense of kilns and clay.
They came from Oregon, Washing­
ton and Colorado. They stayed ten days,
beginning with one day of glazing, two
days of loading, then lighting the kiln
on the evening of the second day. The
goal was to fire it for 85 to 100 hours,
then cool for only two days and unload.
The kiln is an odd combination of
anagama and noborigama. The front
chamber is the anagama, with a small
firebox, followed by about 10 feet of
stacking space. Then there is a stoking
area between the anagama and the small
noborigama at the back, which is usu­
ally salted. Among the local wood-fire
potters (there are now 12 anagamas in
the area, and the people who fire them
do gossip), this kiln is known for its
anagama section being a bit touchy, but
getting to temperature fairly depend­
ably; the noborigama section is much
more problematic.
If you ever drive to Elkton, Oregon,
you are likely to first come through the
town of Drain, then pass the Road Kill
Grill before crossing Hardscrabble
Creek. A few more miles along the high­
way, you’ll pass through a tunnel. On
the other side of the tunnel, everything
changes. The landscape is prettier, the
people seem more cheerful and the farms
look like they produce better crops.
Drive through Elkton, and in two more
miles you will see Hiroshi and Keiko
Ogawa’s Hikarigama.
What are the first things you notice
when you approach a new kiln? Of
course, we all notice its basic structure,
its shape, its size. We also notice the
more subtle things, the attitude of the
firing crew, the method by which it is
loaded, the organization of the kiln fur-
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Wood-fire Sipping Set,” 14 inches (36 centimeters) in length, slab-built porcelain,
by Barbara Campbell, Corvallis, Oregon.
niture, the way that the wood is stored
around the kiln.
When we arrived, the wood was well
organized, and the area around the kiln
seemed to be well set up. The all-female
crew seemed somewhat less regimented,
but the prevailing attitude was an ea­
gerness to learn. It was an inviting firing
environment. But would the kiln fire
well? Great firings can come from very
controlled, difficult crews, yet they also
can come from crews who goof off.
Either kind of crew can also produce
ghastly results.
What about this idea of an all-female crew? I have never really approved
of all-female or all-male activities; how­
ever, it was interesting to see how this
firing differed from a co-ed venture.
Here, the pots were generally smaller,
perhaps a bit thinner and more grace­
ful. There was also a different pace—
more of a steady pace, rather than flurries
of activity. Would the kiln behave dif­
ferently? Many years ago, I had helped
some Korean potters build a kiln, and
April 2001
they had patiently explained to me that
while I could help with its construc­
tion, they were nervous about me being
present when it was fired, as kilns are
female and they become jealous of other
women. Is that true only in Korea, or
something we should all be wary of?
The idea for this all-female firing
came about during a Hikarigama firing
when one of the stoking crews was all
women. They really enjoyed the cama­
raderie established during their shift,
and they began to talk about doing an
entire firing with women. About that
same time, Hiroshi felt he needed to
give some of his most trusted crew mem­
bers more experience and credit; he de­
cided to do a “miniseries” of firings that
would allow the crew leaders to make
their own decisions and to try their
own ideas with his kiln. That way ev­
eryone, including Hiroshi, might learn
new things.
So he put Terry Inokuma and Bar­
bara Campbell, two women who fire
regularly with him, in charge of teach­
ing a workshop on firing the kiln. He
also asked Steve Sauer and Tate Shields
to lead another firing, and John Harris
and Chris Knapp to do a third. Each
pair was asked to coordinate the entire
firing, as well as sleeping arrangements
and food for the crew. Gradually, the
first firing, with Terry and Barbara, be­
came an all-female firing, and the sec­
ond, with Steve and Tate, became
primarily male.
Of the 14 women Barbara and Terry
invited to participate, 9 were able to
take part. The resulting crew was hard
working and organized, yet easygoing.
Everyone jumped in to take responsi­
bility for both manual labor and for
decision making. Watching the concern
on their faces when the kiln had been
stalled for over 24 hours, some would
argue that they took too much respon­
sibility, as they all felt accountable for
the kilns persnickety nature.
The American anagama tradition is
still quite young. Some people approach
such kilns with a need to make Bizen-
53
Terry Inokuma and Barbara Campbell stoking the front.
Loading the rear (noborigama) chamber of the kiln.
Damp wood is leaned against the warm kiln to dry.
54
CERAMICS MONTHLY
style pots (they do lend themselves to
this process). Others work in a south­
ern folk pottery tradition. We were
working with a peculiar modified
anagama design, thus the pots going
into this kiln reflected our eccentrici­
ties, rather than traditional styles.
After the firing, the kiln is sealed with slip-coated paper
to encourage slow, even cooling.
Once the door has been unbricked and the firebox
cleared of ash, the anagama section can be unloaded.
April 2001
1:00 A.M., Tuesday
Fifty-six hours into the firing, the
front of the kiln was holding steady
above Cone 13, but the back of the
anagama and the front of the nobo­
rigama, while they had been rising well,
had stalled. The crew began experiment­
ing with different stoking paces and
different stoking quantities. Decisions
on stoking style, damper opening, etc.,
were primarily made by consensus.
Slightly too-wet wood is a common
problem for kilns in Oregon, so the
crew began to lean damp wood against
the warm sides of the kiln.
At this point in the firing, the crew
was tired. Earlier, they had been awake
and goofier. Later, they would be so
exhausted that they would again be
goofy. At 1:00 A.M., Tuesday, they were
serious and somewhat pensive.
Stoking was fairly regimented, with
one or more people watching the py­
rometer, listening to the kiln and decid­
ing whether to stoke the back chamber
and/or the middle of the front cham­
ber. At the front, one person would
open the firebox door and hand wood
to the stoker, who would stoke very
rapidly, then close the door, careful not
to allow any extra cold air into the kiln.
(This crew used more safety equipment
than I was used to, with the front stoker
protected by a Kevlar apron, leggings,
gloves and a face shield.) The nobo­
rigama was often stoked in rhythm with
the anagama, but sometimes the kiln
responded best to the back being stoked
with an independent rhythm.
We stoked mostly alder, a semihard
wood that generally burns well but pro­
duces a somewhat short flame. The
wood was cut to 15-inch lengths, then
split when necessary. The pile of coals
was never allowed to become high, as
this kiln seems to choke fairly easily.
55
During the days, neighbors dropped
by, people made noise, the whole firing
crew was often awake, and somehow
everyone was distracted. Late at night,
the crew would sometimes be goofy but
they would also be very focused on the
kiln. The flames were easy to see, and
thus to read, and there were no distrac­
tions. This can often be the best time
for a wood kiln to gain temperature.
This is also the time when people speak
frankly about themselves, everything and
everybody with whom they have fired.
Many close friendships are made.
Friendships can also end during long,
emotional nights of firing.
Interestingly, more than one woman
at this firing has been a past partner in
the ownership of wood kilns, but has
left the partnership in order to preserve
friendships. We spent some nights dis­
cussing whether it is possible for more
than one person to own a wood kiln,
and we realized that we do not know of
any wood-kiln partnerships that have
stood the test of time.
It must not be easy to hand com­
plete control of a kiln over to someone
else. Hiroshi often offered suggestions
(the crew joked about him heckling
them), but he also stayed away for long
periods of time during the firing.
Each crew member had an opportu­
nity to take part in all aspects of the
firing. Terry and Barbara spent some
time rotating the people from one stoke
port to another. Each learned how to
stoke the front and sides of the anagama,
as well as the ports for the noborigama.
Each also took a turn opening the door
for the front firebox, hauling wood and
cooking meals.
Everyone understood that it was a
group process, and no one seemed too
worried about her own pots. During
loading, we made certain that everyone
had a piece in the hot spots, the flashy
spots and any other promising place.
During the firing, this spirit of coopera­
tion continued.
Wednesday
On Wednesday, the back of the
anagama was still cold. No cones below
Cone 10 had been placed in the side
stoke ports, and Cone 10 had not even
thought about softening. The crew tried
everything. The damper was moved
back, forward and back again. They
tried the “flame throwers” that Jack Troy
had once shown them, whereby you
jam the ports full of wood and try to
draw the flame from the ports into the
kiln. During this flame-throwing at­
tempt, the crew could hear the flame
move through the kiln, then stop at the
“XY,” 10 inches (25 centimeters) in height, incised stoneware,
wood fired, by Cynthia Spencer, Corvallis, Oregon.
56
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Teapot, 10 inches (25 centimeters)
in height, handbuilt porcelain,
by Janet Buskirk, Portland, Oregon.
“wall of pots”—a solid wall of closely
packed shelves in the middle of the
chamber. It appeared that we had been
a bit overeager during loading. We had
intended to block the flames with two
tightly stacked areas, as the flame some­
times rips through to the back of an
anagama without slowing down at all.
Apparently, we had slowed the flame a
bit too much.
The crew then tried every trick in
the “Kiln Stokers’ Manual” to reach
temperature in the noborigama. It was
stoked in tandem with the anagama. It
was stoked entirely independently. It
was stoked lightly, heavily and every­
thing in-between. Somewhere, some­
how, this worked. After 100 hours of
firing, the back chamber had gained
more temperature than usual. Typically,
it is finished with many hours of assis­
tance from propane, and while this was
again necessary, Cone 11 dropped on
top in only a couple of hours.
The crew had done well, and they
had worked well together. Common
threads among the participants were a
April 2001
Pitcher, approximately 12 inches (30 centimeters) in height,
wood fired, by Peg Malloy, Carbondale, Colorado.
sense of humor and a willingness to
experiment. Most have been professional
potters for 10 to 20 years. Terry, Bar­
bara and Peg Malloy are well known for
their wood-fired work. Beverly Saito,
who used to sew clothes for Janis Joplin
(she paid less frequently than many bad
galleries), fires with wood in addition to
her low-temperature work. Nancy
Utterback, who is almost entirely selftaught (she built all of her studio equip­
ment based on the descriptions she read
in the Encyclopedia Brittanica), does a
lot of salt firing. Jenny Andersen makes
outrageous low-temperature sculpture.
Cynthia Spencer has fired a lot of salt
and other vapor kilns. Patty Maly,
Natalie Warrens and Gina Freuen have
done a lot of experimental work at low
temperatures. Maria Spies has done a
lot a fuel firings.
The unloading proceeded slowly, as
the kiln was still incredibly hot. Barbara
and Terry worked until they were too
57
hot to remain inside the kiln, then hur­
ried out to drink water and cool down.
This gave the entire crew time to look
at the pots remaining in the kiln, to
analyze the stack and to ponder what
went right, what went wrong, what
should be changed.
The people who fire in this kiln regu­
larly had some great work; they knew
how to decorate their pieces for the
varying temperatures and atmospheres.
A couple of the women who normally
fire at Cone 04 also got some incredible
results, with some of the Oribe and
Shino glazes achieving a brilliance that
would impress even buyers of blue pots.
The best of the pots from this firing
were exhibited at the Kobo Gallery in
Seattle, Washington.
Some pots were, of course, brown
and lumpy. And no more pots than
usual tipped over and stuck to one an­
other. There were also the usual goobers
to be ground off lips and feet, but this is
routine for wood firing. And all the
shelves had been cleaned by a respirator-clad crew by the time the kiln was
completely unloaded.
Each of the women participated for
a different reason. Some came to try
new techniques with a kiln they already
knew; some to try a new kiln with an
already-familiar type of firing. Others
came to try wood firing for the first
time. Each took full advantage of the
opportunity.
Some had life- or career-changing
experiences; others learned new tech­
niques. It was impossible to leave with­
out experiencing some personal growth.
The author Janet Buskirk is a full-time
studio potter in Portland, Oregon; cur­
rently, she fires mostly to Cone 10 in a gas
kiln, but does regularly participate in wood
firing several local kilns.
Recipes
Many of the following recipes are modi­
fied versions of glazes found in Jack Troys
book Wood-Fired Stoneware and Porcelain:
Anderson Ranch Shino Slip
(Cone 11, reduction)
Spodumene................................. 12.33%
Kona F-4 Feldspar.................... 8.72
Nepheline Syenite...................... 36.47
Edgar Plastic Kaolin.................. 28.36
Bentonite..................................... 2.00
Kentucky Ball Clay (OM 4) .... 12.12
100.00%
Harris Shino Glaze
(Cone 11, reduction)
Soda Ash...................................... 3.73%
Spodumene................................. 13.77
Kona F-4 Feldspar..................... 9.14
Nepheline Syenite...................... 41.31
Edgar Plastic Kaolin.................. 9.14
Grolleg Kaolin............................ 9.14
Kentucky Ball Clay (OM 4).... . 13.77
100.00%
Add: Iron Oxide......................... 0.50%
Jims Shino Glaze
(Cone 11, reduction)
Nepheline Syenite...................... 54.00 %
Spodumene................................. 36.00
Bentonite..................................... 4.50
Zircopax....................................... 5.50
100.00%
Add: Epsom Salt........................ 0.25%
Tate Shino Glaze
(Cone 11, reduction)
Soda Ash........................................... 16%
Kona F-4 Feldspar................................9
Nepheline Syenite................................39
Cedar Heights Redart...........................6
Edgar Plastic Kaolin...........................17
Kentucky Ball Clay (OM 4)........... 13
100%
Teapot, 9 inches (23 centimeters) in height, handbuilt Helmer porcelain,
wood fired, by Gina Freuen, Spokane, Washington.
58
Peggy’s Oribe Glaze
(Cone 11, reduction)
Bone Ash....................................
Talc..............................................
Whiting.......................................
Custer Feldspar.........................
Edgar Plastic Kaolin.................
Flint.............................................
1.07%
7.77
22.36
30.88
12.57
25.35
100.00%
Add: Copper Carbonate........... 6.50%
Summer Workshops 2001
Various types of workshops are offered each summer.
Most are hands-on experiences; however, sessions of onehalf to two days may be demonstration only—a few are
strictly lectures or discussions. Skill levels are ranked
beginning, intermediate, advanced and professional
While nearly all workshops are good experiences, the
quality of presentation varies widely. If possible, ask
others who have attended previous sessions for their
feedback, then contact the organizers for specifics.
Alaska, Anchorage
“Beyond Function: Inlet Art Workshops” with Brad
Schwieger, sculptural approaches to handbuilding
and throwing (July 15-27, Mon.—Fri., 9-5; open
studio other times); fee: $1000, includes materials,
firing, daily lunches and 1 celebration dinner. Inter­
mediate. Contact Inlet Art Workshops, do Garry
Kaulitz, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211
Providence
Dr.,
Anchorage
99508;
e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (907) 786-1034.
Arizona, Flagstaff
“Salt-Glaze Workshop” with Ellen Tibbetts (July 1125, weekdays). “Noborigama Wood-Fire Workshop”
with Jason Hess (July 26-August 8). Skill require­
ments vary. Living accommodations available; tele­
phone (520) 523-3978. Contact Ellen Tibbetts,
Northern Arizona University, Box 6020, Flagstaff
86011; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.nau.edu/summer; telephone (520) 523-1027;
or fax (520) 523-3333. For information on the
noborigama workshop, contact Jason Hess at
[email protected]. For fee information, telephone
(800) 426-8315 or (520) 523-4212.
Arkansas, Eureka Springs
“Inspiration Point Visual Arts Camp” for students
entering grades 7—12; clay workshop focuses on
handbuilding, throwing, raku and pit firings Quly
30-August 5); fee: $250, includes lodging and meals.
Instructors: Jim Wallace and Laura Waters. Contact
IPVAC, 320 CR 210, Eureka Springs 72632; or
telephone (501) 253-1292.
California, Cambria
“Raku by the Sea,” glazing, firing and portable
kilnbuilding with Dan Slayton; participants must
bring 4-6 bisqued forms (August 31-September 1);
fee: $350, includes materials, lodging, meals and tour
of nearby Hearst Castle. Beginning and intermediate.
Registration deadline: August 15. For further infor­
mation, e-mail [email protected]. To register,
see website at http://www.campoceanpines.org/; or
telephone (805) 927-0254.
California, Davis
“Tile Making and Mosaic Workshop” with Donna
Billick (July 7-8). Contact the Tile Heritage Founda­
tion: e-mail [email protected]; or fax (707)
431-8455.
California, Idyllwild
“Idyllwild Ceramic Survey: Firing Techniques” with
Jesse Bay, Steve Davis, Greg Kennedy, Kevin A.
Myers, plus visiting artists Marsha J udd, David Kiddie,
Karen Sullivan and Robby Wood (June 23-29); fee:
$795, includes materials, firing, lodging and meals.
“Acoma Pottery—Traditional Techniques” with
Emma Lewis Mitchell and Dolores Lewis Garcia Quly
2—7); fee: $455, includes materials, firing and meals.
“Zuni Pottery Making” with Josephine and Milford
Nahohai; or “Mata Ortiz Pottery Making” with Cesar
Dominguez (July 9-14). “Ceramics for Adult Stu­
dents” with Greg Kennedy (July 9-21); fee: $435,
includes materials, firing and meals. “Traditional San
Ildefonso Pueblo Pottery Making” with Diane
Calabaza and Krieg Kalavasa (July 16-21). “Youth
Ceramics” with Greg Kennedy (July 22-August 4).
Skill requirements vary. Fee (unless noted above):
April 2001
Marlene Robert and assistant removing the chamber of a raku kiln
during a workshop at her studio in Burgundy, France.
$445, includes materials, firing and meals. For further
information, contact Diane Dennis, Idyllwild Arts
Summer Program, PO Box 38, Idyllwild 92549;
e-mail [email protected]; see website
atwww.idyllwildarts.org; telephone (909) 659-2171,
ext. 365; or fax (909) 659-5463.
California, Mendocino
“Clay Heads” with Doug Jeck (June 11-16). “Mo­
saic: Where It All Comes Together” with Donna
Billick (June 18-23). “Teapot Doctors” with John
Neely and .Ah Leon (June 25-July 6); fee: $675,
includes materials and firing. “Everything You Want
to Know About Ceramics” with Philip Cornelius; or
“Molding Multiples” with Nancy Fraser and Ted
Okell (July 9-14). “The Seduction of Color and
Surface” with Phyllis Kloda; or “Serve a Painting for
Supper” with Jane Dillon (July 16—21). “Ceramic
Head Constructions” with Stan Welsh; or “Ceramic
Tableaux Sculpture” with Richard White (July 2328). “Bowls and Bowls—However You Like Them!”
with Christopher Bates Quly 30-August 4). “HagiWare Pottery” with Tsutomu Yamato (July 30August 10); fee: $675, includes materials and firing.
“The Embellished Structure” with Cynthia Young
(August 6-11). “Making Pots for the Wood Kiln”
with Brent Heerspink and Julia Porter; or “Clay
Monoprinting” with Mitch Lyons (August 13-18).
“Exploring Your Inner Spirit” with Bruce Bangert; or
“Clay Collage: Molding and Assembling” with Lesley
Baker (August 20—25). “Clay Faces ana Heads” with
Beverly Mayeri; or “Clay on the Wall” with Kent
59
Valley Ceramic Arts Guild: see website at
www.ovcag.org; or telephone Irene Jenkins, (408)
739-9435.
California, Walnut Creek
“A Search for the Unexpected,” demonstration and
slide presentation with Tomas Collins (June 16);
fee: $45, includes pot-luck lunch. Contact Walnut
Creek Civic Arts Education, PO Box 8039, Walnut
Creek 94596; telephone (925) 943-5846; or fax
(925) 937-2787.
Colorado, Arvada
“Drawing for Potters” with Jim Lorio (June 9-10).
“Outside the Box” with Marie Gibbons (June 13July 11, Weds., 6:30-9:30 P.M.). “Silver Clay” with
Clyde Killingbeck (June 23-24). “Handbuilt Func­
tional Pots” with Cheryl Crownover (July 14—15).
“Handbuilding with Soul” with Tom Kerrigan (July
27-29); fee: $140, includes some materials. “Honest
Pots” with Peg Malloy (August 11-12). Skill require­
ments vary. Fee (unless noted above): $100, includes
materials. Contact Bebe Alexander, The Arvada Cen­
ter, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada 80003; e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (303) 431 -3080,
ext. 3109.
Colorado, Carbondale
“Pots That Speak” with Nancy Barbour, handbuilding,
throwing, surface decoration, soda firing (August 1318); fee: $325, includes materials, clay (50 lb) and
firing. Instruction in English with some Spanish.
Contact Diane Kenney, Carbondale Clay Center,
135
Main
St.,
Carbondale
81623;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.carbondaleclay.com; telephone (970) 963-2529;
or fax (970) 963-4492.
Colorado, Cortez
“ 17th Annual Sand Canyon Pottery Workshop” with
Leander Gridley and John Olsen, replicating tradi­
tional Native American black-on-white and corru­
gated pottery (June 16-23); fee: $950, includes ma­
terials, firing, lodging, meals and field trip to Mesa
Verde National Park. All skill levels. Contact Kristie
Carriker, Kelly Place, 14663 Rd. G, Cortez 81321;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (800) 745-4885;
or fax (970) 565-3540.
“Continuing Traditions in Clay: Shaping Pueblo
Pottery” with Paul Ermigiotti, Jody Folwell and Sue
Folwell (June 24-July 1); fee: $1295. “AncientTech­
nologies,” experimental archaeology workshop, work­
ing with ancient tools, such as pottery tools, atlatls,
firestarter kits, dye charts, etc. (August 5-11); fee:
$700. For further information, contact Crow Can­
yon Archaeological Center, 23390 Rd. K, Cortez
81321; see website at www.crowcanyon.org; or tele­
phone (800) 422-8975, ext. 146.
Colorado, Grand Junction
Tom Coleman demonstrating handle attachment during a workshop
at Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts
in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Rothman (August 27-September 1). Fee (unless noted
above): $365, includes materials and firing. Contact
Mendocino Art Center, PO Box 765, Mendocino
95460; e-mail [email protected]; telephone (707)
937-5818; or fax (707) 937-1764.
John Balistreri, Rodney Mott, Paul Soldner and Peter
Voulkos, plus Camp Clay (June 8-12); fee: $375. For
further information, telephone Rodney Mott, Penryn
Workshop, (916) 663-2815; or see website at
www. jps. net/penryn wrkshp.
California, Newark
California, Pt. Reyes
“Cast Cement and Mosaic” with Dmitry Grudsky
(August 20-24). Contact the Tile Heritage Founda­
tion: e-mail [email protected]; or fax (707)
431-8455.
“Magic Fire” with Carol Molly Prier, handbuilding,
burnishing, terra sigillata, beach pit firings (July 2027); fee: $435, includes materials and firing. Limited
to 8 participants. Some scholarships available. For
further information, contact Carol Molly Prier, PO
Box 337, Pt. Reyes Station, CA 94956; or telephone
(415) 669-7337.
California, Orangevale
“Body as Index: Life Casting and Latex Molds” with
Nan Smith (June 18-22); fee: $385. Contact Morgan
Britt, FireArt ClayWorks, (916) 988-9330.
California, Penryn
“ Woodstoke 2001: A Clay Oddity” with Rudy Autio,
60
California, San Jose
“Hands-On Mask-Making Workshop” with Susan
Worley (June 24); fee: $60; OVCAG members, $50;
includes materials. All skill levels. Contact Orchard
“Southwest Pottery Workshop” with Michael Wisner,
digging for clay and minerals, brush making, burnish­
ing, black-on-black and polychrome slip painting,
wood and gas firing (July 20-22); fee: $265; mem­
bers, $239; includes materials and firing. Instruction
in English and Spanish. “Soldner—-A Lifetime in
Clay” with Paul Soldner, slab construction, throwing,
altering, glaze and firing discussion (August 11-12);
fee: $200; members, $180; includes pot-luck lunch
Saturday. All skill levels. Contact Terry Shepherd,
Western Colorado Center for the Arts, 1803 N.
Seventh
St.,
Grand
Junction
81505;
e-mail
[email protected]; see website at www.gjartcenter.org;
telephone (970) 243-7337; or fax (970) 243-2482.
Colorado, Mesa Verde
“Anasazi Pottery at Mesa Verde,” prehistoric ap­
proach to clay processing, tool making, hand form­
ing, burnishing, painting, decorating and trench kiln
firing (June 17-23). “Advanced Anasazi Pottery at
Mesa Verde,” making gray ware, corrugated ware,
advanced white ware forms, plus trench kiln firing
(June 25-29). Instructor: Gregory S. Wood. Skill
requirements vary. Fee/session: $395, includes mate­
rials, firing and group campsite (first session also
includes archaeological field trips and T-shirt). Con­
tact Ancient Arts®, PO Box 27, Masonville, CO
CERAMICS MONTHLY
80541; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.AncientArts.org; or telephone (970) 223-9081.
Colorado, Pagosa Springs
“Anasazi Pottery at Chimney Rock” with Gregory S.
Wood, prehistoric approach to hand forming, bur­
nishing, decorating and trench kiln firing (July 30August 1); fee: $185, includes materials, firing and
archaeological tour. All skill levels. Contact Tom
Ferrel, Chimney Rock Archaeological Area: e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (970)
264-2268. Or contact Ancient Arts®, PO Box 27,
Masonville, CO 80541; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.AncientArts.org; or telephone
(970) 223-9081.
Colorado, Penrose
“Earth, Water, Wind and Fire” with Vern Roberts,
focusing on the traditional materials, forming, deco­
rating and firing methods used by the ancient Anasazi
and pueblo potters (June 17—24); fee: $275, includes
most materials and firings. Undergraduate and gradu­
ate credit available for an additional fee. Beginning
through advanced. Contact Vern Roberts, Coyote
Arroyo Studios, 1753 13th St., Penrose 81240; e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (719) 372-6846.
Farmington Valley Arts Center, 25 Arts Center Ln.,
Avon 06001; e-mail [email protected]; telephone (860)
678-1867; or fax (860) 409-7214.
Connecticut, Brookfield
“Building a Salt Kiln” with John Jessiman (June 1-3).
“Relief Tiles” with Laura Shprentz (June 9-10). “Tea
Utensils and Altering Forms” with Peter Callas (June
16-17). “Altering Soft Clay” with Carole Ann Fer
(June 23-24). “Low-Fire Decoration” with Walt
Hyla (July 14—15). “Raku Firing Techniques” with
Kristin Muller (July 21-22). “Clay and Glaze De­
fects” with Jeff Zamek (July 28). “Mold Making”
with Lynn Peters (August 4-5). Contact the Brookfield
Craft Center, PO Box 122, 286 Whisconier Rd.,
Brookfield 06804; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (203) 775-4526.
Connecticut, Guilford
“Pots for Pouring and Drinking,” throwing and
altering functional forms with Mark Shapiro (June
“Handbuilding the Figure in Clay” with Peter
VandenBerge; or “Technique and Idea: Finding Your
Voice” with Sam Chung, Jae Won Lee and Doug
Casebeer (June 4-15); fee: $675. “Mata Ortiz: South­
western Ceramics” with Juan Quezada and Michael
Wisner; fee: $750; or “Beginning Ceramics: Center­
ing to Centered” with David Dahlquist and Elmer
Taylor (June 18-29); fee: $675. “Clay Sculpture:
Extraordinary Abstractions” with Virginia Scotchie;
or “Low-Fire Decoration: Texture, Color, Pattern”
with Karen Koblitz (July 2-13). “Ceramic Sculpture:
The Figure in Earthenware” with Paula Rice; or
“Earthenware Pottery: Decoration and Brushwork”
with Walter Ostrom (July 16-27); fee: $625.
“Handbuilding Terra-Cotta Pottery” with Gail
Kendall; or “Making and Decorating Utilitarian Pot­
tery” with Suze Lindsay (July 30-August 10). “Stone­
ware Pottery: The Culinary Connection” with John
Neely (August 13-24). “Personal Visions in Clay”
with Don Reitz (August 20-31); fee: $650. “A Life­
time in Clay” with Paul Soldner and Peter Voulkos
(August 27-31); fee: $625. Skill requirements vary.
Fee (unless noted above): $605. Contact Anderson
Ranch Arts Center, PO Box 5598, Snowmass Village
81615; see website at www.andersonranch.org; tele­
phone (970) 923-3181; or fax (970) 923-3871.
“Printing with Clay” with Mitch Lyons, making
monoprints with a slab of clay as the matrix (June 24—
25); fee: $ 170, includes materials. “Carving Porcelain
and Other Clays” with Jean Mann (July 14); fee: $85.
All skill levels. Contact Melissa Jarvis or Pat Parker,
April 2001
“A Spirited Approach to Clay” with George Griffin,
individualizing functional stoneware, single-fire oxi­
dation, fast-fire wood, business as an art form (June
10-16 or 24-30); fee: $400, includes materials, firing
and lodging. Beginning and intermediate. Limited to
4 participants. Contact George Griffin Pottery, 1
Suncat’s Ridge, Sopchoppy32358; or telephone (850)
962-9311.
Florida, Stuart
“Biddle, Bieber and Tall,” throwing, tile making,
sculpture, glazing, terra sigillata (June 17-29); fee:
$495, plus materials. For further information, con­
tact Phyl Bieber, Shadow Bay Pottery Studio and
Gallery: e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (561) 692-9712.
Florida, Winter Park
Hawaii, Honolulu
“Understanding Porcelain” with Janet DeBoos,
handbuilding and throwing (July 9-14); fee: $205,
includes materials and firing. Intermediate through
professional. Contact Suzanne Wolfe, University of
Hawaii at Manoa, Ceramics Program, 2535 The
Mall, Honolulu 96822; e-mail [email protected];
telephone (808) 956-5264; or fax (808) 956-9043.
Idaho, Ketchum
“Clay Camp for Children” with Boulder Mountain
Potters, handbuilding for children ages 7-12 (July 9Au^ust 10, weekly); fee: $100 per week. “Clay Mak­
ers’ with Susan Ward, throwing for children age 13
through high school (July 16-20 or August 6—10,
afternoons); fee: $135. “All You Ever Wanted to
Know About Making and Glazing Tiles and Maybe
More” with Paul Lewing, hands-on workshop mak­
ing tiles and glazes (July 27-29). “From Soup to Nut
Bowls” with Susan Ward, making bowls (July 30August 3, evenings). “Porcelain Vessels: Icy Cold or
Fiery Hot” with Susan Filley, exploring throwing and
glazing techniques (August 10-12). Skill require­
ments vary. Fee (unless noted above): $150. Contact
Boulder Mountain Clayworks, PO Box 3725,
Ketchum 83340; telephone (208) 726-4484; or fax
(208) 726-7183.
Colorado, Steamboat Springs
Connecticut, Avon
Florida, Sopchoppy
A session with Tim Ludwig, using red earthenware to
construct vessel-oriented forms (June 2); fee: $80;
members, $65. Registration deadline: May 29. Con­
tact Crealde School of Art, 600 St. Andrews Blvd.,
Winter Park 32792; see website at www.crealde.org;
or telephone (407) 671-1886.
Colorado, Snowmass Village
“Kosai Ware: Vapor Glazing with Gold and Plati­
num” with Biz Littell (June 7-14); fee: $2000, in­
cludes some materials, firing, 24-hour studio access,
lodging and meals. “Salt Firing—Transformations:
Forming, Decorating and Firing Stoneware and Por­
celain” with Jack Troy (June 18-29). “Romancing
the Reds: The Mystique and Techniques, a Work­
shop in Copper Reds” with Tom Coleman (July 920). “Advanced Throwing and Surface Techniques,
Plus Fast Fire, Fast Cool Kilns” with Randy Brodnax
(July 30-August 10). “Porcelain: Color on White,
Thrown and .Altered Functional Ware” with Susan
Filley (August 15-22); fee: $895, includes lab fee,
some materials and firings, 24-hour studio access,
lodging and meals. “Raku: Form, Firing and Expres­
sion” with Jim Romberg (August 30-September 6);
fee: $895, includes lab fee, some materials and firings,
24-hour studio access, lodging and meals. Skill re­
quirements vary. Fee (unless noted above): $1355,
includes lab fee, some materials and firings, 24-hour
studio access, lodging and meals. For further informa­
tion, contact Judith Carol Day, Laloba Ranch Clay
Center, PO Box 770226, Steamboat Springs 80477;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (970) 8706423; or fax (970) 870-6452.
[email protected]; telephone (203)
562-4927, ext. 14; or fax (203) 562-2329.
Linda Arbuckle handbuilding a serving dish
during a workshop demonstration at Santa Fe
Clay in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Illinois, Antioch
21-24); fee: $255; materials are extra. Intermediate
through professional. Contact Lisa Wolkow, Guilford
Handcraft Center, PO Box 589, Guilford 06437;
e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(203) 453-5947; or fax (203) 453-6237.
Weekly sessions on handbuilding, throwing, glazing,
stoneware reduction and raku with Tracy Burns and
Jill Grau Tortorella (June 11-August 3, weekdays);
fee: $245-$490, includes materials and firing. Begin­
ning through advanced. Contact Jill Grau Tortorella,
Antioch Pottery Works, 25942 Heart-O-Lakes Blvd.,
Antioch 60002; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (847) 838-1040.
Connecticut, Middletown
Illinois, Evanston
“Crystalline Glaze Workshop—Reduction and Oxi­
dation,” lecture/demonstration (August 1) and handson session with John Tilton (August 1—6); workshop
fee: $500; demonstration only: $100. “Soda-Firing
Workshop” with Robbie Lobell, forming and glazing
pots, soda/wood firing at artist’s studio (August 1011 and 17-18); fee: $220. Skill requirements vary.
For further information, contact Melissa Schilke,
Wesleyan Potters, 350 S. Main St., Middletown
06457; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(860) 347-5925; or fax (860) 343-1096.
Building and firing an inexpensive, lightweight, effi­
cient raku kiln, plus throwing, handbuilding and
colored-slip demonstrations, with Ned Krouse (July
21-22); fee: $100; EAC members, $90; includes
materials, firing and lunch. Participants must bring
bisqueware. All skill levels. For further information,
contact Chris Plummer, Evanston Art Center, 2603
Sheridan
Rd.,
Evanston
60201;
e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (847) 4755300, ext. 211; or fax (847) 475-5330.
Connecticut, New Haven
Workshop on handbuilding and glazing with under­
glazes, overglazes and low-fire glazes with David
Gamble (June 18-23); fee: $564, includes materials,
firing and 3 credit hours. Dormitory accommoda­
tions available. All skill levels. Contact Kathryn Andry,
University oflndianapolis—Art Dept., 1400E. Hanna
Ave., Indianapolis 46227; e-mail [email protected];
telephone (317) 788-3253; or fax (317) 788-6105.
“Large Pottery on the Wheel,” hands-on workshop
with Stephen Rodriguez, two-piece or single thrown,
plus slip decoration and carving demonstrations
(June 30—July 1). Advanced. For further information,
contact Hilary Sierpinski, Director of Public Rela­
tions and Development, Creative Arts Workshop,
80 Audubon St., New Haven 06510; e-mail
Indiana, Indianapolis
61
Indiana, New Harmony
Louisiana, Monroe
Handbuilding, throwing and glazing with Les Miley
(J une 18-J uly 20, weekdays); fee: approximately $600.
Limited to 10 participants. Intermediate through
professional. For further information, contact Les
Miley, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave.,
Evansville 47722; telephone (800) 479-2043; or fax
(812) 479-2101.
“Crystalline-Glazed
Porcelain
Workshop”
with
Donald R. Holloway (July 16-21); fee: $240, in­
cludes materials, firing and Friday-evening cookout.
Intermediate through professional. Contact Donald
R. Holloway, Crosscraft Originals, 18 Jana Dr.,
Monroe 71203-2736; e-mail [email protected];
telephone (318) 343-7658; or telephone/fax (318)
343-9220.
Kentucky, Harrodsburg
“From Dirt Pile to Table” with Wyman Rice and
Marshall
Thompson,
processing
local
clays,
handbuilding, throwing, making and using silicon
molds, once-fire glazing and kiln techniques, raku
and pit fire (July 27-29 and August 3-5). “Pottery
and Drawing” with Chris Dayman, handbuilding,
throwing, burnishing, decorating, reduction kiln
firing (July 29-August 3). Fee/session: $250, in­
cludes firing, lodging and meals. Skill require­
ments vary. For further information, contact Don
Boklage, Open Ground, 981 Rye Ln., Harrodsburg
40330; e-mail [email protected]; or telephone
(859) 375-2411.
Maine, Camden
“Bas Relief Tile Making and Low-Fire Glaze Tech­
niques” with Randy Fein Quly 14—15). For further
information, e-mail the Tile Heritage Foundation
[email protected]; or fax (707) 431-8455.
Maine, Deer Isle
“Function and the Decorative” with Matthew Metz
and Linda Sikora (June 3-15). “Found Objects and
Sculpting with Clay” with Arthur Gonzalez (June
17-29). Throwing and handbuilding functional and
nonfunctional forms with Tetsuya Yamada (July 1—
13). Throwing and design with Cynthia Bringle (July
15—27). Throwing and altering with stoneware and
porcelain, exploring surface treatments with Jack
Troy (July 29-August 17); fee: $770. Creating deco­
rative vessels and carved tiles with earthenware and
terra sigillata, with JoAnn Schnabel (August 19-31).
Fee (unless noted above): $580. Living accommoda­
tions available. Contact Stuart Kestenbaum, Hay­
stack Mountain School of Crafts, PO Box 518, Deer
Isle 04627; e-mail [email protected]; tele­
phone (207) 348-2306; or fax (207) 348-2307.
Maine, Monroe
“Side by Side,” workshop for adults and children
(June 22-24). “Throwing Intensive” (June 29-July
1). “Tracking Sources” with poet Barbara Maria (July
13-15). “Clay Intensive,” including primitive, raku
and high-fire reduction firings (July 15-21). “Masks
Speaking” with Squidge Liljeblad Davis and Barbara
Maria (August 3-5). “Clay Relaxed,” making pots,
plus primitive, raku and high-fire stoneware firings
(August 5-11). “Clay in the Wilderness—A Women’s
Retreat,” canoeing, primitive firings (August 26September 1). Instructor (unless noted above): Squidge
Liljeblad Davis. All skill levels. Fee: week-long ses­
sions, $640, includes lodging, meals; weekends, $325.
Contact Starflower Farm and Studios, 941 Jackson
Rd., Monroe 04941; telephone (207) 525-3593.
Maryland, Baltimore
“Understanding Ceramic Sculpture: An Interactive
Seminar” with Tony Hepburn (June 16-17); fee:
$110; members, $90; includes light breakfast.
“Sgraffito and the Wheel-Thrown Vessel” with Larry
Allen (July 7-8). “Diverse Elements,” handbuilding
with Ching Yuan Chan (August 11-12). Skill re­
quirements vary. Fee (unless noted above): $160;
members, $140; includes materials and light break­
fast. Contact Leigh Taylor Mickelson, Baltimore
Clayworks, 5707 Smith Ave., Baltimore 21209; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone
(410) 578-1919; or fax (410) 578-0058.
Maryland, Frederick
“Intensive Throwing Workshop” (May 21-June 1);
fee: $595. “Salt in a Wood-Fired Kiln,” firing work­
shop (June 1-3) and lecture/demonstration (June 810) with Micki Schloessingk; fee: $280; firing only:
$165; demonstration only: $120. “Plates and Plat­
ters” (June 30-July 1); fee: $125; participants must
bring tools and clay (50 lb). “Ceramic Sculpture”
(July 2-13); fee: $595. “Masters Throwing Work­
shop” (August 2-5); fee: $198; participants must
bring tools and clay (150 lb). Instructor (unless noted
above): Joyce Michaud. For further information,
contact Joyce Michaud, Art Dept., Ceramics Pro­
gram, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick
21701-8575; telephone (301) 696-3456 or (301)
696-3526; or fax (301) 696-3531.
Massachusetts, Boston
“Approaching Galleries with Your Work” (June 7);
fee: $50. “Clay: Form and Finish” with Marvin Sweet
(June 18-28, Mon.-Thurs., 11 A.M.-4:45 P.M.);
fee: $450, includes 1 ½ credits. For further informa­
tion or to register, telephone the Art Institute of
Boston, (800) 773-0494, ext. 6724.
“China Trade Ceramics Seminar” will include ses­
sions in curriculum development, clay construction,
glazing, kiln firing, plus symposium on Chinese trade
ceramics (July 9-27, Mon.-Fri.); fee: $865, includes
materials, firing, 3 graduate credits and symposium.
Intermediate through professional. Contact Nancy
Selvage, Office for the Arts at Harvard, Ceramics
Program, 219 Western Ave., Boston 02134; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (617) 495-8680;
or fax (617) 496-9787.
Massachusetts, Harwich Port
“Intensive Throwing” with Keith Kreeger (July 9—13,
16-20,30-August
3 or 13-17). For further informa­
tion, contact Keith Kreeger, 586 Rte. 28, Harwich
Port 02646; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (508) 432-6398.
Gary Hootman and participants building a wood-burning kiln during a workshop
at KyungHee University in Yongin, Korea; this summer, Hootman will be leading
a similar workshop in Fulton, Missouri.
62
Massachusetts, Housatonic
One-month workshops on Japanese throwing and
Please turn to page 96
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Water downspout, 11 inches
(28 centimeters) in width,
handbuilt stoneware.
Charmian Johnson
by Jim Weaver
T
he path to clay art is different for everyone.
Charmian Johnson of Vancouver, British Colum­
bia, was a teacher of mathematics and English when
she realized the strong and positive impact that creat­
ing art had in young peoples lives. She began to ex­
plore her own artistic creativity and found her first
voice in etching and drawing, working directly from
nature, enjoying plants, pen and paper.
Clay first crossed her path by chance when it was
the only class that would fit into the studio require­
ment for university art studies. Her instructor, Glenn
Lewis, was fresh from an apprenticeship at the Leach
Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall. He brought with him
Bernard Leachs concepts of ease, strength of form and
openness of mind to world traditions and con­
cepts—the idea that making a pot is an intel­
lectual event. It was not long before she
adopted clay as her principal mode of artistic
expression. “Soon, all I wanted to do was
make pots,” she recalls.
During 1977 and 1978, through the advo­
cacy of her mentor, Michael Henry, and her grow­
ing friendship with Janet Leach, Johnson had the
opportunity to spend several months at the Leach
Pottery, photographing and cataloging the diverse
collection of pots (ancient to contemporary, eastern
and western). Many of these pieces are well known,
having been illustrated throughout Bernard Leach’s
publications. Johnson attributes the experience of han­
April 2001
dling, lifting, turning, carrying and arranging these
pots, as finally opening her mind to the possibility of
excellence for her own work.
During this period, she was able to spend consider­
able time with Bernard Leach. Nearly blind, he would
spend his mornings dictating the final chapters of
Beyond East and West. Each afternoon before tea,
Johnson would read his typewritten copy back to him,
as well as garner information she needed for the catalog
index cards. Over tea, they often discussed drawing—
Leach emphatic about the importance of form, and
Johnson amazed at the acuity of his visual memory.
From St. Ives, Johnson went to Tangier, Morocco,
where she spent time each week with the Berber potter
Footed square ikebana dish, 4 inches
(approximately 10 centimeters) in height,
stoneware, with slip glaze and celadon glaze.
63
Bowls, 9 inches (approximately 23 centimeters) in diameter,
porcelain, with barium/copper glaze over red slip.
Malem Ahmed Cherkaoui and his wife Haddush. Their
clay arrived on the back of a camel, and fuel for the
large, simple, updraft kiln was collected about town.
For one firing, the fuel was worn-out boots and shoes.
Their exceptionally large storage jars were strong, hand­
some and extremely useful. “It was very heavy work,”
Johnson recalls, “and at barely survival income.”
Back in Canada, she began making a series of highfired stoneware gargoyles, initially to fill her own need
for a water spout from her eaves to a barrel. Through
this throated gargoyle, she learned about its age-old
relatives, the grotesqueries and grotto creatures who
were the traditional embodiments and guardians of
nature primeval; her gargoyle production grew steadily,
one by one-of-a-kind. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s,
she also focused on the production of useful pots,
including large bowls, ikebana vases and small boxes.
Once described as singularly independent, Johnson
does not fit any career mold. She has followed her own
mind and spirit to do those things that feel right to her,
and to seek first her own personal satisfaction in her
work. Success has come, not because she has played by
the rules, but because she invented her own game.
Glenn Allison, curator of the Canadian Clay &
Glass Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario, describes Johnson
as “supremely unaligned with any of the fashionable
idioms that have marked ceramics production in the
last half of the 20th century. Her career, like her work,
is plain, quiet, straight and clear.” ▲
Bowls, 5½ inches (14 centimeters) in diameter, porcelain, with red slip and speckled iron-black glaze,
by Charmian Johnson, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
64
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Gary Schlappal
by Marlene England
Bowls with underglaze and glaze decoration surround
Gary Schlappal in his Frederick, Maryland, studio.
I
ts no surprise that The Moon and
Sixpence is one of Gary Schlappal s
favorite novels. In this fictional tale based
on the life of Paul Gaugin, W. Somerset
Maugham creates the troubling yet fas­
cinating biography of Charles Strick­
land, a stockbroker turned painter for
whom creating art becomes an undeni­
April 2001
able, irrepressible obsession. Although
Schlappal is no Strickland (he takes time
to eat, cherishes friends and is much
more civil), there are similarities, such
as the all-consuming need to create art
for arts sake.
For Schlappal, a native of Cleveland
who now lives and works in Frederick,
Maryland, there was no turning back
once his passion for clay was realized.
He describes that defining moment as
ethereal, albeit influenced by the Hong
Kong flu he was enduring at the time.
“It was 1973, and I was majoring in
advertising and painting at Miami Uni­
versity of Ohio,” he recalls. “I was tak­
ing a ceramics class, sitting at the wheel,
and the light came in from the window
and hit my hand just right.”
He worked in advertising for three
years, while taking night classes in clay
at the Cleveland Institute of Art, then
went on to earn an M.F.A. at Kent State
University. After teaching at several in­
stitutions, including the School of the
Art Institute of Chicago, the University
of Wisconsin, and Iowa State Univer­
sity, Schlappal abandoned the safety net
of paychecks and benefits to launch a
full-time ceramics career. Six years later,
the 49-year-old remains passionate
about his fervent need to create “art for
arts sake.”
“The color, form and emotion of
my work help me to make sense of my
life and the things around me,” he ex­
plains. “Being with my work is satisfy­
ing and very rewarding. ”
The majority of his pieces deal with
containment in a functional, historic or
metaphoric sense. In addition to small
and large bowls, bottles, lidded forms
and sculptural vessels, Schlappal has re­
cently added what he refers to as “works
on the wall”—wooden reliefs with ce­
ramic inserts.
Working primarily with white earth­
enware, he utilizes a variety of forming
techniques, including slab building,
throwing, coiling and press molding.
Many forms are started upside down or
on their sides, then finished rightside
up. He then layers on “a series of dry
underglazes, which are carved into or
drawn on, then scrubbed with steel
wool, and sanded.
“I want each piece to be special and
unique,” he explains. “The process is an
65
PHOTOS: JERRY ANTHONY, BOB BARRETT, HARRIET WISE
“Wall Vase: From the Spanish Antique Series,” 37 inches (94 centimeters) in height, handbuilt
white earthenware, with underglazes and glaze, and wood with layered paint and graphite.
66
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Wall Vase: The Vasemaker,” 27 inches
(69 centimeters) in height, handbuilt white
earthenware with underglazes and glaze,
and wood with graphite and paint.
evolution of sorts, and it doesn’t hap­
pen quickly.”
He admits to working best in an
environment of absolute chaos. He
sketches on the floors and walls of his
studio amidst “a lot of stuff everywhere.
It’s a good feeling to make sense out of
chaos,” he rationalizes.
Although clutter is acceptable to
Schlappal, noise is not. As he explains
it, there are many aspects of his work
that can be done “on automatic,” such
as wedging and rolling out slabs. “Dur­
ing these times, I share the activity with
music and books on tape,” he says. “But
at other times, when I’m looking to
achieve a certain level of creativity within
the work, I seek solitude and silence.”
His daily quest for a cup of coffee
can also have an impact on his work.
Schlappal’s studio is located in a fairly
quiet part of Frederick, in the basement
level of an antiques warehouse that oc­
cupies almost an entire city block. “The
environment I encounter every day is
filled with hundreds of thousands of
objects and images that all types of
people lived and worked with,” he ex­
April 2001
“Round Lidded From,” 33 inches (84 centimeters)
in height, thrown and incised whiteware,
with layered underglaze and glaze,
by Gary Schlappal, Frederick, Maryland.
plains. “I can’t help but be influenced in
some way by that.”
The Frederick community is home
to many artists, but fairly conservative
by Schlappal’s standards. When he first
exhibited at a downtown arts and crafts
fair, the locals laughed at his work. “And
I mean really laughed,” he recalls. “I
don’t Imow whether it was the artistic
element or my prices, but either way it
was okay. I’ve always felt that the more
adverse the experience, the more my
self-esteem improves in the long run.”
In contrast, later that same year,
Schlappal was awarded first place in
ceramics at a St. Louis fair, where his
work was so well received that he nearly
sold out. “It’s taken me quite a while to
get used to someone coming into my
booth with a paint chip and carpet
sample, asking, ‘Can you make me
something in chartreuse?’” Schlappal
laughs. “But every now and then some­
one will come by and they’ll get
it...they’ll understand what I’m trying
to say through my work.”
When renowned author Maya
Angelou saw Schlappal’s work at a show
recently, she immediately bought two
bowls—one of which she gave to
Norman Mailer.
“It’s quite interesting, really,” Schlap­
pal continues. “My work is done in
solitude, without the input of others,
and still someone can recognize the im­
age I’ve created. And that’s such an
affirmation. It truly makes all the sacri­
fices and the not-so-pleasant encoun­
ters worthwhile.”
For Schlappal, making art is down­
right spiritual. “I really believe that the
same part of the human spirit that is
attracted to religious concepts also em­
braces the humanities and the arts. I
think there are similarities there, soulful
passions in both areas.”
He often recommends The Moon and
Sixpence to students interested in pur­
suing art as a career. “I think Somerset
Maugham, at times, finds the words to
describe the internal obsession to make
art,” Schlappal says. “The main focus
has to be internal. There has to be the
creative fire within. This is what makes
the journey into art something that’s
worth dedicating your life to.” A
67
Cherchez la forme
by Kerina Schweer
C
Asymmetric form plays a major role in Kerina
Schweer’s functional ware.
lay is a material offering unlimited creative
opportunities and spiritual resonance. Ac­
cording to ancient beliefs, the potter breathes life
into the clay, thus freeing it from the influence of
evil spirits, so that it will be a meaningful part of
the human world. The mythologies of the
Mesopotamians, Indians and Egyptians extended
this idea to a god or hero of pottery who shaped
human beings from clay and water. The biblical
poets, too, are familiar with the concept: “You
are in my hands like clay in the potters hand.”
I was born and grew up in Bulgaria, a land
with a long tradition of pottery, but I didn’t come
across ceramics until my teenage years—that time
of unforgettable impressions. It was at one of
those exhibitions that fills the imagination with
dreams of the future. I had known that I wanted
to become an artist, but only then did I realize
which kind of artist. Actually, working with clay
began years later when I studied at the Academy
of Fine Arts in Sofia.
After earning an M.A. in 1993, I started my
career as a freelance artist. I own a small studio in
Sofia, which presently I cannot use, so it has been
necessary to turn a room of the flat in Switzer­
land into a “studio,” equipped with a small elec­
tric kiln, a potter’s wheel and an extruder.
Sometimes I think ceramics is a wonderful hobby,
but a terribly difficult profession.
The development of a personal style resembles
the invention of a new language. The object is
communication; however, it is forbidden to com­
municate conventionally. And developing a new
language is only the first step. The second is
making the language understandable to others.
Unlike the exact sciences, which only have to
adhere to their intrinsic rules, the artist has to rely
on the subjective understanding of others. If this
second step is not realized, disappointment can­
not be avoided.
The nonconformist artists have shown that
basically all means of expression are conceivable
in the creative process. What counts is the “mean­
ing” or “idea” in the sense hinted at above, not
the means employed. For this reason, discussions
on a distinction between artistic ceramics and
pottery as craft are outmoded. As long as a piece
is marked by originality, it is art—no matter
“Utilitarian Composition,” 52 centimeters (approximately
20 inches) in height, whiteware, with underglazes, stains
and glaze, fired to1020°C (2228°F).
68
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Simple Box with a Complex Lid,” 18 centimeters (approximately 7 inches) in height,
extruded and slab-built stoneware, with commercial glazes, fired to 1260°C (2300°F).
whether it is a painting, a sculpture, pottery or
anything else.
In my current work, I am focusing on archi­
tectural structure, while emphasizing the plastic­
ity of the surface. I love making items for daily
use that are conceived as asymmetric forms, which
look different from different points of view. I like
the idea of a form hiding a surprise in it, some­
thing that does not present itself at first glance.
These forms often consist of several elements
that can be fitted together in alternate ways. For
example, turning an asymmetric lid changes the
composition. A technical precondition is the
avoidance of deformation during the firing. Of
course, the color plays a major role as well, and
may require multiple firings.
I find a special challenge in searching for
form. I love simplicity as well as complexity,
usefulness as well as uselessness. Simple, clear
and pure form is like an invitation to relaxed
contemplation, while complex form is often in­
explicable and thought provoking. ▲
April 2001
Three boxes, to 16 centimeters (approximately 6 inches) in height,
handbuilt stoneware, with commercial glazes, fired to 1260°C
(2300°F), by Kerina Schweer, Chur, Switzerland.
69
Call for Entries
Application Deadlines for Exhibitions,
Fairs, Festivals and Sales
Juried from 3 slides of recent work and a short
curriculum vitae. No entry fee. Awards. Contact
Inner City Clayworkers Gallery, corner St. John’s
Rd./Darghan St., Glebe, Sydney 2037; see website
at www.clayworkers.com.au; or telephone (61)2
9692 9717.
July 15 entry deadline
“Abstraction IV” (August
7—28), open to 2- and small 3-dimensional works
in all media. Juried from slides. Fee: $30 for up to
3 slides; $5 for each additional slide. Cash awards.
For prospectus, send SASE to Period Gallery,
5174
Leavenworth,
Omaha
68106;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.periodgallery.com;
or
telephone
(402)
556-3218.
July 27 entry deadline
to Art” (No­
vember 30-December 2), open to urns and
vessels for keeping or dispersing funerary ashes.
Juried from slides. Fee: $25 for up to 3 entries;
$5 each additional slide; maximum of 6 slides.
Commission:
35%.
Awards.
Location:
Firehouse, Ft. Mason Center. For prospectus,
send SASE to Ashes to Art, Box 221, Graton, CA
95444; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.funeria.com; or telephone (707) 829-1966.
Omaha, Nebraska
International Exhibitions
April 15 entry deadline
Omaha Nebraska
,
“2-3-4-dimensional II” (May
8—29), open to 2- and small 3-dimensional works
in all media. Juried from slides. Fee: $30 for up to
3 slides; $5 for each additional slide. Cash awards.
For prospectus, send SASE to Period Gallery,
5174
Leavenworth,
Omaha
68106;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.periodgallery.com;
or
telephone
(402)
556-3218.
April 27 entry deadline
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi
2001” (November 1-12). Juried from artists’pro­
posals in any form they decide (slides, photo­
graphs, models, etc.). Jurors: Tom Arthur, head of
sculpture, Sydney College of the Arts; and Jim
Croke, head of sculpture, National Art School.
Entry fee: Aus$35 (approximately US$18); stu­
dents,
Aus$20
(approximately
US$10).
Awards.
E-mail
[email protected];
see
website
atwww.sculpturebythesea.com; or fax (61) 2 9357
2335.
May 15 entry deadline
“Mixed Media III” (June
5—26), open to 2- and small 3-dimensional works
in all media. Juried from slides. Fee: $30 for up to
3 slides; $5 for each additional slide. Cash awards.
For prospectus, send SASE to Period Gallery,
5174
Leavenworth,
Omaha
68106;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.periodgallery.com;
or
telephone
(402)
556-3218.
June 1 entry deadline
“Le Chandelier Ceramique: Prix de la Ville de Carouge 2001” (Septem­
ber 22—November 25), open to ceramic candleholders no taller than 40 centimeters (approxi­
mately 16 inches). Juried from 2 slides (at differ­
ent angles) of work entered and a short curriculum
vitae.
Awards:
Sfr
10,000
(approximately
US$5750),
Sfr
2000
(approximately
US$1150)
and Sfr 1000 (approximately US$575). Contact
Musee de Carouge, Mairie de Carouge, Case
postale, Ch-1227 Carouge.
June 15 entry deadline
“Realism III” (July 3-24),
open to 2- and small 3-dimensional works in all
media. Juried from slides. Fee: $30 for up to 3
slides; $5 for each additional slide. Cash awards.
For prospectus, send SASE to Period Gallery,
5174
Leavenworth,
Omaha
68106;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.periodgallery.com;
or
telephone
(402)
556-3218.
July 2 entry deadline
“The Sydney Teapot Show
2001 ” (August 3—September 2), open to ceramics.
Sydney, Australia*
Omaha, Nebraska
Carouge, Switzerland
Omaha, Nebraska
Sydney, Australia
For a free listing, please submit informa­
tion on juried exhibitions, fairs, festivals
and sales at least four months before the
event’s entry deadline (add one month for
listings in July and two months for those in
August). Regional exhibitions must be
open to more than one state. Mail to Call
for Entries, Ceramics Monthly, PO Box
6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102; e-mail
to [email protected]; or fax
to (614) 891-8960.
70
San Francisco, California*Ashes
United States Exhibitions
April 6 entry deadline
Waterbury Center, Vermont
“I Scream, You
Scream...” (June 1—30), exhibition of ice-cream
dishes. Juried from up to 3 slides. Jurors: Ben
Cohen, of Ben &C Jerry’s, and Charlotte Potok.
Entry fee: $ 10. For prospectus, send SASE to Maura
Hempstead,
Vermont
Clay
Studio,
Waterbury
Center 05677; telephone (802) 244-1126, ext. 42;
or see website at www.vermontclaystudio.com.
April 9 entry deadline
Light Show” (June 8—
July 29), open to unique and inspiring electric
lamps. Juried from 3 slides. Entry fee: $20. For
prospectus, send SASE to Frog Hollow Vermont
State Craft Center, National Show, 1 Mill St.,
Middlebury
05753;
telephone
Barbara
Cunningham
(802)
388-3177;
or
e-mail
[email protected].
April 11 entry deadline
Juried exhibition
of 2- and 3-dimensional art (June 18—July 31).
Juried from slides. Juror: Mary Alice Braukman.
Awards: $ 1000 best of show. For prospectus, send
SASE to Associated Artists of Southport, PO Box
10035,
Southport
28461;
or
see
website
at
www.arts-capefear.com/fsgallery.
April 13 entry deadline
“18th Annual
Studio Days Juried Show” (October 26-28). Juried
from slides. Jurors: Michael Connelly, potter, and
Robert Pfannebecker, collector. For prospectus,
contact Chester Springs Studio, 1671 Art School
Rd., Chester Springs 19425, Attn: Studio Days;
e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(610) 827-7277; or fax (610) 827-7157.
April 14 entry deadline
“Dysfunctional”
(June 8—July 14), open to clayworks made in
the past 3 years that fit the theme. Juried from
slides. Entry fee: $20 for up to 3 slides. Awards:
best of show, $500; merchandise awards. For
prospectus/further
information,
send
SASE
to
Dysfunctional,
Business
of
Art
Center,
513
Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs 80829; or see
website at www.businessofartcenter.org.
April 15 entry deadline
St.
“Robot Builders” (May—
September 1), robot-building competition, open
to works in all media. Juried from slides or photos;
Middlebury, Vermont*
Southport, North Carolina
Chester Springs, Pennsylvania
Manitou Springs, Colorado
Louis, Missouri
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
71
Call for Entries
jurors: Clayton Bailey, Bill Christman and Bill
Smith. Awards. For further information, contact
Bill Christman, City Museum, 701 N. 15th St.,
St. Louis 63103; or telephone (314) 231-2489,
ext. 123.
May 1 entry deadline
“We’re Covered” (June
7-18), open to pottery or sculpture with a lid or
covering. Juried from slides. For further informa­
tion, send SASE to the Clay Art Guild of the
Hamptons, 51 Round Pond Ln., Sag Harbor, NY
11963; or telephone (631) 725-4605.
“Tea as Art” (July 516), open to tea ware. Juried from slides. For
further information, send SASE to the Clay Art
Guild of the Hamptons, 51 Round Pond Ln., Sag
Harbor, NY 11963; or telephone (631) 725-4605.
'
“Out of the Fire” (Au­
gust 2-13), open to pit- or raku-fired ceramics.
Juried from slides. For further information, send
SASE to the Clay Art Guild of the Hamptons, 51
Round Pond Ln., Sag Harbor, NY 11963; or
telephone (631) 725-4605.
“The Bowl—Infinite
Form” (September 15-30). Juried from slides.
Send SASE to the Clay Art Guild of the Hamptons,
51 Round Pond Ln., Sag Harbor, NY 11963;
telephone (631) 725-4605.
May 4 entry deadline
“Flow­
ing Vessels” (August 3-31), open to works in all
media. Juried from slides, 2 views per entry ac­
cepted. Jurors: Michael Steck IV and Helen Weisz.
Fee: $25 for 3 entries. For prospectus, send SASE to
Gardo’s Gallery, 4369 Cresson St., Philadelphia
19127; or telephone (215) 483-1311.
May 8 entry deadline
“Eighth Annual National Open
Juried Exhibition” (June 15-July27). Juried from
slides.
Juror:
Bernice
Steinbaum,
Bernice
Steinbaum Gallery, Miami. Fee: $25; members,
$18. For prospectus, contact Artists Unlimited,
Inc.: e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(813) 229-5958; or fax (813) 228-0291.
May 15 entry deadline
“14th Annual National
Juried Exhibition” (July 15—August 19). Juried
from 3 slides. Entry fee: $25. Awards: over $4000.
For further information, contact South Cobb Arts
Alliance, 5239 Floyd Rd., Mableton 30126; tele­
phone
(770)
739-0189;
or
see
website
at
www.artshow.com/mablehouse.
“Outdoor Sculpture Com­
petition” (August 1-August 1,2002), open to any
durable medium, exploring architectural elements,
such as columns, arches, entryways; “functional”
sculpture (lighting, benches, gates) is especially
encouraged. Juried from slides; photos may be
sent in addition to slides. Entry fee: $20. Awards:
$2000 in cash awards. For prospectus, send SASE
to Sculpture, c/o C. Schilling, 1027 S. New,
Springfield 65807.
May 30 entry deadline
“Invitational Artist
Series” (3 solo shows, 2001-2002). Juried from
slides. No entry fee. For application form, send
SASE to the Clay Studio, i39 N. Second St.,
Philadelphia 19106; application can also be down­
loaded from www.theclaystudio.org.
June 14 entry deadline
“ANA 30, National Juried
Exhibition” (August 24-October 28), open to
works in all media. Juried from slides. Juror: Peter
Schjeldahl, art critic for the
Entry fee:
$25. Cash awards. For prospectus, send SASE to
Water Mill, New York
Water Mill, New York
Water Mill New York
Water Mill, New York
Philadelphia (Manayunk), Pennsylvania
Tampa, Florida
Mableton, Georgia
Springfield, Missouri
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Helena, Montana
New Yorker.
72
Holter Museum of Art, 12 E. Lawrence, Helena
59601; e-mail [email protected]; or see website at
www.holtermuseum.org.
August 3 entry deadline
“Emerging Art­
ists of the U.S.” (October 2-November 15).
Juried from slides. Entry fee: $10. For prospec­
tus, send SASE to Maura Hempstead, Vermont
Clay Studio, Waterbury Center 05677; see website
at
www.vermontclaystudio.com;
or
telephone
(802) 244-1126, ext. 42.
Waterbury Center, Vermont
Fairs, Festivals and Sales
April 5 entry deadline
Chautauqua, New York
“Crafts Festivals 2001 ”
(July 6-8 and/or August 10-12). Juried from 3
slides of work plus 1 of booth. Entry fee: $15 per
show. Booth fee: $210. For prospectus, send business-size SASE to Devon Taylor, Festivals Direc­
tor, Chautauqua Crafts Alliance, PO Box 89,
Mayville, NY 14757-0089.
April 15 entry deadline
“Tulip Time Festival
KunstMarkt” (May 11-13). Juried from 3 pho­
tos of work plus 1 of display. Booth fee: $90; or
$150 for double. For application, contact the
Tulip Time Festival, 171 Lincoln Ave., Hol­
land 49423; or telephone (800) 822-2770 or
(616) 396-4221.
“6th Annual Celebrate Sum­
mer: Marion’s Art and Music Festival” (June
24). Juried from 5 slides or photographs. Entry
fee: $5. Booth fee: $30. For further informa­
tion, contact Celebrate Summer, c/o Bronwen
Babich, The Ohio State University at Marion,
1465
Mt.
Vernon
Ave.,
Marion
43302-5695;
e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(740)
3896786, ext. 6341; or fax (614) 292-5817.
,
“Arts and River
Festival” (July 27-29). Juried from 5 slides of
work, with 1 of display. Jurors: Mark Moore,
painter;
Kristina
Olsen,
art
historian/curator,
Mesaros Galleries, College of Creative Arts, West
Virginia
University;
and
Brian
VanNostrand,
potter/educator. Entry fee: $10. Booth fee: $100.
Contact Janie Ives, Arts Committee Chairperson,
Arts and River Festival, City Manager’s Office,
389
Spruce
St.,
Morgantown
26505;
e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone
(304) 284-7405 or (304) 265-0479.
“31st Annual Out­
door Arts Festival” (July 21-22). Juried from 5
slides of at least 3 works, plus 1 of display. Entry
fee: $25. Booth fee: $135 for a lOxlO-foot
space. For entry form, contact John Michael
Kohler Art Center, PO Box 489, Sheboygan
53082-0489; see website at www.jmkac.org; or
telephone (920) 458-6144.
May 10 entry deadline
St.
Af/ssouri“Seventh Annual Mosaics
Missouri Festival for the Arts” (September 1416). Juried from 4 slides. Entry fee: $15. Booth
fee: $165 fora 10x10-foot space. Awards: $10,000.
Contact Mosaics, 230 S. Main, St. Charles 63301;
e-mail [email protected]; see website
atwww.stcharlesmosaics.org;
telephone
(636)
9405178; or fax (636) 940-5109.
July 10 entry deadline
“5th Annual CraftArt Out­
door Festival” (October 27—28). Juried from 3
slides of work plus 1 of display. Entry fee: $18.
Booth fee: $195; FC members, $175; fora 12x12foot space. Juror: Andrew Glasgow, executive
director, Furniture Society. For application, send
large SASE to Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central
Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701; see website at
www.floridacraftsmen.net;
or
telephone
(727)
821-7391.
Holland, Michigan
Marion, Ohio
Morgantown West Virginia
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Charles,
Tampa, Florida
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Suggestions
wedging to do, but the first half is easier
without having to slop clay out of a big deep
bucket.—Richard Ash burn, Arnold, Md.
From Readers
Tongs
Need glazing tongs? Try welding three or
four L-shaped metal fingers onto the jaws of
Clay Recycling
Like most studio potters without a pugmill, a pair of channel-lock pliers.—Emily Free,
Madison, Wis.
I dread recycling clay (the big ugly bucket—
full, waiting to be dried and wedged). My clay
Adjustable Stool
comes in heavy plastic bags that hold 25
I recently found the perfect potter’s stool.
pounds. I found that if I put my dried scraps
It is a shower stool that I purchased at a
in those bags, I can add water and wait a few
days. Then, I squeeze it out on to the plaster­ medical supply store. Used ones can be found
at yard sales and thrift stores. It is the ideal
board, neat, clean and easy! There is still the
choice, because it has a wide, comfortable seat
that can be easily padded, and each of the four
legs has its own height adjustment. No more
taping a 2x4 under the back legs of my
stool.—Diane Heptig, St. George, Kans.
Scores of Tiles
Need a cheap alternative to store-bought
mosaic tiles? Simply roll out a thin slab of clay
and then divide it into a grid, using a sharp
pencil to score at least halfway through the
clay. Use a clay body that will still be relatively
soft when fired to bisque temperature. Glaze
the entire sheet, wipe the glaze out of the
grooves and fire the slab. After firing, cut the
individual tiles from the larger sheets using
tile nippers or wire cutters. For irregular
mosaic pieces, don’t score the slab before
firing; break as you would for stained glass.—
Gary Crim, Bridgeton, Mo.
Glaze and Slip Scoop
For a free scoop, start with a plastic bottle,
used for oil, soap, bleach, etc. Make sure it has
a cap, or you will have to plug or tape it closed.
Cut the bottle in a diagonal S-curve, as
indicated in the illustration. Cut a narrow
section out of the bottom corner of the
unused part of the bottle and shove it into the
handle inside the scoop opening. This will
serve as a hanging hook. It should fit fairly
snug, but it’s a good idea to secure it in place
with a small screw. A small notch cut into the
pouring end of the scoop will allow a narrow
stream of glaze to pour into bottles and other
vessels with small openings.—-Jack Olive,
Granthams Landing, B. C., Canada
Share your ideas with others. Previously
unpublished suggestions are welcome indi­
vidually or in quantity. Ceramics Monthly will
pay $10 for each one published. Include a
drawing or photograph to illustrate your
idea and we will add $10 to the payment.
Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102,
Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail to
editorial @ ceramicsmonthly.org or fax to (614)
891-8960.
74
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
75
May 19-20
Calendar
Events to Attend—Conferences,
Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs
Conferences
May
California, Davis
“Twelfth Annual Cali­
fornia Conference for the Advancement of Ce­
ramic Art” will include lectures, demonstrations,
panel discussions, slide presentations with Jim
Adamson, Clayton Bailey, Ed Blackburn, Vicky
Chock, Margaret Keelan, Jo Lauria, Marilyn Levine
and Emma Luna. Also includes exhibitions and
tours.
For
further
information,
contact
John
Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First St., Davis 95616;
telephone (530) 756-3938; or register online at
www.natsoulas.com.
Maryland, Baltimore
“The Craft Busi­
ness Institute” will include marketing-related top­
ics, round-table discussions, networking opportu­
nities. For further information, contact the Craft
Business Institute: e-mail [email protected]; tele­
phone (800) 462-4314.
Massachusetts, Boston
“China Trade
Ceramics Symposium,” ceramics history confer­
ence, will include lectures, demonstrations, work­
shops with Guanghui Chen, Qing Kang, Sin-Ying
Ho and William Sargent. Fee: $385. Contact
Nancy Selvage, Office for the Arts at Harvard
Ceramics Program, 219 Western Ave., Boston
02134; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(617)
495-8680; or fax (617) 496-9787.
Minnesota, Minneapolis
“ 1 Oth An­
niversary Symposium and American Pottery Fes­
tival” will include workshops and slide presenta­
tions by various potters, plus keynote speech by
Janet Koplos, senior editor,
plus
round-table discussion with Mary Barringer, art­
ist; John Driscoll, collector/owner, Babcock Gal­
lery; Donald P. Geesaman, professor emeritus,
University of Minnesota; Christopher Monkhouse,
curator, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and
Rob Silberman, critic/professor, University of Min­
nesota. Festival will also include sale of pottery by
20 artists. Symposium location: Minneapolis In­
stitute of Arts. Pottery Festival location: Northern
Clay Center. Contact the Northern Clay Center,
2424 Franklin Ave., E, Minneapolis 55406; or
telephone (612) 339-8007.
Montana, Helena
“2001: Clay Od­
yssey,” conference commemorating 50 years of
the Archie Bray Foundation, will include dem­
onstrations, panel discussions, exhibitions, ben­
efit auction and tours. Fee: $235; members, $200;
students/past residents, $200; member students/
past residents, $165. Participants may also attend
an evening with Rudy Autio and Peter Voulkos
(June 20); and/or an auction preview party (June
22) with Akio Takamori and Kurt Weiser. Fee per
event: $100. For further information, please con­
tact
the
Archie
Bray
Foundation,
2915
Country
Club
Ave.,
Helena
59601;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.archiebray.org;
telephone
(406)
443-3502;
or fax (406) 443-0934.
May 4-6
July 9-12
April 19-22
Art in America;
June 21-23
For a free listing, submit announcements of
conferences, exhibitions, workshops and ju­
ried fairs at least two months before the
month of opening. Add one month for list­
ings in July; two months for those in August.
Mail to Calendar, Ceramics Monthly, PO Box
6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102; e-mail to
[email protected]; or fax to
(614) 891-8960.
76
Virginia, Blacksburg
“New River
Ceramics Symposium 2001” will include presen­
tations and workshop with Silvie Granatelli and
Michael Simon, plus exhibition of their works.
Location: Southwest Virginia University at Vir­
ginia Tech University. For further information,
contact David Crane: e-mail [email protected]; or
telephone (540) 231-6335.
Virginia, Front Royal
“Fourth MidAtlantic Clay Conference” will include presenters
Paul Dresang and Lana Wilson, plus demonstra­
tions, slide presentations, raku workshop and
Hawaiian luau. For further information, contact
Mike Swauger: e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (540) 636-6010.
Australia, Gulgong
“ClayFest:
Imaginative and Innovative Tableware” will in­
clude workshops, demonstrations, lectures, firing
and exhibitions. Workshop leaders include Hans
Fischer, Maria Geszler, John Glick, Suzuki Goro,
Elisa Helland-Hansen, Jun Kaneko, David Miller,
John
Neely,
Brigitte
Penicaud,
Giampietro
Rampini, Bill Samuels, Jane Sawyer and Rimas
VisGirda. Participants should bring 6 pieces of
tableware for exhibition, 2-3 bisqued pots for
decorating and firing, and pots for the market.
Fee:
Aus$350
(approximately
US$200)
plus
Aus$35
(approximately
US$20)
GST.
Students:
Aus$250
(approximately
US$145)
plus
Aus$25
(approximately US$ 15) GST. Day rates: Aus$77
(approximately
US$45).
Contact
Ceramic
Art,
35 William St., Paddington NSW2021, Austra­
lia;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.ceramicart.com.au;
telephone
(61) 2 9361 5286; fax (61) 2 9361 5402.
Canada, Ontario, Hamilton
“Inter­
national Links Forged in Hamilton,” Fusion’s
annual conference, will include sessions with
Morgen Hall, Janet Mansfield and Friederike
Rahn.
Location:
McMaster
University.
Contact
Fusion: The Ontario Clay and Glass Association,
Gardener’s Cottage, Cedar Ridge Creative Cen­
tre, 225 Confederation Dr., Scarborough, Ontario
MIG
1B2;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.clayandglass.on.ca;
telephone
(416) 438-8946; or fax (416) 438-0192.
China, Jiangsu Province, Yixing
“International
Ceramic
Art-Teapot
Symposium,
Yixing, China 2001” will include lectures and
workshops with Yixing artists as well as Western
ceramists, tours, and exhibitions. Also includes
presymposium/postsymposium
side
trips
to
Jingdezhen, Xian, Chenlu and Beijing. Fee for
entire trip (May 24-June 13): US$3750, includes
round-trip airfare, domestic transportation, meals,
lodging, interpreter. Contact the Chinese Ceramic
Art Council, PO Box 64392, Sunnyvale, CA 940884392; e-mail Richard Notkin [email protected] or
Guangzhen
“Po”
Zhou
[email protected];
see
website
atwww.chineseclayart.com;
telephone
(408) 245-6271; or fax (408) 245-8756.
Scotland, Glasgow
“Digital Creativ­
ity: Crossing the Border,” conference on comput­
ers in art and design education. For details, con­
tact CADE 2001, Meeting Makers, Jordanhill
Campus, 76 Southbrae Dr., Glasgow G13 1PP;
e-mail cade2001 @meetingmakers. co.uk; telephone
(44) 141 434 1500; or fax (44) 141 434 1519.
Wales, Aberystwyth
“8th Interna­
tional Ceramics Festival 2001” will include dem­
onstrations, debates, lectures, films, kiln firings,
hands-on events, exhibitions, sales booths, etc.
Participating artists include Atilla Albert, David
Binns,
Jerry
Caplan,
Walter
Keeler,
Christy
Keeney, Jolante Kvastye, Elizabeth Le Retif, David
Miller, Jabu Nala, Thokanzi Nxumalo, Fred Olsen,
Byron Temple and John Theis. Contact the
Aberystwyth Arts Centre: e-mail [email protected];
or telephone (44) 1970 622 882.
October 4-7
April 29-May 6
May 25-27
May 30-June 2
April 9-12
June 29-July 1
Continued
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Calendar
Solo Exhibitions
California, La Jolla through April 15 Sayoko
Becker, illustrated ceramics; at Gallery Alexander,
7925 Girard Ave.
California, San Francisco through April 21
Robert Brady. May 1-June 2 Peter Voulkos; at
Braunstein/Quay Gallery, 430 Clementina.
California, San Jose April 7-25 Paul Rideout,
raku wall sculpture; at the 706 Gallery,
Illinois, Chicago through April 28 Ken Price,
sculpture; at Klein Art Works, 400 N. Morgan.
Illinois, Decatur through April I3NickTomasic,
installation of terra cotta and Maine brick clay; at
Perkinson Gallery, Kirkland Fine Arts Center,
Milliken University, 1184 W. Main St.
Kentucky, Berea April 20-May 30Gwtn Heffner,
porcelain, “A Celebration of Tea”; at Appalachian
Fireside Gallery, 127 Main St.
Massachusetts, Northampton through
April 5
Barbara Walch; at Pinch, 179 Main St.
Minnesota, Minneapolis through April 7^“2001
Regis Masters Exhibition: Tatsuzo Shimaoka”; at
the Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave., E.
Missouri, Sedalia through April 20 Jim Robison;
at Goddard Gallery, Stauffacher Center for the
Fine Arts, State Fair Community College, 3201
W. 16th.
New York, Alfred through April 5 “Singular Ab­
stractions (Absolutely Recent Ceramics by Leopold
Foulem)”;
at
the
Schein-Joseph
International
Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred University.
New York, Brooklyn through April 8 Laura J.
Hammond, “Animality”; at 65 Hope Street Ce­
ramic Art Gallery, 65 Hope St.
New York, Geneseo through April 20 Gary Bax­
ter, “Vessels from the Land”; at the Lederer Gal­
lery, SUNY College at Geneseo, 1 College Circle.
New York, New York through April 1 Judith
Solomon, “Boat Forms and Water Tiles”; at Stu­
dio Gallery 88, 205 W. 88th St., ID.
through April 7Anne Kraus. Jean-Pierre Larocque;
at Garth Clark Gallery, 24 W. 57th St.
April 8-May 21 Tetsuya Yamada, ceramic and
wood sculpture; at John Elder Gallery, 529 W.
20th St.
New York, Port Chester April 1-29 Denis Licul,
“Bottomless Bowl.” May 5-27Tim Rowan, “Inau­
gural Firing”; at the Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St.
New York, Syracuse May 19—August 26Virginia
Scotchie, “Domestic Abstractions.” “Picasso Ce­
ramics from the Bernie Bercuson Collection”; at
the Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison St.
North Carolina, Chapel Hill through April 7
Patrick Shia Crabb, “From Shards Come Pots of
Color and Form!”; at Green Tara Gallery, 241 S.
Elliott Rd.
North Carolina, Charlotte through April 7 Alice
Ballard Munn, sculpture; at Jerald Melberg Gal­
lery, 3900 Colony Rd.
through April 13 Lisa Stinson; at the South Tryon
Center lobby, 201 S. Tryon St.
Ohio, Springfield April
21-May 27 George
Hageman; at the Springfield Museum of Art, 107
Cliff Park Rd.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia April 6—29 Doug
Herren; at the Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St.
May 1—31 Philip Weaver, ceramic sculptures with
photographic images; at Borders Books, 1727
Walnut St., Center City.
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh through May 5 Marie
Kelly retrospective; at the Society for Contemporary
Craft, 2100 Smallman St.
Texas,
Arlington
through
April
6 Matt
Dannelley, “Geology 1301”; at Art Corridor
78
CERAMICS MONTHLY
One, Tarrant County College-Southeast, 2100
I Southeast Pkwy.
I Wisconsin, Racine
Toshiko
Takaezu; at the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts,
2519 Northwestern Ave.
through April 22
Group Ceramics Exhibitions
through April 2“
Arizona, Sedona
2001—A Clay
I Odyssey,” works by David Bradley, Mary HaleVisser, Mary Heyborne, Biz Littell, Jeffrey Perkins,
Mary Phoenix, Don Reitz, Helen Schafer and
Maggi Shipley; at the Sedona Arts Center, corner
of Hwy. 89A and Art Barn Rd.
Arkansas, Little Rock
“Arkansas
Art Pottery: Art, Tradition and Industry”; at the
Old State House Museum, 300 W. Markham St.
California, Claremont
“Ceramic
Annual 2001: 57th Scripps Ceramic Annual,”
works by Kate Blacklock, Kathy Butterly, Marek
Cecula, John de Fazio, Joel Otterson, Annabeth
Rosen and Arnie Zimmerman; at Ruth Chandler
Williamson
Gallery,
Scripps
College,
Eleventh
and Columbia sts.
California, Davis
Figurative sculpture
by Bill Abright, Johannette Rowley and Esther
Shimazu.
3 “16th Annual 30 Ceramic
Sculptors Show”; at John Natsoulas Gallery, 521
First St.
12th Annual California Clay Competition”; at the Artery, 207 G St.
California, La Canada-Flintridge
10 “Points of View,” works by Lorraine Haubold,
Barbara Rog, Carol Sils, Elsa Simon and Erika
Van Anker; at L.A. County Descanso Gardens,
1418 Descanso Dr.
California, Lincoln
“Feats of Clay
XIV”; at Gladding McBean terra-cotta factory.
Reservations are required; telephone (916) 6459713.
California, Los Angeles
From
Earth, Fire and Spirit: Historic Pueblo Pottery
from the Southwest Museum”; at the Southwest
Museum, 234 Museum Dr.
California, Los Angeles (West Hills)
“Celebrating
Passover
with
Contemporary
Ceramic J udaica, ” works by 3 5 artists; at Finegood
Art Gallery, Valley Alliance—Jewish Federation
Council, 22622 Vanowen St.
California, Oakland
“Fired by
Ideals: Arequipa Pottery and the Arts and Crafts
Movement”; at the Oakland Museum of California, Tenth and Oak sts.
California, Sacramento
5 “Amer­
ican Ceramics”; at the Crocker Art Museum, 216
OSt.
California, Santa Ana
Ceramics by
Petronella Bannier, Sandy Deeks, Jerry Rothman
and Barbara Thompson; at the Orange County
Center for Contemporary Art, 117 N. Sycamore.
Colorado, Denver
Roots:
Six
Contemporary
American
Indian
Artists.”
“Sunken Treasures: Ming
Dynasty Ceramics from a Chinese Shipwreck.”
“China Meets the
American Southwest: Pottery Designs and Tradi­
tions”; at the Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th
Ave. Pkwy.
Colorado, Lakewood
“The Art
of Tea”; at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S.
Allison Pkwy., Civic Center N.
Connecticut, Guilford
.9 “Ceramics
2001,” juried national; at Guilford Handcraft
Center, 411 Church St.
D.C., Washington
Asian T raditions in Clay: The Hauge Gifts”; at the Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Mu­
seum, 1050 Independence Ave., SW.
I5“USA Clay”; on view at the Renwick
through June 17
through April 1
April 3—29
May 4-June
May 4-June2“
April 13-May
May 5—27
through June 17“
through May
20
through April 29
through August
April 4—29
through May 6 “Deep
through November 18
March 24-March 17, 2002
May 21-June 23
through May
through April 22“
throughJuly
April2001
79
through April 29
Calendar
Gallery,
Smithsonian
American
Art
Museum,
Pennsylvania Ave. at 17th St., NW.
“Dinner for Five: Japanese
Serving Dishes for Elegant Meals.”
“Storage Jars of Asia,” vessels from the
second millennium B.C. to the 16th century; at
the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American
Art Museum, Jefferson Dr. at 12th St., SW.
Florida, Gainesville
“Ceramic
National 2000”; at Samuel P. Harn Museum of
Art, University of Florida.
Illinois, Carbondale
“The Clay
Cup VIII”; at the University Museum, Southern
Illinois University Carbondale.
through October 21
10, 2002
through March
May 27-August 12
through April 15
Illinois, Chicago
“Plate and
Platter Invitational,” including functional works
by Linda Christianson, Maren Kloppmann, Alan
Lerner and Michael Simon; at Lill Street, 1021
W. Lill.
“Of the Earth: Ancient and His­
toric African Ceramics”; at Douglas Dawson Gal­
lery, 222 W. Huron St.
Kentucky, Berea
“Regional
Voices,” ceramics by Judith Pointer and Laura
Ross; at Contemporary Artifacts Gallery, 327
Chestnut St. #3.
Maryland,
Annapolis
“Worldviews: Maya Ceramics from the Palmer
Collection”; at St. John’s College Mitchell Gal­
lery, 60 College Ave.
Maryland, Baltimore
“Dangerous
Curves,” works by member artists; at Baltimore
through May 1
April 1-May 30
through
April 7-May 5
April
20
Clayworks, 5707 Smith Ave.
Massachusetts, Duxbury
“The Yixing Effect”; at the Art Complex Mu­
seum, 189 Alden St.
Massachusetts, Northampton
Exhibition of teapots; at Pinch, 179 Main St.
Michigan, Detroit
“Ewers”; at
Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson.
Minnesota, Minneapolis
“My
Kingdom for a Horse,” contemporary works re­
ferring to the horse, by Rudy Autio, Gina
Bobrowski,
Deborah
Butterfield,
Jeri
Hollister,
Jean-Pierre Larocque and Mike Norman, plus
Tang-dynasty sculptures; at the Northern Clay
Center, 2424 Franklin Ave., E.
Missouri, Springfield
<3 “Clay Invi­
tational,” works by Paul Allen, Dan Anderson,
Ching-Yuan Chang, Bede Clarke, Ester Ikeda,
Yoshiro Ikeda, Joyce Jablonski, Jeff Johnston,
Brandon Reese, Barbara Strassberg, Roy Strassberg
and James Tanner; at Southwest Missouri State
University, Art and Design Gallery, 333 Walnut St.
“Prairie Fire,” works by Bede
Clarke,
Keith
Ekstam,
Elaine
Henry,
Kevin
Hughes, Jeff Johnston, Howard Koerth, Malcolm
E. Kucharski, Lisa Lockman and Marcia Polenberg;
at Walnut Street Gallery, 327 South Ave.
Montana, Missoula
“Soda National
2001”; at the Clay Studio of Missoula, 910 Dick­
ens St.
New Mexico, Las Cruces
“From
the Ground Up XX”; at the Branigan Cultural
Center, Museum of Fine Art, 500 N. Water St.
New Mexico, Santa Fe
“Birds,
Beasts and Little Fishes.”
mer 2001: Guest Artists’ Preview”; at Santa Fe
Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta.
New York, Alfred
27“Glidden Pottery,” ware produced in Alfred from 1940
to 1957; at the Schein-Joseph International Mu­
seum of Ceramic Art, New York State College of
Ceramics at Alfred University.
New York, New York
Approxi­
mately 60 works by Japanese and American ce­
ramists; at Dai Ichi Arts, 24 W. 57th St.
“Artists on Their Own.”
£f“ Annual Greenwich House Pottery Mem­
bers Exhibition”; at Jane Hartsook Gallery, Green­
wich House Pottery, 16 Jones St.
New York, Syracuse
“Feats of Clay”;
at Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison St.
North Carolina, Asheville
“Na­
tional Clay Invitational”; at Blue Spiral 1, 38
Biltmore Ave.
“Resident Artists of the Odyssey
Center for the Ceramic Arts”; at Southern High­
land Craft Guild, Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge
Hwy., Milepost 382.
“North Carolina Wood Fire Pot­
ters: Three Views,” works by Mark Hewitt,
Douglass Rankin and Will Ruggles; at the Odys­
sey Gallery, 242 Clingman Ave.
North Carolina, Chapel Hill
“Works in Clay of Art and Design”; at Green T ara
Gallery, 241 S. Elliott Rd. at Village Plaza.
North Carolina, Charlotte
7 “Is It
Clay?” trompe l’oeil sculpture by David Furman,
Marilyn Levine, Richard Shaw and Victor Spinski;
at Jerald Melberg Gallery, 3900 Colony Rd.
“Digital Ceramics”; at the Light
Factory, 809 W. Hill St.
“Potters of the Roan”; at the
South Tryon Center lobby, 201 S. Tryon St.
“2001 African American Ceram­
ics.” “The Stretch Invitational Exhibition,” works
that stretch the limits of clay; at the Afro-American Cultural Center, 401 N. Meyers St.
“Southeast Regional Work,”
vessels and sculpture by 14 artists; at Hodges
May 20-September 16
May 12-July 16
through April 14
May 4-June 16
through April
through April 28
May 3-30
April 6-May 6
through April 21
April 27-June 9“Sum-
April 12-September
through April 14
April 5-May 5
June 1
May 17—
May 5-20
through April 21
through May 12
through May 25
through April 14
through April
through April 8
through April 13
through April 15
through April 28
80
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
81
through April 3
Calendar
South Carolina, Rock Hill
“A
Cupboard Full of Pots: A Personal Collection”; at
the Winthrop University Galleries, Rutledge Hall.
“Winthrop University Alumni/
Current
Student
Ceramic
Exhibition”;
at
Winthrop
University,
McLaurin
Hall,
Lewandowski Student Gallery.
“The Difference in Families:
Winton and Rosa Eugene: Self-Taught Potters
from Cowpens, South Carolina.”
5 “The Difference in Dirt: Traditional Pottery from
South Carolina”; at the York County Culture and
Heritage Commission, 4621 Mt. Gallant Rd.
Texas, El Paso
“Containment,”
works by Kate Blacklock, Brad Schwieger and
Dharma Strasser; at the University of Texas at El
Paso, Main Gallery, Dept, of Art, Third FI., Fox
Fine Arts Bldg.
Texas, Houston
Ceramics by
Laura Smith and Lotus Witt; at Foelber Gallery,
706 Richmond Ave.
Texas, Ingram
Hill Country Arts
Foundation Ceramic Instructors Show,” works by
15 artists; at the Hill Country Arts Foundation,
Duncan-McAshan Visual Arts Center.
Virginia, Alexandria
“Spring
Fling,” juried exhibition of works by Ceramics
Guild members; at Scope Gallery, Torpedo Fac­
tory, 105 N. Union St.
Washington, Seattle
“Hirado Por­
celain of Japan”; at the Seattle Art Museum, 100
University St., downtown.
through April 30
Taylor Gallery, 401 N. Tryon St.
28 “Celebrating Ceramics”; at Noel
Gallery, 401 N. Tryon St.
28“Forms of Thought,” work by Jun
Kaneko, Russell Biles, J. Paul Sires; at Center of the
Earth Gallery, 3204 N. Davidson St.
Southern Narratives,” works by
Judith Condon, Deborah Groover, Matt Nolen,
Ted Saupe, Keith Smith, Tim Taunton; at Tryon
Center Galleries at Spirit Square, 345 N. College St.
29“ At Present: A Moment in Time,
a Position in Space”; at the Queens Gallery and
Art Center, 1212 The Plaza.
“Japan/Korea/USA Exchange”;
at Joie Lassiter Gallery, 318 E. 9th St.
eapots 2001 ”; at Carolina Clay
Connection, 2132 Hawkins St.
“East Carolina University Ce­
ramic Exhibition”; at Joie Lassiter Gallery, 525
N. Tryon St.
the Ordinary: Selections
from the Allan Chasanoff Ceramic Collection”; at
the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, 220 N.
Tryon St.
“Installation Show,” works by
Beverly Crist, David J. P. Hooker, Jihye Kim,
Mike Knox II, Ralph Paquin and Paula Smith; at
the Carillon Building lobby, 227 W. Trade St.
“Salt Glaze from the Rhine­
land to Randolph County”; at the Mint Museum
of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd.
“The Human Figure in Clay,”
works by Christie Brown, Doug Jeck and Kurt
Perschke; at Gallery W.D.O., Ste. 610 at Atherton
Mill, 2000 South Blvd.
North Carolina, Cornelius
Ce­
ramics by Lin Barnhardt, Mike Callaghan, Clara
Couch, Bruno LaVerdiere and Joan Tweedy; at
Christa Faut Gallery, 19818 N. Cove Rd., Ste. E3, Jetton Village.
North Carolina, Seagrove
“Chrome Red”; at the North Carolina Pottery
Center, Jet. US 220 and NC 75.
Ohio, Columbus
“Clay/Wood/
Fire/Salt,” national invitational of functional forms
and sculpture by 76 artists; at the Ohio Craft
Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave.
Ohio, Kent v4pnl25-/une2“National Juried Cup
Show”; at Gallery 138, 138 E. Main St.
Oregon, Portland
22 “People, Crea­
tures and Sins,” collaborative ceramics by Joe Batt
and Kelly Connole.
“Breaking the
Mold,” ceramics from the 1960s and ’70s.
“Below 2002,” juried exhibition of lowfire ceramics; at Contemporary Crafts Gallery,
3934 S.W. Corbett Ave.
Pennsylvania, Erie
“Earth and
Fire,” sculpture, decorative and functional ceram­
ics by Sharon Bannon and Susan Moore; at Glass
Growers Gallery, 10 E. Fifth St.
Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia
ylpn’16—2.9“Reunion:
Wayne Higby and Graduates of the Alfred Ce­
ramics Program”; at the Clay Studio, 139 N.
Second St.
Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
“Art
Nouveau Tiles: Fantastic Flowers and Other
Forms”; at the Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400
Forbes Ave.
Rhode Island, Kingston
“Earthworks
2001 ”; at the South County Art Association, 2587
Kingstown Rd.
Rhode Island, Providence
2#“FourWay Street,” works by Lawrence Bush, Julia Gal­
loway, Jeff Oestreich and Lisa Orr; at Peck Gal­
lery, 424 Wickenden St.
through April
through April
through April 29“
through April
through April 30
through April 30“^
through April 30
through May 27“Out of
through May 31
through September 2
May 11—June 16
through April 14
through April 30
through April 8
through April
through July 31
June 24
May 3-
April 28-]une 6
through June 24
April5-28
through April
82
through May 14
through August
through April 5
through April 7
May 6-June 2“
through April 29
through July 8
Ceramics in Multimedia
Exhibitions
through April 15
Arizona, Tucson
Four-person
exhibition including figurative ceramics by Wesley
Anderegg.
Four-person exhibi­
tion including figurative sculpture by Mary Bohan;
at Obsidian Gallery, St. Philips Plaza, Ste. 90,
4340 N. Campbell Ave.
Arkansas, Springdale
“18th
Women’s National Juried Art Exhibition”; at the
Arts Center of the Ozarks.
California, La Jolla
“Celebra­
tions”; at Gallery Alexander, 7925-A Girard Ave.
California, Mendocino
“Evolu­
tion of Images,” including ceramics by Brian
Alexander, Deborah A. Baker, Diane Clifton,
Daphne Gillen, Mac Magruder, Gail Rushmore,
Ree Slocum and Ron Woolsey; at the Mendocino
Art Center, 45200 Little Lake St.
California, Walnut Creek
“Adrift,”
including ceramic boats by Richard Shaw; at the
Bedford Gallery, Dean Lesher Regional Center
for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.
Georgia, Gainesville
“Photogra­
phy in Art,” including ceramics by Phil Weaver.
“Life: Its Many Dimensions,”
including ceramic sculpture by Melissa Cadell,
Barb Doll, Debra Fritts and LuAnn Simpson; at
the Quinlan Visual Arts Center, Historical Dis­
trict, Green St. and North Ave.
Hawaii, Maui, Makawao
Hui
No’eau Juried Members Show 2001”; at Hui
No’eau Visual Arts Center, 2841 Baldwin Ave.
Illinois, Chicago
Teapots for the
21st Century and Beyond,” 12th annual teapot
exhibition; at Chiaroscuro Gallery, 700 N. Mich­
igan Ave.
Illinois, Galesburg
at the Galesburg Civic Art Center, 114 E. Main St.
Illinois, Westmont
“Crossed
Connections”; at T.L.D. Design Center and Gal­
lery, 26 E. Quincy St.
Indiana, Bloomington
Two-person
exhibition with functional ceramics by Charity
Davis-Woodard; at the Gallery, 109 E. Sixth St.
April 21-June 1
May 8-June 21
April 21-June 24
through April 8
through April 1
through May 6
May 11—July 16
April27—June 10“
April 4-May 16“
through April 14“ GALEX35”\
May 13—June 16
April 6—29
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
83
Calendar
Kansas, Topeka through April 22 “Topeka Com­
petition 23,” juried regional; at the Mulvane Art
Museum, Washburn University, 17th and Jewell.
Kansas, Wichita through April 4“Art Show at the
Dog Show”; at Foyer Gallery, Century II Conven­
tion Center.
April 6-8 “Art Show at the Dog Show”; at the
Sunflower Cluster Dog Shows, Kansas Coliseum.
Massachusetts, Worcester April 6-May 5 “New
Traditions
2001:
Visiting
Artists
Exhibition,”
including ceramics by Chris Staley. May 11—June
2 “Visions 2001: School for Professional Crafts
Student Exhibition”; at the Krikorian Gallery,
Worcester Center for Crafts, 25 Sagamore Rd.
Missouri, St. Louis through May 27 “Out-on-aLimb,” birdhouses; at the City Museum, N. 15th St.
Missouri, Springfield through August 1 “Fourth
Annual Juried Outdoor Sculpture Competition”;
at the Open Air Sculpture Gallery, Federal His­
toric District.
New Jersey, Demarest through April 4 “12th
Annual New Jersey Small Works Show”; at the
Old Church Cultural Center School of Art, 561
Piermont Rd.
North Carolina, Chapel Hill through April 20
Two-person exhibition with ceramics by Jennie
Bireline; at Somerhill Gallery, 3 Eastgate, E.
Franklin St.
North Carolina, Charlotte through April 28“ Qontrasts: Exploration of Opposites,” featuring clayworks by Mark Boyd, Katherine Washa Boyd and
Charlotte Foust; at Foust Studio, 5200 Park Rd.,
Ste. 115.
April 6-May 5 “Six Japanese Craftspeople Work­
ing in America,” including ceramics by Ikuzu
Teraki, and clay/wood sculpture by Tetsuya
Yamada; at Gallery WDO, Ste. 610 at Atherton
Mill, 2000 South Blvd.
North Carolina, Winston-Salem May 11—June
20 Two-person exhibition including ceramics by
Mary-Ann Prack; at erl originals, 3069 T renwest Dr.
Ohio, Athens through May 6“Art on View 2001 ”;
at the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, 8000
Dairy Ln.
Ohio, Columbus May 6-June 24 “The Best of
2001,” works by Ohio Designer Craftsmen mem­
bers; at the Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave.
Ohio, Toledo through May 27 “Eternal Egypt:
Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British
Museum”; at the Toledo Museum of Art, 2445
Monroe St.
Oregon, Portland through April 8 “Empire of the
Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection”;
at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park.
Texas, Houston through May 5 Two-person exhi­
bition featuring ceramics by V. Chin; at Archway
Gallery, 2013 W. Gray.
May 27—August 13 “Contemporary Craft in the
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston”; at the Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet.
Vermont, Stowe through April 7“F rom the Dream
to the Studio,” including ceramic sculpture by
Cheryl Tall; at Helen Day Art Center, School St.
Fairs, Festivals and Sales
California, Beverly Hills May 19-20 “Affaire in
the Gardens”; along Santa Monica Blvd. at
Rodeo Dr.
California, Oakland April 7“Antique and Con­
temporary Tile Festival and Sale,” will include
hands-on
workshops,
demonstrations
and
lec­
tures by artists, dealers and collectors; at the
Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St.
D.C., Washington April 26-29 “19th Annual
84
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Smithsonian Craft Show”; at the National Build­
ing Museum, 401 F St., NW.
Florida, Jacksonville
“8th Annual
ArtWorks”; at Prime Osborn Convention Center.
Illinois, Chicago
“ACC Craft Show
Chicago”; at Navy Pier.
Illinois, St. Charles/unei?“Raku 2001”; at the Fine
Line Creative Arts Center, 6N158 Crane Rd.
Indiana, Indianapolis
“31st Annual
Broad Ripple Art Fair”; at the Indianapolis Art
Center, 820 E. 67th St.
Iowa, Orange City
I.9“ArtBurst 2001 ”; on the
lawn of the Sioux County Courthouse.
Massachusetts, Leverett
“Second Annual
Juried Outdoor Mudpie Pottery and Crafts Festi­
val”; at Leverett Crafts and Arts, 13 Montague Rd.
Massachusetts, Worcester
“31st An­
nual Crafts Fair of the Worcester Center for
Crafts”; at the Worcester Centrum Centre Con­
vention Complex, 50 Foster St.
Michigan, East Lansing A/ay 3-5 “Greater Lansing
Potter’s Guild Annual Spring Sale”; at All Saints
Episcopal Church, 800 Abbott Rd.
Minnesota, Minneapolis
“American
Pottery Festival,” sale of works by 20 potters, plus
workshops and slide presentations; at the Northern
Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave., E.
Minnesota, St. Paul
“ACC Craft Show St.
Paul”; at the Touchstone Energy Place at RiverCentre, downtown.
NewJersey, New Brunswick v4pnl2<5 “27 th Annual
New Jersey Folk Festival”; on the Douglass campus
of Rutgers—The State University.
New York, New York
“Fine Arts of
Native Cultures”; at the 7th Regiment Armory,
Park Ave. and 67th St.
“SOFA New York 2001”; at the
Seventh Regiment Armory, Park Ave. and 67th St.
Oregon, Portland
“18th Annual Ce­
ramic Showcase”; at the Oregon Convention Cen­
ter, 777 N. E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
“Philadel­
phia Furniture and Furnishings Show”; at the Penn­
sylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch sts.
Pennsylvania, Richboro
7.9-20“Spring Craft
Celebration”; at Tyler State Park.
May 11-13
April 27—29
May 12—13
May
May 12
May 18-20
April 20-22
April 6-8
May 20-23
May 31-June 4
May 4-6
May 12-14
May
Workshops
April 7-8
April 21-22
April 28-29
May 5-6
May 19—20
California, Mendocino
“Ceramics and
Print” with Lesley Baker.
“Free Play/
Clay Recess” with Rodney Mott.
“Ceramic Wall Mural” with John Toki.
“Whimsical Teapots” with Walter Reiss.
“The Collaboration Process” with Scott Parady.
“Atmospheric Firing” with Kent
Rothman. Contact the Mendocino Art Center, PO
Box 765, Mendocino 95460; see website at
www.mendocinoartcenter.org;
or
telephone
(800)
653-3328 or (707) 937-5818.
California, Penryn
Technical and
figurative sculpture demonstrations with Marilyn
Levine and Susannah Israel; fee: $150. Contact
Rodney Mott, 1394 Orange Hill Ln., Penryn 95663;
or telephone (916) 663-2815.
California, San Marcos
“Orr-wellian
Pottery,” slide lecture and workshop with Steve
Horn. Workshop fee: $65; slide lecture is free to
public. Contact Nottingham Center for the Arts: see
website at www.nottinghamarts.org; or telephone
(760) 752-1020.
California, Santa Ana
A session with
Robin Hopper. For further information, contact
Patti Hallowes, 1833 N. California St., Burbank,
CA 91505; e-mail [email protected].
Colorado, Boulder
session with
Julia Galloway. Sponsored by the Boulder Potters’
Guild. E-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone Sue Walsh (303) 499-0831.
May 25-27
April 21—22
May 19-20
April 7—8
April 20-21 A
Continued
April 2001
85
Calendar
April 5-8
April 21
Connecticut, Avon
Lecture and demon­
stration on glaze and clay-body defects with Jeff
Zamek; fee: $85.
“Raku Firing Week­
end” with Penny Fleming; participants should
bring up to 10 bisqued forms. Fee: $190, includes
glazes and firing. All skill levels. Contact Melissa
Jarvis or Pat Parker, Farmington Valley Arts Cen­
ter, 25 Arts Center Ln., Avon 06001; e-mail
[email protected];
or
telephone
(860)
678-1867;
or fax (860) 409-7214.
Connecticut,
Brookfield
“Nonceramic Finishes” with Barbara Allen.
“Handbuilding: About the Ocean” with Anna
Siok.
“Working with Slabs” with Eliza­
beth MacDonald. Contact the Brookfield Craft
Center, PO Box 122, Rte. 25, Brookfield 06804;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.Brookfieldcraftcenter.org;
telephone
(203)
775-4526; or fax (203) 740-7815.
Florida, Davie
“Figurative Sculp­
ture,” hands-on workshop and slide lecture with
Cheryl Tall. Contact Broward Community Col­
lege, Potter’s Guild, Ceramics Dept., 3501 S.W.
Davie Rd., Davie 33314; telephone Susan Maguire
(954) 946-3214 or John Foster (954) 475-6517.
Florida, Largo
“Architectural Ceramics
Workshop” with Peter King and Xinia Marin. In­
struction in English and Spanish. All skill levels. Fee:
$240, includes materials and meals. For further
information, contact Kim Lomas, Gulf Coast Mu­
seum of Art, 12211 Walsingham Rd., Largo 33778;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (727)
518-6833; or fax (727) 518-1852.
Florida,
Melbourne
Hands-on
woodfiring workshop, glazing, loading and firing, with
McKenzie Smith. Fee: $175. Contact Horse Creek
Pottery: e-mail [email protected]; or telephone
(321) 242-2162.
Florida, Miami
A session with Leah
Leitson, throwing, altering and assembling pot­
tery. Contact the Ceramic League of Miami,
(305) 233-2404.
Florida, West Palm Beach
“Exotic
Glazes.” Fee: $130, includes materials. Contact
the Craft Gallery, 5911 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm
Beach 33405; or telephone (561) 585-7744.
Indiana, Bloomington
“From the
Wheel to the Table,” demonstration and slide
lecture with Suze Lindsay. Fee: $75; students,
$35; includes lunch and snacks. Limited space.
E-mail [email protected]; or telephone Cheri, (812)
336-3463.
Indiana, Indianapolis
A session with
Richard Bresnahan, throwing demonstrations, plus
discussions about indigenous materials for clay
and glazes, ecology of the studio and wood firing.
Held in conjunction with the American Ceramic
Society’s “Annual Meeting and Exposition” (April
22-23). Fee: $99, includes the exposition open­
ing and access to the Society’s Art Division pro­
gramming. E-mail Michael O’Toole, The Ameri­
can Ceramic Society: [email protected].
Iowa, Riverside
“Persian and Turkish
Tile and Design” with Jafar Mogadam. For fur­
ther information, contact the Tile Heritage Foun­
dation: e-mail [email protected]; fax
(707) 431-8455.
Kentucky, Berea
Slide presentations and
demonstrations with Judith Pointer and Laura
Ross. Free. Location: Industrial Arts Bldg., Berea
College. Contact Gwen Heffner, (859) 986-1096.
Maine, Portland
“Raku Workshop.”
Fee: $35.
Brush Painting Work­
shop” with Donald Blue. Fee: $35.-4pn'/I5“Mask
Making for Kids.” For further information, con­
May 5—6
April 28-29
May 19-20
May 26
May 25—26
May 11-13
April20-23
April 21—22
April 21
April 26—27
April 22
May 7-11
April21
April 13
April 14“ CXimtst
86
tact Portland Pottery, 118 Washington Ave., Port­
land
04101;
telephone (207) 772-4334.
Maryland, Frederick
“Masters Throw­
ing Workshop” with Joyce Michaud. Fee: $198.
23-25Lecture and demonstration with Frank
Boyden. Fee: $145. Contact Joyce Michaud, Art
Dept., Ceramics Program, Hood College, 401
Rosemont Ave., Frederick 21701-8575; telephone
(301) 696-3456 or (301) 696-3562; or fax (301)
696-3531.
Massachusetts, Leverett
“How to Handle
Ceramic Raw Materials Safely; Plus Clay/Glaze
Defects” with Jeff Zamek; participants can bring
samples of problems to discuss. Fee: $75.
“Make Your Own Brushes for Glazing” with Don
Curtis and Steve Saxenian. Fee: $60. Contact
Mudpie Potters, 102 Dudleyville Rd., Leverett
01054; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (413) 548-3939.
Massachusetts, Stockbridge
“Cone 6
Clay and Glazes in the Electric Kiln” with Jeff
Zamek; fee: $75.
Treasures from Shards:
Making Mosaics” with Marlene Hurley Marshall;
fee: $120, includes materials. Contact Interlaken
School of Art, PO Box 1400, Stockbridge 01262;
e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(413)
2985252; or fax (413) 298-0274.
Massachusetts, Worcester
session
with Chris Staley. Contact Worcester Center for
Crafts, 25 Sagamore Rd., Worcester 01605; e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.worcestercraftcenter.org;
telephone
(508)
753-8183; or fax (508) 797-5626.
Michigan, Kalamazoo
session with
Steven Hill. Fee: $90; students, $40. Limited
space.
Contact
Francis
Granzotto,
Kalamazoo
Valley
Community
College,
(616)
372-5373.
Montana, Helena
“Forming and
Decorating” with Matthew Metz; fee: $75.
“Burn and Learn: Wood-fire Work­
shop” with Matt Kelleher and Simon Levin; fee:
$400, includes glazes and firing.
“Assembled Vessels: From the Slab and the Wheel”
with Norm Schulman; fee: $150, includes glaze
material and clay (25 lb). Contact Josh DeWeese,
Resident Director, Archie Bray Foundation for
the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave., Hel­
ena 59602; e-mail [email protected]; see
website at www.archiebray.org; telephone (406)
443-3502; fax (406) 443-0934.
Nevada, Las Vegas
“Thrown and
Altered Forms, Cone 6” with Patrick Horsley.
E-mail Elaine Coleman, Coleman Clay Studio,
[email protected];
or
telephone
(702)
564-4001.
New Jersey, Layton
“Raku, Pit and
Sawdust Firing” with Mike Carroll; fee: $357,
includes firing and lab fee.
“Writing
on Art and Craft” with Susan Peterson; fee: $264,
includes lab fee.
Glorious Mud”
with Bruce Dehnert; fee: $279, includes lab fee.
Skill requirements vary. Contact Peters Valley
Craft Education Center, 19 Kuhn Rd., Layton
07851; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.pvcrafts.org;
or
telephone
(973)
948-5200.
New Mexico, Albuquerque to Santa Fe
“Clay into Spirit” with Anita Griffith.
Contact Horizons, PO Box 2206, Amherst, MA
01004;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website at www.horizons-art.org; telephone (413)
549-2900; or fax (413) 549-5995.
New Mexico, Espanola
Glaze work­
shop with Ian Currie. Fee: $145, includes lunch.
Contact Jeff Lawrence at [email protected]; or
see Ian Currie’s website at http://ian.currie.to.
New Mexico, Santa Fe
“Throwing
and Altering Large-Scale Vessels” with Louis
D’Amico.
“Traditional Micaceous
Pottery” with Camilla Trujillo. Fee per session:
April
May 19
May 20
April 28
May 5-6“
April 21—22 A
May 4-5 A
April 28-29
April
30-May 11
September 14—16
May 19—20
May 18-21
May 25—27
May28-30“Mud
April
21—28
April28-29
April 14-15
April 27—28
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
87
Calendar
$145, includes lab fee. Contact Santa Fe Clay,
1615 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe 87505; or tele­
phone (505) 984-1122.
7-10 “Raku Kilnbuilding, Test Firing” with
Mario Quilles. Fee: $375, includes materials and
firing (burner and shipping are extra costs). For
further
information,contact
Mario
Quilles,
A.I.R. Studioworks, 3825 Hwy. 14, Santa Fe
87505;
e-mail
[email protected];
or
telephone
(505)
438-7224.
New Mexico, Taos
“Raku
Saturday” with Pamala Dean and Karen Fielding;
fee: $32.50, includes glaze materials, breakfast.
Contact Dragonfly Journeys, PO Box 2539, Taos
87571;
see
website
at
www.taosartretreat.com;
telephone (505) 751-3220;
fax
(505) 751-0131.
New York, East Islip
5-£f “Alternative LowFire Surfaces” with Ellen Huie. For further informa­
tion, call Woody Hughes, Islip Art Museum, (631)
224-5402.
New York, East Setauket
“Art Clay Silver
Jewelry-Making
Workshop.”
Fee: $95,
includes
materials.
“Raku Workshop:
Handbuilding/Wheel
Throwing,
Glazing
and
Firing.” Fee: $95.
“Explore Paper Clay,”
hands-on workshop with Jerry Bennett. Fee: $85.
For further information, contact Hands On Clay,
128 Old Town Rd., East Setauket 11733; or
telephone (631) 751-0011.
New York, New York
“Introduction to Silver Clay”
with Vera Lightstone; fee: $220, includes materi­
als and firing. For further information, contact
Vera Lightstone, 347 W. 39th St., New York
10018; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (212) 947-6879.
4—<T‘Mosaic Workshop” with Philip Danzig.
Contact the Tile Heritage Foundation: e-mail
[email protected]; or fax (707) 431-8455.
New York, Port Chester
“Innovative
Handbuilding Techniques” with Lana Wilson; fee:
$150.
“Raku Opportunities” with Robert
Mueller; fee: $60.
“Exploring Form and
Surface” with Andrea Gill; fee: $135. Contact the
Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester 10573;
telephone/fax (914) 937-2047.
New York, White Plains
“Throwing and
Altering Workshop” with Neil Patterson. Fee:
$40; currently enrolled students, $25. For further
information, contact the Westchester Art Work­
shop, Westchester County Center, 196 Central
Ave., White Plains 10606; or telephone (914)
684-0094.
North Carolina, Brasstown
“Clay Ba­
sics: Useful Pots” with Lucy Hamilton.
“Wood Fire” with Kevin Crowe; fee: $436.
“Throwing Humongous Pots” with
Leon Nichols.
“Utilitarian Porcelain
Pots” with Leah Leitson. Fee (unless noted above):
$294. Contact Mary Ward, John C. Campbell
FolkSchool, 1 FolkSchoolRd., Brasstown 28902;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.folkschool.org;
telephone
(800)
365-5724
or (828) 837-2775; or fax (828) 837-8637.
Ohio, Kent
Workshop on hand­
building, throwing, slip painting and wood firing,
with lectures and presentations ranging from func­
tional pots to sculptural installations. Instructors:
Kirk Mangus and visiting artists Annabeth Rosen
and Jamie Walker. Fee: $798, includes firing. For
further information, contact Becky Summers, Kent
State University, School of Art, Art Bldg., Kent
44242; telephone (330) 672-2192; or fax (330)
672-4729.
Ohio, Wooster
“Functional Ceram­
May
April 28 or May 26
May
May 5
May 8, 15 and 22
May 19
23 and30, evenings
April 21-22 or April 9, 16,
May
April21-22
May 6
May 19-20
May 4
April 1-7
22
April 22—28
May 20-26
May 14-25
April 18-21
88
April 15—
ics
Workshop”
with
demonstrations
by
Peg
Malloy, Ron Meyers and Mark Nafziger; plus
presentations by Dick Lehman and Tim Frederich.
Fee: $165; full-time students, $90. For further
information, contact Phyllis Blair Clark, 2555
Graustark Path, Wooster 44691.
Oklahoma, Norman
Slide lecture and
hands-on workshop with Lana Wilson. Contact
the Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood, Norman
73069;
e-mail
[email protected];
or
tele­
phone (405) 329-4523.
Pennsylvania, Cheltenham
“Porce­
lain Handbuilt Ceramic Forms,” slide lecture,
demonstration and hands-on workshop with Paula
Winokur. Fee: $170; members, $150; includes
clay (25 lb). Slide lecture only: $5. Contact
Cheltenham Center for the Arts, 439 Ashbourne
Rd.,
Cheltenham
19012;
telephone
(214)
3794660; or fax (215) 663-1946.
Pennsylvania, State College
Spite
of Ourselves” with Tony and Sheila Clennell; fee:
$125.
A session with Seth Cardew.
session with Ellen Shankin; fee: $150.
Contact R&:T’s Creative Oasis, 133 E. Beaver
Ave., State College 16801; telephone (814) 2371982; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.thecreativeoasis.com.
Rhode Island, Kingston
Demonstration
with Mark Bell; fee: $50. Contact the South
County Art Association, 2587 Kingstown Rd.,
Kingston 02881; or telephone (401) 783-2195.
Texas, San Antonio
“Wood, Fire and
Earth: The Noborigama Kiln” with Shinman
Yamada; free. Contact the Southwest School of
Art and Craft, 300 Augusta, San Antonio 782051296; see website at www.swschool.org; or tele­
phone (210) 224-1848.
Utah, Logan
Lecture/workshop with
Ah Leon. Free. For further information, tele­
phone the Utah State University Dept, of Art,
(435) 797-3460.
Vermont, Waterbury Center
“Two
Views of the Cup” with Linda Cordell and Hide
Sadohara. Contact Vermont Clay Studio, 2802
Waterbury-Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center 05677;
e-mail [email protected]; see website
at www.vermontclaystudio.com; or telephone
(802) 244-1126.
Virginia, Alexandria
“Oh Yes You Can”
workshop with Russel Fouts.
“Raku
Workshop” with Steven Branfman.
A session with Jeff Oestreich. Contact Lee Arts
Center:
e-mail
[email protected];
or telephone
(703) 228-5256.
May 4-6
April 20-22
April28-29“\n
May 5-6
19-20 A.
May
April 1
April 4
April 2-3
April 27—28
April 6-8
April20-22
April 27—29
International Events
April 8-May 20
Belgium, Zulte
Bodil and Cecilie
Manz,
“Installations
in
Porcelain
and
Red.”
Katarina Andersson, “Light Sculptures on the
Wall.” “Cabinetroom,” ceramics by various art­
ists; at Centrum Goed Werk, Moerbeekstraat 86.
Canada, British Columbia, Victoria
“The Aesthetic of Stoneware Forms and Single
Firing” with Steven Hill; fee: Can$l 10 (approxi­
mately
US$70),
includes
lunches.
Contact
Metchosin International Summer School of the
Arts, 650 Pearson College Dr., Victoria V9C 4H7;
e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(250) 391-2420; or fax (250) 391-2412.
“Fired-Up! Contemporary Works in
Clay,” sale of works by 14 potters, focusing on
ritual vessels; at the Metchosin Community Hall,
4401 William Head Rd.
Canada, Ontario, Burlington
“Cups” by Laima Bruveris, Susan Card, Frances
Chiddy, Judith Graham, Louise MacNab, Jutta
Spengemann and Danuta Weisenbluth.
“Recent Acquisitions.”
April21—22
May 26—27
through June 3
December 16
through
April 12—
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
89
Calendar
July 19-22
May 6
“Sculptors’ Group Juried Exhibition”; at
the Burlington Art Centre, 1333 Lakeshore Rd.
Canada, Ontario, Haliburton
“Pot­
tery—Beginners” with Barbara Joy Peel. Fee:
Can$271.52
(approximately
US$180),
includes
materials, firing and lab fee. For further informa­
tion, contact Shelley Schell, Haliburton School of
the Arts, Box 839, Haliburton KOM ISO; e-mail
[email protected];
telephone
(705)
457-1680;
or fax (705) 457-2255.
Canada, Ontario, Toronto
^“Nineteenth
Annual Spring Show and Sale”; at Woodlawn
Pottery Studio, 80 Woodlawn Ave., E.
Canada, Quebec, Quebec
“Trajectoires: La Ceramique au Quebec des Annees 1930 a nos Jours”; at Musee de la Gaspesie,
80, boul. Gaspe, CP 680.
Denmark, Skaelskor
“Network
2001” for recent graduates, includes workshops
and lectures with Neil Brownsword and Margaret
O’Rorke. Instruction in Danish and English.
Advanced
and
professional
skill
levels.
Fee:
US$585,
includes
studio
and
accommodations.
Contact
Birgitte
Drud
Nielsen,
International
Ceramic
Center,
Heilmansvej
31
A,
4230
Skadskor; e-mail [email protected]; or fax (45)
5819 0037.
England, Ipswich
Inten­
sive throwing workshop with Deborah Baynes,
including wheel-related techniques such as mak­
ing lids, handles, spouts, etc. Fee: £225 (approxi­
mately US$325), includes materials, firing, lodg­
ing and meals. Contact Deborah Baynes Pottery
Studio, Nether Hall, Shotley, Ipswich, Suffolk
1P9 1PW; e-mail [email protected]; see
website
at
www.potterycourses.net;
telephone
(44) 1473 788 300; or fax (44) 1473 787 055.
Weekly sessions on all aspects of pottery
production with Alan and Patt Baxter, including
handbuilding, throwing, glazing, kiln design, raku
and sawdust firing. Fee: £340 (approximately
US$495), includes materials, firing, lodging, meals,
and transportation to and from Ipswich rail sta­
tion. All skill levels. For further information,
contact Alan Baxter Pottery Workshop, The White
House, Somersham, Ipswich, Suffolk 1P8 4QA;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.potterycourses.com; telephone/fax (44) 1473
831 256.
England, London
Recent ceram­
ics by Martin Smith; at Barrett Marsden Gallery,
17-18 Great Sutton St.
England, Tenbury Wells
Workshop on all aspects of pottery making with
Martin Homer, with emphasis on throwing, pull­
ing handles and spouts, trimming and modeling.
Fee: £269 (approximately US$390), includes ma­
terials, firing, lodging and meals. All skill levels.
For further information, contact Tina Homer,
Martin Homer Pottery, Lower Aston House, Aston
Bank, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire WR15 8LW;
e-mail [email protected]; or telephone
(44) 1584 781 404.
England, West Dean
“Sculptural Pots
for Plants” with Gordon Cooke.
“Handbuilding
and
Throwing”
with
Alison
Sandeman.
“Throwing and Turning
Porcelain” with Alison Sandeman.
“Pottery for Beginners” with Alison Sandeman,
includes a raku firing.
“Sculptural
Ceramics Inspired by the Human Figure and
Animals: Part 2” with Tessa Fuchs.
“Sculptural Pots for Flowers” with Gordon Cooke.
For further information, contact West Dean Col­
lege, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex
May 7—12
May 3—
through June 17
April 23-May 27
May 4-7 or May 25—28
May
through May 12
weekend of May 25
April 1-6
May 4—7
April 15—20
May 13—17
May 18—20
May 20—25
90
PO 18 OQZ; e-mail [email protected]; see
website at www.westdean.org.uk/; telephone (44)
1243 811 301; or fax (44) 1243 811 343.
England, near Wheatley
“Art in Ac­
tion,”
demonstrations,
hands-on
opportunities,
sale of crafts; at Waterperry Gardens.
France, Allegre
1-, 2- or 3-week sessions
on throwing, glazing, firing and raku with Simonot
Michel. Beginning and intermediate skill levels.
Fee: 3000 Fr (approximately US$425) or 6000 Fr
(approximately US$855); includes materials, fir­
ing, lodging and meals. Contact Simonot Michel,
Mas
Cassac,
F-30500
Allegre-Les
Fumades;
e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.ceramique.com/Mas-Cassac; telephone (33)
4 66 24 85 65; or fax (33) 4 66 24 80 55.
France, Nan$ay
Exhibition of ce­
ramics by Andoche Praudel; at Galerie Capazza,
Grenier de Villatre.
France, St. Quentin la Poterie
Ceramics by Michel Soussi and Dominique Soussi.
5 “Raku” by Gisele Buthod-Gar^on,
Nani Champy, Marie-Laure Levitan and Chris­
tian Pinault.
5“Orient,” two-person
exhibition including ceramics by Vincent Potier;
at Terra Viva Galerie, 5, rue de la Fontaine.
Germany, Hohr-Grenzhausen
Jean-Fran^ois
Fouilhoux.
Masamichi
Yoshikawa;
at
Keramikmuseum
Westerwald,
Lindenstrasse.
Germany, Wiesbaden
“Berber Pot­
tery”
with
Silvia
and
Manuela
Casselmann,
handbuilding pottery of the Berber. Instruction
in German and English. Fee: DM 295 (approxi­
mately US$150), includes materials, electric fir­
ing and 2 meals. All skill levels. Limited to 10
participants.
Contact
Manuela
Casselmann,
Biebricher Allee 138, 65187 Wiesbaden; e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (49) 611
84 36 50.
Italy,
“Mosaics: Ancient
Art Form/Contemporary Applications” with Eliza­
beth MacDonald. For further information, con­
tact Horizons, PO Box 2206, Amherst, MA 01004;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.horizons-art.org;
telephone
(413)
549-2900;
or fax (413) 549-5995.
Jamaica, Good Hope
“Wood-fired
Pots,” workshop with Randy Johnston and Jan
McKeachie, with Doug Casebeer and David Pinto.
Contact Anderson Ranch Arts Center, PO Box
5598, Snowmass Village, CO 81615; see website
www.andersonranch.org;
telephone
(970)
9233181; or fax (970) 923-3871.
Japan, Osaka, Sakai City
David W.
Thomas, “Ceramic Mask Sculptures”; at Gallery
Irohani, 1-2-29 Kainocho.
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Ce­
ramic objects by Johan van Loon; at Galerie Carla
Koch, Prinsengracht 510 sous.
Netherlands, Delft
Vincent de
Rijk, “Tableware.”
Marijke
Gemessy, ceramic sculpture; at Terra Keramiek,
Nieuwstraat 7.
Netherlands, Deventer
Ceramics by
Michael Cleff and Jean Francis Fouilhoux.
Ceramics by Esperanza Romero; at Loes
and Reinier, Korte Assenstraat 15.
Netherlands, Leeuwarden
The
Golden Boys Party,” ceramics by Bart Drost; at
Princessehof Leeuwarden, Grote Kerkstraat 11.
Netherlands, Oosterwolde
Work­
shop on earthenware and raku with Kees Hoogendam, including clay preparation, handbuilding,
throwing, kilnbuilding, and firing with gas, oil
and wood. Fee: fl 600 (approximately US$335);
includes materials, lodging and meals. Contact
Kees
Hoogendam,
de
Knolle
3A,
8431
RJ
Oosterwolde (Fochteloo), Netherlands; or tele­
phone/fax (31) 51 658 82 38.
Spring
through July 8
through May 17
through July
May 20-July
through April 28
May 25—27
T\xscz.ny April 28-May 5
April 20-28
April 1-30
through April 28
through May 11
April 21-June 2
April 1—28
6-June 2
May
through April29“
May 14—18
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
91
Questions
Answered by the CM Technical Staff
Q So much has changed since I was a student 50
years ago, hut I want to be able to give students
correct and current information. I would be grate­
ful if someone on the technical staff could tell me if
we are talking about the same thing. When men­
tion is made of “published Seger formulas" in the
Questions column, it suggests to me the 1:8–10
alumina:silica ratio for glossy, 1:5–8 for satin
and 1:1–5 for matt surfaces. Is this what is being
referred to? Also, could you tell me what current
books describe these?—L.K.
Seger formulas, sometimes erroneously re­
ferred to as limit formulas, were developed by
Hermann Seger in the 19th century. Simply
described, a Seger formula, or a skeleton for­
mula, is a method by which glazes are repre­
sented in their molar (or molecular) equivalents.
The oxides are classified as basic (RO), ampho­
teric (RjOj) and acidic (R02).
Seger also invented the pyrometric cone,
where the formulas are based on the ratio of
alumina to silica. For instance, according to
Robert Fournier’s Illustrated Dictionary of Prac­
tical Pottery, the formula for the Seger pyromet­
ric Cone 6 contained alumina in the amount of
0.6 molecular equivalent and the amount of
silica was 6 molecular equivalents—hence, the
1:10 alumina:silica ratio commonly used to
indicate a glossy surface texture.
Limit formulas, however, are parameters
(maximums and minimums) expressed as mo­
lecular equivalents for each oxide, according to
temperature and surface appearance of the glaze.
Understand that limit formulas are simply guide­
lines. When a glaze is written as a formula, and
not as a batch (recipe), each oxide in the glaze
will have a corresponding molecular equiva­
lent. By comparing your glaze formula to these
limits, you can see if the oxides in your glaze fall
within these limits. This will help ascertain
whether or not your glaze is a balanced glass.
Many glazes, however, can exist very nicely
outside these limits and function quite well. To
determine if a glaze is truly safe, one would need
to submit it for testing at a qualified lab, such as
Alfred Analytical Laboratory, 4964 Kenyon
Rd., Alfred Station, New York 14803. You can
do simple testing at home, such as freezing a
glaze sample overnight, then suddenly subject­
ing it to boiling water to test for crazing. A test
with vinegar may indicate if there is leaching as
the vinegar will change color. Lead testing kits
are available to test for lead leaching.
There are many books that can help with
glaze theory and calculation. I usually refer to
the following: Clay and Glazes for the Potter
(Daniel Rhodes), Ceramic Glazes (Cullen W.
Parmelee), Glazes and Glass Coatings (Richard
A. Eppler, Douglas R. Eppler), Ceramics for the
A rtist Potter (F rederick N orton), Potter s Dictio­
nary of Materials and Techniques (Frank and
Janet Hamer), Illustrated Dictionary of Practical
Pottery (Robert Fournier) and The Magic of Fire
(Tony Hansen).
While I certainly don’t think that each of us
needs to be a wizard at glaze calculation or
chemistry, I do think that learning some basics
is very helpful. This would include basic chem­
istry nomenclature for elements, oxides and
ceramic materials. The calculations to go from
glaze batch to glaze formula are simple to learn
(Ceramics Monthly, December 2000, page 100),
and with basic knowledge, it is simple to calcu­
late your glaze and obtain relevant and impor­
tant information regarding the oxides present
and their function.
Jonathan Kaplan
Ceramic Design Group
Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Q We did an experiment mixing equalparts dry
Cedar Heights Redart clay with plaster. We then
mixed it with water and dipped sweaters, socks,
baby dresses, etc., into this mix. They looked
wonderful as they set up overforms, but whenfired
they were a soft, crumbly, gray, mushy mess. The
92
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
93
Questions
atmosphere in the electric kiln was highly reduced
with all the acrylic and cotton that burned during
the firing. Could someone tell us what we made? I
can still taste whatever it is when I walk into the
room. We did something like this 25years ago, but
it must have been with just clay and water. I'm
really curious as to what we formed and if we can
do it any other way.—G.N.
The mixture you concocted would most
likely make a very matt dark brown glaze at
Cone 10. The gray color is due to carbon from
the burned fiber trapped in the porous clay/
plaster mix. The smell is most likely a result of
burning man-made fibers and a great deal of
sulfur from the Redart and plaster. It is not only
unpleasant, but can also be very hazardous.
If you must use an electric kiln for this
process, the kiln and the room should be ad­
equately vented. This means a complete ex­
change of air every four to ten minutes. You will
be much happier and healthier if you do future
firings that contain burnable cores in a fuelburning kiln. Please understand that just be­
cause the kiln is vented does not mean you can
disregard venting the room. Some potentially
toxic gases may escape into that atmosphere.
When you first worked with this process,
you may have added small amounts of plaster to
the slip to aid in the setting of the form. If you
did, the percentages were probably small (un­
der 5%) and you used each batch before it had
a chance to set in the bucket. The plaster would
have the desired rigidifying effect and would
supply additional calcium to the fired piece. I
suggest you continue your experimentation
with plaster in greatly reduced percentages.
Another way to approach this particular
technique is to use slips that contain no plaster.
Start with a dry clay body you commonly use
and mix it with enough water to make it liquid.
This will normally be 40—50% by weight, but
you can do it visually. Once the slip is liquid,
add ½ to ½ cup sodium silicate to a 100-pound
batch. This calculates to between 0.3% and
0.5% of the batch weight. If you are using a
commercial deflocculant, such as Darvan #7,
you will use about 0.15% of the batch weight.
You can consult standard casting slip recipes for
the proper percentages. I suggest for this appli­
cation that you reduce the deflocculant by
about one-fourth from the amount used in
casting slips. The function of the deflocculant is
to give the slip some fluidity and reduce the
amount of water needed to make the slip liquid.
You can add fiber to this slip to help hold it
on the fabric and to thicken the coating. I would
add 1-3% paper fiber to the batch. This fiber
must be thoroughly mixed with the water be­
fore you add it to your slip. You can calculate the
water used to wet the fiber as part of the water
of your slip. You may then apply by spraying
(see “Sprayed Paper Reinforced Clay” in the
November 1998 Ceramics Monthly) or dip the
article in the slip and hang it to dry. Once it is
dry, it may be bisque fired or single fired.
Bisqued work may be glazed and refired.
Colored slip can be brushed or sprayed on to
achieve interesting surfaces; however, I have
found that thin sections of fiber-reinforced clay
are not strong enough to withstand the shrink­
age of very glassy glazes. You will need to test
your specific glazes and clay bodies to deter­
mine what works best for you.
Let me again stress the need to ventilate all
firings well, especially when you are firing work
with combustible cores.
W. Lowell Baker
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Have a problem? Subscribers’ questions
are welcome, and those of interest to the
ceramics community in general will be an­
swered in this column. Due to volume,
letters may not be answered personally.
Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102,
Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail to
[email protected]
or
fax
to
(614) 891-8960.
94
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
95
Summer Workshops
Continued from page 62
trimming techniques, with emphasis on production;
each session includes firing a wood-burning kiln
(June-August). All skill levels. Contact the Great
Barrington Pottery, Rte. 41, Housatonic 01236; tele­
phone (413) 274-6259; or fax (413) 274-6260.
Massachusetts, Leverett
“Carved and Pierced Porcelain” with Gary Grosenbeck
(June 9-10). “Spontaneous Clay” with Natalie Blake
(June 23). “Raku Firing and BBQ” with Jana Silver
(July 1). “Building with Thrown Forms” with Sam
Taylor (August 4—5). “Southwest Pottery Techniques”
with Michael Wisner (August 21-22). Contact
Mudpie Potters, 102DudleyvilleRd., Leverett 01054;
e-mail [email protected]; or telephone
(413) 548-3939.
run 9 A.M.-1 P.M. Contact Mary Stackhouse, Castle
Hill/Truro Center for the Arts, PO Box 756, Truro
02666; e-mail [email protected]; telephone (508)
349-7511; or fax (508) 349-7513.
cludes glazes, clay (25 lb) and firing. Intermediate and
advanced. For further information, contact Red Star
Studios, 821 W. 17 St., Kansas City 64108; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (816) 474-7316.
Massachusetts, Williamsburg
Missouri, Pt. Lookout
“Portraits and Self-Portraits in Clay: Life Sculpture”
with Harriet Diamond (June 8-10). High-school
summer arts program; ceramics is 1 of 7 courses
offered (June 24-July 13 and/or July 15-August 3).
For further information, contact Snow Farm, 5 Clary
Rd., Williamsburg 01096; telephone (413) 268-3101;
or fax (413) 268-3163.
“Combining Traditions: From the Traditional T-Pot
to Finding a Personal Dialogue” with Ching-Yaun
Chang (June 25-30); fee: $250, includes materials.
Contact Jeff Johnston, College of the Ozarks, Pt.
Lookout 65726; telephone (417) 334-6411, ext. 4467.
Massachusetts, Worcester
“Firing the Wood Kiln” with Sam Taylor, partici­
pants must bring bisqueware (July 14-15 and 21);
fee: $205; members, $185; includes materials and
firing. Intermediate and advanced. For further infor­
mation, contact David S. East, Worcester Center for
Crafts, 25 Sagamore Rd., Worcester 01605; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (508) 7538183, ext. 5107; or fax (508) 797-5626.
Michigan, Kalamazoo
Handbuilding, throwing, stoneware, single firing,
using wood-ash glazes, with Richard Aerni (June 9—
10); fee: $120, includes materials. All skill levels.
Contact Paul Flickinger, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts,
314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo 49007; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (616) 349-7775, ext.
3182; or fax (616) 349-9313.
Michigan, Saugatuck
“Vessel Construction” with James Wallace (June 24July 7). “Wheel Throwing” with Robert McClurg
(July 8-21). “The Figure in Ceramics” with Joseph
Seigenthaler (July 22-August 4). “Site-Specific Ce­
ramic Sculpture” with Nazare Feliciano (August 518). Skill requirements vary. Fee/session: $800. Con­
tact Megan Powell, Ox-Bow, 37 S. Wabash, Chicago,
IL 60603; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.ox-bow.org; telephone (800) 318-3019 or
(312) 899-7455; or fax (312) 899-1453.
Minnesota, Duluth
Pete Pinnell demonstrates throwing
a teapot lid during a workshop
at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland.
Massachusetts, Stockbridge
96
“Handbuilding with Soul” with Thomas Kerrigan
(July 8-August 11, weekly from Sun. eve. to Sat.
noon); fee: $505, includes materials and firing. Begin­
ning through advanced. Contact Registrar, Split Rock
Arts Program—University of Minnesota, 360 Coffey
Hall, 1420 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108; e-mail
[email protected]; see website atwww.cce.umn.edu/
splitrockarts/; telephone (612) 625-8100; or fax (612)
624-6210.
Minnesota, New London
Wood firing in a 22-foot anagama (May 19—20, 23—
27 and June 2); fee: $180; MCC members, $135.
Participants can bring bisqueware. Contact Minne­
sota Crafts Council, 528 Hennepin Ave., Ste. 216,
Minneapolis, MN 55403; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.newlondonartcenter.org; or tele­
phone (612) 333-7789.
“Cone 6 Reduction Firing” with Jeff Zamek (June 23); fee: $180, includes materials. “Raku! Painting
with Fire” with Bob Green (June 16-17); fee: $180,
includes materials. “Majolica Decoration” with Ellen
Grenadier (July 7); fee: $85, includes materials. “Al­
tering, Faceting and Texturing” with Mark Shapiro
(July 14); fee: $75. “Extending the Boundaries of
Personal Expression in Clay” with Mikhail Zakin
(August 4-5); fee: $170, includes materials. “South­
west Pottery” with Michael Wisner (August 16-19);
fee: $295. Contact Interlaken School of Art, PO Box
1400, Stockbridge 01262; e-mail [email protected];
telephone (413) 298-5252; fax (413) 298-0274.
“Tougaloo Art Colony” with David R. MacDonald,
making and decorating ceramic tiles, with an empha­
sis on pattern and decorating techniques (July 27August 3). Contact Tougaloo College: e-mail
art@T ougaloo.edu; see website at www.Tougaloo.edu/
home/art; or telephone (601) 977-7839.
Massachusetts, Truro
Missouri, Fulton
“Throwing” with Cary Atsalis (July 2-6). “Handbuild­
ing with Porcelain” with Paula Winokur (July 9-13);
fee: $230. “Saggar Firing” with Crystal Ribich (July
16-20). “Teapots, Etc. ” with Mark Shapiro (July 2327). “Altered Pots” with Gay Smith (July 30-August
3). “Addition and Subtraction” with Leslie Ferst
(August 6-10). “Gesture and Form” with Woody
Hughes (August 13-17). “Handbuilding for Func­
tion and Sculpture” with Mikhail Zakin (August 2024). “Raku—Wet to Fire” with Keith Kreeger (Au­
gust 27, 29 and 31, 9 A.M.-3 P.M.); fee: $230.
‘Glazing for High Fire” with Keith Kreeger (August
28, 30); fee: $150, includes firing. Skill requirements
vary. Fee (unless noted above): $220. Weekly sessions
“Anagama Kilnbuilding Workshop” with Gary
Hootman (August 6-11); fee: $200, includes materi­
als. “Anagama Firing” with Gary Hootman, followup to previous session (August 11-19); free to previ­
ous workshop participants; others may share expense
of wood for fuel. All skill levels. Tent camping avail­
able; limited lodging available for an additional fee.
Contact Nora Campbell, 5175 State Rd. JJ, Fulton
65251; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]; telephone (573) 642-2777.
Mississippi, Jackson
Missouri, Kansas City
“Functional Stoneware/Single Firing” with Steven
Hill (June 3-9, July 29-August 4); fee: $420, in­
Montana, Helena
“Majolica: Form and Surface” with Linda Arbuckle,
throwing, altering, assembling, terra sigillata, glazing,
surface design (July 13-15). “Making Natural Vessel
Shapes” with Hun Chung Lee, throwing, adding
materials to clay, trimming, brushing with white slip;
instruction in English and Korean (August 10-12).
Skill requirements vary. Fee/session: $150, includes
materials and firing (bisque only in Lee workshop).
For further information, contact Josh DeWeese, Resi­
dent Director, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ce­
ramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave., Helena 59602;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.archiebray.org; telephone (406) 443-3502; or
fax (406) 443-0934.
Montana, Red Lodge
“Raku in the Rockies” with Marcia Selsor, handbuild­
ing, glazing and raku firing (July 7—8 and 14—15, two
consecutive weekends); fee: $150, includes materials
and firing. Beginning through advanced. Instruction
in English, Italian and Spanish. Contact Jean
Wagonner, Carbon County Arts Guild, 11 W. 8th
St., Red Lodge 59068; or telephone (406) 446-1370.
Montana, near Whitehall
“Indigenous Ceramics” with Michael Peed, finding
and processing clay, making and firing work using
resources at hand, including bonfires and digging
chambers in banks to use as kilns (July 16-21); fee:
Montana resident, $387; nonresidents, approximately
$1135; includes meals and firing. All skill levels.
Contact Michael Peed, Montana State University—
School of Art, 213 Haynes Hall, Bozeman, MT
59717; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(406) 994-4283; or fax (406) 994-3680.
Nevada, Incline Village
“Ceramic Sounding Sculptural Forms” with Brian
Ransom, making musical instruments (June 11-15).
“Pinch Pots and Pit Firing/Ancient Methods for
Modern Times” with Jimmy Clark (June 15-17); fee:
$215, includes materials, firing and lab fee. “Porce­
lain: With Only a Touch of Refinement” with Susan
Filley (June 18-22). “Making Sculpture Using the
Potter’s Wheel” with John Balistreri (June 25-29).
“Chocolate, Tattooed Ladies and Free Prizes” with
Marilyn Lysohir, handbuilding figurative sculpture
(July 9-13). “Portraits, Fun and Funky” with Tony
Natsoulas (July 13-15); fee: $215, includes materials,
firing and lab fee. “Fast-Fire Pottery, Throwing and
Firing Techniques” with Randy Brodnax (July 16—
20). “Up the Stage Lights! Pots in Sets” with Jane
Dillon (July 23-27). “Toward a Mastery of Clay,
Beginning Wheel Throwing” with Andrew Watson
(July 30-August 3). “Mold Making, Slip Casting and
Decoration” with Andrew Martin (August 10-12);
fee: $215, includes materials, firing and lab fee. Skill
requirements vary. Fee (unless noted above): $430,
includes materials, firing and lab fee. Living accom­
modations available. For further information, contact
Sheri Leigh, Sierra Nevada College, Summer Work­
shops, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village 89451;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; telephone (775)
831-1314, ext. 5039; or fax (775) 832-1727.
New Hampshire, Wilton
“Earth, Water and Fire Wood-Firing Workshop,”
making and firing pots in a 4-chamber noborigama
with John Baymore (August 17-26); fee: $395, in­
cludes materials and firing. Intermediate through
professional. Contact John Baymore, River Bend
Pottery, 22 Riverbend Way, Wilton 03086; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (800) 9001110 or (603) 654-2752.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Janis Mars Wunderlich smoothing the surface of a sculpture
during a workshop at Santa Fe Clay in New Mexico.
New Jersey, Belvidere
Demonstrations and slide lectures with Ryoji Koie,
Paul Soldner and Peter Voulkos (July 7-8). Demon­
strations and slide lectures with Don Reitz, Peter
Voulkos and Kurt Weiser (July 14—15). All skill levels.
Fee/session: $300; or $175 for 1 day. Contact Peter
Callas Studio, 1 Orchard St., Belvidere 07823; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (908) 475-8907; or
fax (908) 475-8956.
New Jersey, Layton
“Untraditional Salt-Fired Surfaces” with Marie Woo
(June 1—5). “Evolution ofSuccess in Art” with Michael
Jenson (June 8-12). “Wood-Fire Workshop” with
Susan Beecher (June 15-20); fee: $480, includes
firing and lab fee. “Moving Clay/Making Sculpture”
with Brad E. Taylor (June 22-26); fee: $420, includes
lab fee. “Clay/Fire/Self: Finding Sculptural Expres­
sion” with Malina Monks (June29-July3); fee: $420,
includes firing and lab fee. “Printing with Colored
Clay” with Mitch Lyons (July 6-8); fee: $284, in­
cludes materials and lab fee. “Mold Making, Slip
Casting and Decoration” with Andrew Martin (July
6-10); fee: $435, includes lab fee. “Handbuilding
Anarchy” with Felicity Aylieff (July 13-17); fee:
$420, includes lab fee. “The Psychology of the Super
Pot” with Neil Grant (July 20-25); fee: $470, in­
cludes firing and lab fee. “Pottery: A Guide Through
Simplicity” with Lynn R. Munns (July 27-31); fee:
$435, includes firing and lab fee. “Pots from Pre­
forms” with William Daley (August 3-7). “Open
Studio: Wood Firing” with Bruce Dehnert (August
10-14); fee: $440, includes firing and lab fee. “An
Approach Through Geometry” with Chris Gustin
(August 17-21). “Low-Fire Layering” with Lisa Orr
(August 24-28). “Cut and Paste: Exploring Form and
Function with Earthenware” with Joan Bruneau (Au­
gust 31-September 4); fee: $435, includes firing and
lab fee. Skill requirements vary. Fee (unless noted
above): $430, includes firing and lab fee. Contact
Peters Valley Craft Education Center, 19 Kuhn Rd.,
Layton 07851; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.pvcrafis.org; telephone (973) 948-5200; or fax
(973) 948-0011.
New Jersey, Loveladies
“Working on the Potter’s Wheel” with Matthew
Burton (June 18-22). “Handbuilding for Everyone”
with Matthew Burton (June 25-29). “Making Your
Mark” with Paul Donnelly (July 2-6). “Working
with Porcelain: Shino Teabowls” with Malcolm Davis
(July 9-13, 9:30 A.M.-4:30 P.M.); fee: $205. “Be­
April 2001
yond the Basics; Altering Techniques for Functional
Potters” with Susan Beecher (July 16—20,9:30 A.M.1:30 P.M.); fee: $205. “Low-Fire Clay” with Janice
Strawder (July 23-27 or 30-August 3). “Throwing
with Porcelain” with Katherine Narrow (August 6—
10). “Advanced Throwing and Texture Applications”
with Don Thieberger (August 13-17 or 20-24, 9:30
A.M.-3 P.M.); fee: $205. “On the Surface: Decorat­
ing and Glazing Techniques” with Skeffington Tho­
mas (August 27-31). Unless noted above, workshops
run 9:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M. Skill requirements vary.
Fee (unless noted above): $120. Contact Colleen
Chadwick, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts
and Sciences, 120 Long Beach Blvd., Loveladies
08008; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(609) 494-1241; or fax (609) 494-0662.
New Mexico, Las Vegas
Throwing, handbuilding, glazing and firing with
Todd Turek (June 25-July 27); fee: $294, includes
materials and firing; or $311.25 for 3 graduate credits.
Lodging available. Location: New Mexico Highlands
University. Telephone NMHU Summer Session,
(505) 454-3238 or (907) 463-6523.
New Mexico, Santa Fe
“Raku Kilnbuilding and Test Firing” with Mario
Quilles; participants must bring bisqueware (June
11-14, July 23-26 or August 13-16); fee: $375,
includes materials and firing (burner and shipping
not included). Instruction in English and Spanish.
All skill levels. Contact Mario Quilles, A.I.R. Studioworks, 3825 Hwy. 14, Santa Fe 87505; e-mail
[email protected];
or
tele­
phone (505) 438-7224.
“Pouring Pots! Teapots, Pitchers, Creamers and More”
with Julia Galloway (June 11—15). “The Power of
Objects” with Gina Bobrowski (June 18—22). “Art
and Language” with Tony Hepburn (June 25-29).
“Pottery: Generating Ideas About Function” with
Peter Beasecker (July 2-6). “People and Pots: About
Making Connections” with Chris Staley (July 9-13).
“Clay Heads” with Doug Jeck (July 16-20). “Per­
sonal Vocabulary in Form and Function” with Randy
Johnston andjan McKeachieJohnston (July 23-27).
“Handbuilding/Fabrication” with John Gill (July
30-August 3). “Transcendent Moment” with Michael
Sherrill (August 6-10). Skill requirements vary. Fee/
session: $420, includes materials and firing. For fur­
ther information, contact Avra Leodas or Triesch
Voelker, Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta, Santa
97
Summer Workshops
Fe 87501; e-mail sfc@san tafeclay.com; see website at
www.santafeclay.com; telephone (505) 984-1122; or
fax (505) 984-1706.
“Handbuilding Inlaid and Colored Clay Teapots and
Covered Containers” with Virginia Cartwright (June
22-24). “ExtrudingFunctional and Sculptural Forms”
with Daryl Baird (July 20-22). “Porcelain and Be­
yond” with Catharine Hiersoux (August 3-5). All
skill levels. Fee/session: $150. For further informa­
tion, contact Art and Clay Studio, 1804 Espinacitas,
Santa Fe 87505; e-mail info@art+clay.com; see website
atwww.artandclay.com; telephone (505) 989-4278.
New Mexico, Taos
“Tile Painting Majolica” (June 2-3, August 4-5 or
18-19); fee: $55, includes materials and continental
breakfast. “Mask Making” (June 10-16 or July 1-7,
Sun.-Tues., Fri., Sat.); fee: $265, includes clay and
glaze materials, and breakfast. “Raku Saturday” (June
23, July 28 or August 25); fee: $32.50, includes glaze
materials and breakfast. “Breaking Down the Barri­
ers, Building on the Strengths: An Artful Journey of
Healing” (June 24—30 or July 15-21); fee: $285,
includes materials and breakfast. Instructors: Pamala
Dean and Karen Fielding. Contact Dragonfly Jour­
neys, PO Box 2539, Taos 87571; see website at
www.taosartretreat.com; telephone (505) 751-3220;
or fax (505) 751-0131.
“A Tiwa Woman and Her Clay” with Jerry Track
(June 25-30). “Micaceous Pueblo Pottery” with Soje
Track Quly 9-14). “Mimbres Pottery” with Clint
Swink (July 16—21). “Lucy Lewis Acoma Pottery”
with Dolores and Emma Lewis (July 23-28). “Maria
Martinez Pottery” with Kathy and Evelyn Martinez
(July 30-August 4). “Pueblo Storytellers” with Juanita
DuBrey (August 6—11). For further information,
contact Taos Art School, PO Box 2588, Taos 87571;
see
website at
www.taosartschool.org;
e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (505) 758-0350.
“Clay Storyteller Dolls” with Juanita DuBrey (June
29-July 1). E-mail the Tile Heritage Foundation
[email protected]; or fax (707) 431-8455.
New York, Clayton
“Tile Making” with Ginger Dunlap Dietz (July 913). “Raku” with Arthur Sennett Quly 16—20); fee:
$225, includes firing. “Adult Mosaic Projects” with
Ginger Dunlap Dietz (August 24—26). Skill require­
ments vary. Fee (unless noted above): $150, includes
firing. For further information, contact Bobbi McBath,
American Handweaving Museum and Thousand
Island Craft School, 314 John St., Clayton 13624;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (315) 686-4123;
or fax (315) 686-3459.
New York, East Islip
“Wheel Forming Processes and Beyond” with Bruce
Cochrane Quly 30-August 3). Contact Woody
Hughes, Islip Art Museum, (631) 224-5402.
New York, East Nassau
“Staffordshire and Beyond: British Earthenware Pro­
duction 1700-1860,” lectures, discussions and dem­
onstrations on types of wares, archaeological findings,
and production and decoration methods (June 15—
17); fee: $435. Instructors: Brian Adams, David
Barker, Don Carpentier, Peter Francis, Karen
Goldstein, Miranda Goodby, Jonathan Gray, Nicho­
las Mosse and Jonathan Rickard. Contact Eastfield
Village, 104 Mud Pond Rd., East Nassau 12062; or
telephone (518) 766-2422.
New York, New York
“Basketry Techniques for Potters” with Nancy Moore
Bess (June 2 and 23). “Low-Fire Glaze” with Paul A.
Wandless (June 9-10). “Surface Decoration” with
Jerry Marshall (July 10-August 14, Mondays); fee:
$200, includes materials. “Soda Firing” with Rich
Conti and Katie Love (July 11 and August 3-5,
firing); fee: $315, includes materials and lodging.
“Teapot Whimsy” with Manioucha Krishnamurti,
instruction in English, French and Italian (July 12).
“Korean Wheel Throwing” with San Joon Park (July
12-August 16, Weds., 6-9 P.M.); fee: $200, includes
materials. “Stretching Creativity” with Vera Lightstone
Quly 13-August 17, Thurs., 10 A.M.-l P.M.); fee:
$200, includes materials. “Ceramic Decals” with
Rimas VisGirda (August 6-7). “Color and Line:
Underglaze/Wax Inlay” with Rimas VisGirda (Au­
gust 8-10); fee: $300, includes materials. Skill re­
quirements vary. Fee (unless noted above): $205,
includes materials. Contact Ellen Day, Craft Students
League, 610 Lexington Ave., New York 10022; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (212) 735-9804; or
fax (212) 223-6438.
Throwing with David Wright; or handbuilding with
Susan Eisen Quly 11-15). Throwing with Nicholas
Joerling; or handbuilding with Mark Pharis (July 1822). Throwing with Neil Patterson; or handbuilding
with Sandi Pierantozzi (July 25—29). Skill require­
ments vary. Fee/session: $420, includes materials and
firing. Contact Lynne Lerner, Greenwich House Pot­
tery, 16 Jones St., New York 10014; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (212) 2424106; or fax (212) 645-5486.
Workshops with Jim Lawton, Lisa Naples and Liz
Quackenbush (Summer). Contact 92nd Street Y Art
Center: see website at www.92ndsty.org; for informa­
tion, telephone (212) 415-5562; or for registration,
telephone (212) 415-5500.
New York, Port Chester
“Keeping a Lid on It...” with Collette Smith (June
11); fee: $90. “Mold Making for Multiples” with
Susan Barbehann (June 14); fee: $95, includes mate­
rials. “Anagama/Wood Fire” with Jeff Shapiro (June
16); fee: $125, includes firing of 1 piece. “High-Fire
Glazing and Reduction Kiln-Firing Workshop” with
Steve Rodriguez (June 18); fee: $125. “Form and
Function in Porcelain” with Matt Long (June 23—
24); fee: $125. “Raku Opportunities” with Robert
Mueller (June 30); fee: $60. “Pouring Vessels” with
Ellen Shankin (August 13—17); fee: $300. Skill re­
quirements vary. Contact Parviz Batliwala, Clay Art
Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester 10573; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (914) 937-2047;
or fax (914) 935-1205.
New York, Rosendale
“Introduction to Glaze” with Amy Moses Quly 1315). Fee: $370; members, $350. “Vessels That Pour,”
throwing with Susan Beecher (August 25-26). Skill
requirements vary. Fee: $270; members, $250; in­
cludes materials, firing and lab fee. Contact Ellen
Kucera, Women’s Studio Workshop, PO Box 489,
Rosendale 12472; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(845) 658-9133; or fax (845) 658-9031.
New York, Saratoga Springs
“Teapots, Function and Design,” hands-on work­
shop with Harriet Ross (June 2-3); fee: $150. Con­
tact Hands On Clay, 128 Old Town Rd., East
Setauket 11733; telephone (631) 751-0011.
“Summer Six Art Program” with Regis Brodie and
guest artists Ted Camp, Chris Gustin and Toshiko
Takaezu, instruction in stoneware and porcelain, plus
raku, pit firing and other alternative nontraditional
firing techniques (May 29-June 29 or July 2-August
2). Contact Summer Six Art Program, Skidmore
College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs 128661632; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(518) 580-5052; or fax (518) 580-5029.
New York, Middlesex
New York, West Winfield
Production pottery, clay and glaze making, handbuild­
“Majolica Decoration” with Carmen and Jerry Davis,
New York, East Setauket
98
ing, throwing, surface decoration and kiln loading
(beginning J uly); participants must be willing to share
in other chores of the farming/craft community.
Beginning and intermediate. Contact Annie Schliffer,
RFAG Pottery, 1445 Upper Hill Rd., Middlesex
14507; telephone (716) 554-5463 or 554-3539.
CERAMICS MONTHLY
exploring glazes, glazing, firing techniques, designs,
application of color and decorating strategies (June
27-29); fee: $175. All skill levels. For brochure,
contact Davis Pottery, 6927 Co. Hwy. 18, West
Winfield 13491; or e-mail [email protected].
New York, Woodstock
“Raku Firing,” participants should bring 6-8 bisqued
pots (June 16 or August 18). “Mold Making Work­
shop for Ceramics” with Jack Mullen (June 23 or July
21). Lecture, demonstration and hands-on workshop
with Jolyon Hofsted (July 14); fee: $90, includes
materials and lunch. All skill levels. Fee (unless noted
above): $135, includes materials, lunch. Contact
Janet Hofsted, Co-Director, Maverick Art Center,
163 Maverick Rd., Woodstock 12498; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (845) 679-9601.
Schiller Myers School of Art, 150 E. Exchange St.,
Akron 44325; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (216) 281-1803 or (330) 972-5967.
Ohio, Columbus
“Y Art School” for children ages 7-12, will include
digging for clay, handbuilding, throwing, primitive
and raku firings (June 18—August 13, weekly ses­
sions); fee: $195, includes materials and meals. In­
structors: Todd Camp and Pam Dropco. Beginning.
Contact Todd Camp, YMCA, 3500 First Ave.,
Urbancrest, OH 43123; telephone (614) 539-1770;
or fax (614) 539-3380.
“Colored Clay,” handbuilding and throwing with
Ban Kajitani (July 16-27, weekday afternoons); fee:
$350, includes materials, firing and 3 college credits.
North Carolina, Asheville
“Decorative Handmade Tile” with Gloria Kosco and
Mimi Strang (June 4—8); fee: $315, includes materi­
als, firing and lab fee. “Majolica” with Linda Arbuckle
(June 11-15). “Figurative Busts” with Barb Doll
(June 18-22). “Handbuilt Dinnerware” with Mary
Kay Botkins (June 25-29). “Pouring Vessels” with
Linda McFarling (July 16-20). “Throwing—Glaze—
Raku” with Steve Loucks (July 23-27). “Photo Clay”
with Mark Burleson (July 30-August 3); fee: $400,
includes materials, firing and lab fee. Skill require­
ments vary. Fee (unless noted above): $300. Contact
Mark Burleson, Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts,
238 Clingman Ave., Asheville 28814; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (828) 2850210; or fax (828) 253-3853.
North Carolina, Brasstown
“Wild and Expressive Figurative Clay Sculpture”
with Barb Doll (May 27-June 2). “Folk Pottery
Techniques” with Mary Dashiell (June 3-9). “Fire
and Smoke—The Art of Raku” with Steven ForbesDeSoule (June 10-16). “From the Wheel to the
Table” with Ron Philbeck (July 1-7). “Colorful
Containers—Sculptural and Utilitarian” with Susie
Duncan (July 15-21). “Wood Fire” with Peter Rose
(July 22—29); fee: $436. “Handbuilding and Slab
Construction” with Judy Robkin (July 29-August 4).
“Thrown and Altered” with Mike Vatalaro (August
5-11). “Throwing and Decorating High-Fired Por­
celain” with Doug Dacey (August 26-September 1).
Fee (unless noted above): $294. Living accommoda­
tions available. Contact Mary Ward, John C.
Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Rd.,
Brasstown 28902; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.folkschool.org; telephone (800)
365-5724 or (828) 837-2775; or fax (828) 837-8637.
North Carolina, Penland
“Pots: Exploring Possibilities” with Peter Beasecker;
or “Forms, Functions and Surfaces” with Liz
Quackenbush (May 27-June 8). “Raku, Saggar and
Throwing Large” with James C. Watkins; or “What’s
Behind tne Mask?” with Sammie Nicely (June 10—
22). “Pots: Beyond Process” with Bobby Silverman;
or “Assemblage” with Eddie Dominguez (June 24—
July 6). “The Language of Tea” with Ah Leon; or
“Container/Containment” with Steven Heinemann
(July 8-20). “Pots for the Home” with Douglass
Rankin and Will Ruggles; or “Handbuilt Colored
Salt-Glazed Clay” with Jane Peiser (July 22-August
7). “Form, Content, Firing” with Brad Schwieger; or
“Animals, Animals, Animals!” with Joe Bova (August
12-24). “Pate de Verre” with Deborah Horrell, with
Tom Spleth; or “Molds from Natural Forms” with
Jeff Shapiro, with Tom Spleth (August 26-September 1). Living accommodations available. Contact
Penland School of Crafts, PO Box 37, Penland
28765-0037; see website at www.penland.org; tele­
phone (828) 765-2359; or fax (828) 765-7389.
Ohio, Akron
Cross-cultural ceramics workshop with Megan
Sweeney and visiting Lithuanian artists Rytas
Jakimavicius and Dalia Lauckaite-Jakimaviciene (June
11—July 12, Mon.—Thurs.; open studio every day);
fee: $637 for Ohio residents, includes materials, firing
and 3 college credits. Instruction in English and
Lithuanian. Intermediate through professional. Con­
tact Megan Sweeney, University of Akron, Mary
April 2001
Judith Salomon pouring clay slabs for use
in vessel sculptures made during a
workshop at Santa Fe Clay.
Instruction primarily in English, with some Japanese.
All skill levels. Contact Curtis Benzie, Columbus
College of Art and Design, 107N. Ninth St., Colum­
bus 43215-1700; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(614) 224-9101; or fax (614) 222-4040.
Ohio, Oxford
“BeginningThrowing” with Louise Harter (June 11—
15). “Beginning Handbuilding” with Vincent Burke
(June 18—22). “Interpretations of Function” with
Suze Lindsay (June 25—29). “Figure Sculpting in
Clay” with Ken Rowe (July 2-6). Skill requirements
vary. Fee/session: $381, Ohio undergraduate; addi­
tional fees for graduate credit or out-of-state. Contact
Joyce Ponder, Miami University, CraftSummer,
Oxford 45056; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.muohio.edu/craftsummer/; tele­
phone (513) 529-7395 or fax (513) 529-1509.
Ohio, Pleasant Township
“Thinking Small Without Oxygen” with Andi
Fasimpaur and Kim Hohlmayer, handbuilding smallscale pottery, glazing, reduction firing in an open pit
(July 16-20); fee: $235, includes materials and firing.
Beginning and intermediate (all levels welcome).
Limited to 5 participants. Contact Kim Hohlmayer,
5500 Runyan Rd., Mechanicsburg, OH 43044; or
telephone (937) 828-1114.
Oregon, Corbett
Handbuilding, terra sigillata, stencils, laminating,
textures, raku, saggar and electric firings with Janet
Buskirk (August 5—11). Painterly terra-cotta tiles,
99
Summer Workshops
small pots and sculpture, underglazes, slip casting,
and stains with Jan Edwards (August 12-18). Fee/
week: $595, includes materials, firing, lodging and
meals. Three-hour graduate credit available for extra
fee. Wheels available. All skill levels. Contact John
Kinyon, Creative Arts Community, PO Box 4958,
Portland, OR97208; e-mail [email protected];
or telephone (503) 760-5837.
Oregon, Newport
“Raku Festival Workshops,” handbuilding, throw­
ing, etc. (July 21-22), and firing on the beach Quly
28-29). Instructors: Don Adamaitis, Skye Etessami,
Teresa Kowalski, Katy McFadden, Nan Niiranen,
Susan Roden and Don Sheridan. For further infor­
mation, see website at http://gallery. passion4art. com/
members/skyeraku/ index, html.
Pennsylvania, Chester Springs
“Eastern-Coil Workshop” with Joyce Michaud Quly
28-29). Contact Chester Springs Studio, 1671 Art
School Rd., PO Box 329, Chester Springs 19425;
e-mail [email protected]; see website
atwww.chesterspringsstudio.org; or telephone (610)
827-7277.
Pennsylvania, Farmington
“The Wheel and Beyond” with David MacDonald
and Richard Miecznikowski (June 4-9). “Functional
Pottery” with Peg Malloy (June 11—16). “Throwing
Pots for Wood Firing” with Kevin Crowe (June 1823). “FindingYour Way with Porcelain” with Malcolm
Davis (June 25-30). “From Handmade Tiles to Clay
Buildings” with Denise Kupiszewski (July 9-14).
“Wheel-Thrown and Altered Porcelain and Stone­
ware” with Brad Johnson (July 30—August 4). “Wood-
Fired Workshop” with Kevin Crowe (August 6-11).
“Wheel-Thrown Pottery” with Valda Cox (August
13-18 or 20-25). “Wood Firing for Functional Pots”
with David Wright (August 27-September 1). Con­
tact Touchstone Center for Crafts, 1049 Wharton
Furnace Rd., Farmington 15437; see website at
www.touchstonecrafts.com; telephone (800) 7210177 or (724) 329-1370.
Pennsylvania, Richboro
“Fun and Easy Tile Making” with Margaret Gardner
(July 14). “Handbuilt Clay Wall Vases and Planters”
with Margaret Gardner Quly 21). Fee/session: indi­
vidual, $35; or $50 for child and parent. For further
information, contact the Pennsylvania Guild of Crafts­
men, 10 Stable Mill Trail, Richboro 18954; e-mail
[email protected];
or
telephone
(215) 579-5997.
Pennsylvania, St. Charles
“Big Stuff Workshop” with Daryn Lowman, sup­
porting the freedom of large-scale work to be
produced inside industrial beehive kilns (August
5-10). All skill levels. For further information,
contact Daryn Lowman, PO Box 65, Smicksburg,
PA 16256; telephone (724) 397-2286 or (724)
357-2394.
Pennsylvania, State College
A session with Joyce Michaud (June 14-17). Contact
R&T’s Creative Oasis, 133 E. Beaver Ave., State
College 16801; telephone (814) 237-1982.
Pennsylvania, Wayne
“18th Annual Children’s Summer Art Camp” (June
11-15, 18-22, 25-July 13, 16-August 3, 6-10 or
13-17), ceramics is 1 of many classes offered. Prereg­
istration: April 25—26 is recommended. Contact
Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave., Wayne
19087; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(610) 688-3553; or fax (610) 995-0478.
Blackware surrounds the mud kiln it was fired in during a West African pottery workshop
at Silvia and Manuela Casselmann’s studio in Wiesbaden, Germany.
100
CERAMICS MONTHLY
Rhode Island, Providence
Six-week session on handbuilding and throwing with
Sharon Pollock-De Luzio (Summer); fee: $1475.
Contact RISD/CE, 2 College St., Providence 029032787; see website at www.risd.edu; telephone (800)
364-7473; or fax (401) 454-6218.
Tennessee, Gatlinburg
“Innovative Handbuilding Techniques with Soft
Slabs” with Lana Wilson (June 4-8). “Cups and Tea
Bowls” with Linda Christianson and Pete Pinnell
(June 11-15). “Sculptural Vessels: Form from Func­
tion” with Anne Hirondelle (June 18-22). “Anagama
Workshop” with Chuck Hindes; or “Developing
Personal Content with Small Scale Sculpture” with
Ron Kovatch (June 25-July 6). “Surfacing Stories”
with George Bowes (July 9-13). “Expanding the Use
of the Potter’s Wheel” with Woody Flughes (July 1627). “Functional Pots/Salt Fired—Cone 10” with
Leah Leitson (July 30-August 3). “Ceramics: Form,
Surface and Color” with David L. Gamble and Steve
Howell (August 6—10). Fee per week: $280, plus one­
time $75 application fee. Contact Arrowmont School
of Arts ana Crafts, PO Box 567, Gatlinburg 377380567; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.arrowmont.org; telephone (865) 436-5860; or
fax (865) 430-4101.
Tennessee, Smithville
“High-Temperature Sawdust Injection Firing” with
Lowell Baker, participants must bring bisqueware
(June 4-8); fee: $290, includes firing. “Ancient Clay:
Handbuilding, Terra Sigillata and Bonfiring” with
Vince Pitelka (June 4-8). “Porcelain” with Jason
Briggs (June 11-15); fee: $250, includes stains and
firing. “Building a Better Box” with Anna Calluori
Holcombe (June 11-15). “Sit and Spin,” throwing
functional ware with Stephen Robison and Kathleen
Guss (June 18-22). “Slow Moves: Handbuilt Forms
and Surfaces” with Mary Barringer (June 25-29).
“Designing Wares for the Tabletop” with Jonathan
Kaplan; or “Lana & David’s Excellent Low-Fire Clay
Adventure” with Lana Wilson and David Gamble
(July 9-13). “Raku and Saggar Firing” with James
Watkins (July 16-20). “Thrown and Altered Tea­
pots” with Paul Dresang (July 23-27). “Poured Por­
celain: Thin Slab Construction” with Charlie Olson
(July 30-August 3). Skill requirements vary. Fee
(unless noted above): $245, includes firing. Lodging
and meals: $265 for 5 nights. For further information,
contact Jane Morgan Dudney, Appalachian Center
for Crafts, 1560 Craft Center Dr., Smithville 37166;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (615) 5976801 or (931) 372-3051; or fax (615) 597-6803.
Contact Jerry Goldman, 365 Edgewood Ave.,
Teaneck, NJ 07666; e-mail [email protected]; or tele­
phone (201) 833-1007.
Vermont, Middlebury
“Integrating Surface Design and Form” slide lecture
and hands-on workshop with Henry Tanaka, throw­
ing, altering, surface design, glazing and custom brush
making (June 15-17). Intermediate through profes­
sional. Contact Eric Neil, Education Director, Frog
Hollow Vermont State Craft Center, 1 Mill St.,
Middlebury 05753; e-mail [email protected];
telephone (802) 388-3177; or fax (802) 388-5020.
Vermont, Waterbury Center
“The Exuberant Pot” with Lucy Breslin (June 9-10);
fee: $180; members, $165; includes materials and
firing. “Making Pottery: Idea Discussion and Devel­
opment,” slide lecture and demonstration with Julia
Galloway (July 13-14); fee: $120; members, $110.
Skill requirements vary. For further information,
contact Monica Brillon, Vermont Clay Studio, 2802
Waterbury-Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center 05677;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.vermontclaystudio.com; telephone (802) 2441126; or fax (802) 244-8760.
Virginia, Alexandria
“Salt-Fired Altered Functional Pots” with Suze Lind­
say (June 1-3); fee: $150. All skill levels. Contact the
Art League School, 104 N. Union St., Alexandria
22314; or telephone (703) 683-2323.
Virginia, Gainesville
Hands-on workshop with Winnie Owens-Hart, build­
ing large vessels using traditional Nigerian techniques
(June 25-29); fee: $450, includes materials, lodging
and meals; or $250 without living accommodations.
“Let’s Figure It Out” with Reggie “Yazid” Pointer,
creating and altering figures on and off the wheel (J uly
7); fee: $55, includes materials. Skill requirements
vary. Contact Winnie Owens-Hart, ILE AMO Re­
search Center, PO Box 361, Gainesville 20156; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (703) 754-1307.
Washington, Ferndale
“Handbuilding Extravaganza” (July23-27); or “Deco­
rating with Slips” (July 30-August 3) with Vince
Pitelka. Fee/session: $300 (slip workshop fee includes
some materials and firing). Skill requirements vary.
For further information, contact Michael McDowell,
McDowell Studio/Farm, PO Box 4125, Bellingham,
WA 98227; e-mail [email protected]; see website
at http://www2.memes.com/mmpots; or telephone
(360) 384-2543.
Texas, Junction
Wisconsin, Appleton
Ceramics workshop with emphasis on handbuilding
and sculpture with David DeMelo (June 3-22).
Contact the School of Art, Texas Tech University:
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (806) 7423825; or fax (806) 742-1971.
“China Mending and Restoration” with Gerlinde
Kornmesser, removing stains and old repairs, bond­
ing single and multiple breaks, filling chips, plain and
fancy, modeling and casting replacement parts, and
painting to obscure the damage (June 24—July 1, 8—
15,22-29); fee: $ 1200, includes registration, materi­
als, lodging and meals. Location: Lawrence Univer­
sity. For registration form/further information, send
SASE to Gerlinde Kornmesser, China Mending and
Restoration, 1705 Glenview Rd., Glenview, IL 60025;
see website at www.gkrestoration.com; telephone
(847) 724-3059; or fax (847) 724-3060.
Vermont, Bristol
“Wood Firing and Salt Glazing in a Noborigama,”
participants must bring bisqueware (June 8-11); fee:
$560, includes materials, firing and meals. “Throw­
ing Giant Pots,” using methods that do not require
great strength are emphasized (June 29-July 1 or 1315). “Raku and Pit Firing,” participants must bring
bisqueware (July 28-29); fee: $300, includes materi­
als, firing and meals. “Thrown and Altered Pots”
(August 10-12). “Throwing Pots for Wood and Salt
Atmospheres,” emphasizing thickness, wadding place­
ment and energizing thrown forms (August 17-19).
Instructor: Robert Compton. Intermediate. Fee (un­
less noted above): $420, includes materials and meals.
For further information, contact Robert Compton
Pottery, 2662 N. 116 Rd., Bristol, VT 05443; e-mail
[email protected]; see website at
www.RobertComptonPottery.com;
or
telephone
(802) 453-3778.
One-week workshops emphasizing handbuilding and
improving throwing techniques, plus high-fire salt
glazing, raku and primitive firings, with Randy J.
Johnston (June 17—22) or Randy J. Johnston and Jan
McKeachie Johnston (June 24—29). Intermediate
through professional. Lodging and meals: $192. For
further information, contact University of Wisconsin
River Falls, Art Dept./Pigeon Lake, 410 S. Third St.,
River Falls, WI54022; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.uwrf.edu/pigeonlake; telephone
(715) 425-3266; or fax (715) 425-0657.
Vermont, Jamaica
International Workshops
Six-day sessions with Jerry Goldman, using colored
slips to create clay paintings and mosaics (Summer);
fee: $835/session, includes materials, firing, lodging
and meals; or $535 without living accommodations.
April 2001
Wisconsin, Drummond
Canada, Alberta, Calgary
“The Glaze: Journey of Discovery” with Greg Daly
(July 9-13); fee: Can$290 (approximately US$190).
101
Summer Workshops
Beardsley, Tozan Cultural Society, 11021 Chemainus
Rd., Ladysmith, British Columbia VOR 1Z2; e-mail
[email protected]; see website at www.tozan.bc.ca;
telephone (250) 245-4867; or fax (250) 245-3464.
For further information, contact the Alberta College
of Art and Design, (403) 284-6228.
Canada, British Columbia, Victoria
Canada, Alberta, Red Deer
Five-day workshops on throwing, mold making, sur­
face treatments and glazing (July and August); fee:
Can$295 (approximately US$192) per session. In­
structors: Jim Etzkorn, John Gibson, Evelyn Grant,
Bob Kinzie, Meira Mathison, Grace Nickel and Paul
Scott. Intermediate and advanced. Contact Anne
Brodie, Red Deer College, PO Box 5005, Red Deer
T4N 5H5; e-mail [email protected]; telephone
(403) 342-3130; or fax (403) 347-4041.
Canada, British Columbia, Kaleden
“Handmade Tiles” with Charlotte Glattstein, design­
ing and making tiles (July 13-15); fee: US$260 (plus
taxes), includes materials, firing, lodging, breakfast,
“Discourse on Ceramic Form” with Les Manning; or
“Soda Kilnbuilding” with Gordon Hutchens (May
28-June 1); fee: Can$115 (approximately US$75).
“Interaction with Glaze and Color” with Greg Daly;
or “Glaze Development for Raku” with Steven Forbes
deSoule (July 2—6); fee: Can$325 (approximately
US$210). “Throwing and Soda Firing” with Ruthanne
Tudball; or “Handmade Tableware” with Kathy
Triplett (July 2-13); fee: Can$600 (approximately
US$390). “Ceramic Lighting” with Deb Taylor; or
“Handbuilding and Primitive Firing” with Laura
WeeLayLaq (July 7-8); fee: Can$115. “Ceramic
History and Techniques” with Robin Hopper; or
“Tile Making” with Katrina Chaytor; or “Firing
Techniques” with Randy Brodnax (July 9-13); fee:
Can$325. Lodging and meals: Can$60 (approxi­
mately US$40)/day, double occupancy; Can$45
(approximately US$30)/day, quad occupancy. Con­
tact Meira Mathison, Metchosin International Sum­
mer School of the Arts, L. B. Pearson College, 650
Pearson College Dr., Victoria V9C 4H7; e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.missa.ca; telephone (800) 667-3122 or (250)
391-2420; or fax (250) 391-2412.
Canada, New Brunswick, St. Andrews
“Raku” with Peter Thomas Quly 23-29 or 30August 3). Contact Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature
Centre, 139 Water St., St. Andrews E5B 1A7; e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.sunburyshores.org; telephone (506) 529-3386;
or fax (506) 529-4779.
Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax
“Ceramic Sculpture” with Rory MacDonald (May 7—
June 22). “Making Pots, Soda-Fired Porcelain” with
Julia Galloway (July 3-August 17). Intermediate.
Fee/session: Can$715 for Canadian residents; US$780
for artists outside Canada; includes materials and
firing. Contact Debra Campbell, Nova Scotia Col­
lege of Art and Design, 5163 Duke St., Halifax
B3J 3J6; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.nscad.ns.ca; telephone (902) 494-8124; or fax
(902) 425-2987.
Canada, Ontario, Brockville
Nan Smith checking placement of the arm
on a life-size figure at FireArt ClayWorks in
Orangevale, California.
lunch and snacks. Intermediate through professional.
Limited to 8 participants. For further information,
contact Charlotte or Doreen, 9106 Clay Studio, Box
1174, Osoyoos, British Columbia V0H 1V0; e-mail
[email protected]; telephone (250) 495-5104
or (250) 497-6889; or fax (250) 495-6404.
Canada, British Columbia, Kelowna
“Kelowna Clay Festival,” including demonstrations
with Elaine Brewer-White, Randy Brodnax, Rachelle
Chinnery, Robin Hopper, Gordon Hutchens, Bob
Kingsmill (August 24—25); fee: Can$l45 (approxi­
mately US$95); or Can$80 (approximately US$52)
for 1 day. Contact Kelowna Clay Festival, Glenmore,
PO Box 3005, Kelowna VIV 2M4; e-mail
[email protected]; see website at
www.bobhamm-art.com/clayfest; fax (250) 868-3240.
Canada, British Columbia, Nanaimo
“2001 Tozan International Wood Kiln Festival,”
demonstrations, firings, videos and slide presenta­
tions, exhibitions Quly 29—August 11). Instructors:
Larry Aguilar, Robin Hopper, Gordon Hutchens,
Lynn Johnson, Bill Merrill, Donald Stuef and Kim
YongMoon. Instruction in English (some translators
will be available). All skill levels. Fee: Can$1000/
US$700. For further information, contact Maureen
102
“Raku” with Michael Sheba (July 9-13). “Pottery:
Wheel Throwing, Level 1 and 2” with Ann Dodge
(July 16-20). “Smoke Firing” with Lyse Fleury (July
30-August 3). For further information, see Thou­
sand Islands Summer School of the Arts at St. Lawrence
College website www.sl.on.ca, part-time studies sec­
tion; or telephone (613) 345-0660, ext. 3503. To
register, telephone (888) 838-0698 (press 6); or fax
(613) 345-0124.
Canada, Ontario, Elliot Lake
“Throwing for Beginners (Adults)” (July 16-20).
“Throwing for Beginners (12-16 years)” (July 2327).
Instructor:
Alison
Madsen.
Fee/session:
Can$190 (approximately US$125). Contact Sue
Morin, White Mountain Academy of the Arts, 99
Spine Rd., Elliot Lake P5A 1X2; telephone (800)
368-8655 or (705) 848-4347; fax (705) 848-1386;
or e-mail [email protected].
Canada, Ontario, Haliburton
“Pottery—Beginners” with Barbara Joy Peel (July 2—
7); fee: Can$271.52 (approximately US$180), in­
cludes materials, firing and lab fee. “Pottery II” with
Barbara Joy Peel (July 9-14); fee: Can$271.52, in­
cludes materials and firing. “Clay Relief Sculpture”
with Richard Gill Quly 16-20). “Pottery for the
Home or Marketplace” (July 16-21);fee: Can$256.52
(approximately US$ 170), includes materials and firing.
“Clay Relief Murals” with Richard Gill (July 23-27).
“Pottery—The Decorated Form” (July 23-28); fee:
Can$256.52, includes materials and firing. “Pot­
tery—Form and Process” with Les Manning (July
30-August 3); fee: Can$228.05 (approximately
US$ 150), includes materials. “Handbuilding—Terra
Cotta” with Paul Portelli (July 30-August 3).
CERAMICS MONTHLY
“Handbuilding Clay Sculpture” with Dzintars Mezulis
(August 6-10). “Raku—Advanced I” with Michael
Sheba (August 6-11); fee: Can$276.52 (approxi­
mately US$180), includes materials. “Raku—Ad­
vanced II” with Michael Sheba (August 13-18); fee:
Can$276.52. Skill requirements vary. Fee (unless
noted above): Can$220.05 (approximately US$145),
includes materials. Contact Shelley Schell, Haliburton
School of the Arts, Box 839, Haliburton KOM ISO;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone (705) 4571680; or fax (705) 457-2255.
Canada, Ontario, North Bay
“Raku I” with Jim Hong Louie (July 2-6). “Art
Marketing” with Jane Agnew and Keith Campbell
(July 7-8). “Glazing for Oxidation” with Keith
Campbell, participants must bring a variety of bisqued
forms; or “Handbuilding Clay Sculpture” with
Dzintars Mezulis Quly 9-13). “Mold Making” with
Peter Sloan (July 14-15 and 21-22). “Functional
Design—Pottery” with Steve Irvine (July 16-20).
“Intermediate Throwing and Design” with Robert
Tetu (July 23-27). “Intermediate Throwing and
Design II” with Robert Tetu (July 30-August 3). Skill
requirements vary. Fee/session: Can$232.10 (approxi­
mately US$ 150), includes materials and firing. Lodg­
ing (single) per week: Can$97 (approximately US$65).
Cafeteria meals available. Contact Keith Campbell,
Associate Director, Artsperience, 5605 School of the
Arts, Canadore College, PO Box 5001, North Bay
P1B8K9; e-mail [email protected]; see
website at www.canadorec.on.ca; telephone (800)
519-3534
or
(705)
474-7601;
or
fax
(705)
472-6189.
Canada, Quebec, Montreal
“Finishing Workshop” with Susan Low-Beer (June
20-21); fee: Can$l60 (approximately US$105), in­
cludes materials. “Sculptural and Decorative Forms
in Ceramics” with Patrick Bureau (4 weeks beginning
July 3; Tues. and Thurs., 7-10 P.M.). “Decorative
Ceramics” with Eva Lapka (4 weeks beginning July 4;
Mon. and Wed., 1—4 P.M. or 7-10 P.M.) or with
Terry Lazaroff (4 weeks beginning August 7; Tues.
and Thurs., 7-10 P.M.). Fee (unless noted above):
Can$200 (approximately US$130), includes materi­
als. E-mail Visual Arts Centre at [email protected];
telephone (514) 488-9558; or fax (514) 488-7075.
Canada, Saskatchewan, Ruddell
“Prairie Fire 2001,” slide presentations, films, discus­
sions, plus loading, firing and unloading wood, raku,
salt and primitive kilns; participants must bring
bisqueware (August 22-26); fee: Can$175 (approxi­
mately US$ 115); or Can$ 150, Sask Terra members.
Primitive camping (with showers) available. Contact
Sask Terra, do Charley Farrero, Box 145, Meacham,
Saskatchewan S0K2V0; telephone (306) 376-2221;
or e-mail [email protected].
Denmark, Skadskor
“Focus on the Figure” with guest artists Mark Lancet
and Justin Novak (June 2-28); fee: US$120/week,
includes lodging. “Clay Camp 2001: Objects and
Installations” with Thomas Bjorka, Nancy Blum,
Michael Geertsen, Sadashi Inuzukaand Phillip Shields
(August 17-19); fee: $198. Contact Birgitte Drud
Nielsen, International Ceramic Center, Heilmansvej
31 A, 4230 Skaslskor; e-mail [email protected]; or
fax (45) 5819 0037.
England, Hundon
Handbuilding, plus smoke and organic firings (July
28-August 1 or August 5-9). Handbuilding, plus
smoke, saggar and organic firings (August 13-17).
Instructor: Jane Perryman. Fee/session: £300 (ap­
proximately US$435), includes materials, firing and
meals. Skill requirements vary. Contact Jane Perry­
man, Wash Cottage, Clare Rd., Hundon, Suffolk
CO 10 8DH; e-mail [email protected];
see website www.janeperryman.com; telephone/fax
(44) 1440 786 228.
England, Ipswich
Handbuilding, throwing, decorating, salt glazing,
loading and firing kiln, plus wood-fired raku (June 3—
16); fee: £675 (approximately US$980), includes
materials, firing, lodging and meals. Handbuilding,
April 2001
Vern Roberts oversees a dung firing at
Coyote Arroyo Studios in Penrose, Colorado.
throwing, trimming, making spouts, lids and handles,
burnishing, sawdust firing, wood-fired raku (July 22—
28, 29-August 4, 12-18 or 19-25); fee: £350 (ap­
proximately US$510), includes materials, firing, lodg­
ing and meals. Instructor/session: Deborah Baynes.
Skill requirements vary. Contact Deborah Baynes
Pottery Studio, Nether Hall, Shotley, Ipswich, Suf­
folk 1P9 1PW; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.potterycourses.net; telephone
(44) 1473 788 300; or fax (44) 1473 787 055.
Weekly sessions on all aspects of pottery production
with Alan and Patt Baxter, including handbuilding,
throwing, glazing, kiln design, sawdust and raku
firings, and marketing (Summer); fee: £340 (approxi­
mately US$495), includes materials, firing, lodging,
meals, and transportation to and from Ipswich rail
station. All skill levels. Contact Alan Baxter Pottery
Workshop, The White House, Somersham, Ipswich,
Suffolk 1P8 4QA; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.potterycourses.com; telephone/
fax (44) 1473 831 256.
England, Queen Camel
Weekly sessions on throwing, once firing and wood
firing with Douglas and Jennie Phillips (July 16-21,
23-28, August 13-18 or 20-25); fee: £250 (approxi­
mately US$365), includes materials, firing and lunch.
All skill levels. For further information, contact Dou­
glas Phillips, Ridge Pottery, Queen Camel, Yeovil,
Somerset BA22 7NF; e-mail [email protected];
see website at www.mud2fire.com; telephone (44)
1935 850 753.
England, Ross-on-Wye
Six-day workshops on soda-fired porcelain, with an
emphasis on thrown forms and raw firing, with Jack
Doherty Quly 23-28 or August 6-11); fee: £450
(approximately US$655), includes materials, firing
and meals. Intermediate through professional. For
further information, contact Jack Doherty, Hook’s
Cottage, Lea Bailey, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire
HR9 5TY; e-mail [email protected]; tele­
phone/fax (44) 1989 750 644.
England, Tenbury Wells
Weekly and weekend sessions on all aspects of pottery
making, with an emphasis on throwing, pulling
handles, spouts, trimming and modeling, with Mar­
tin Homer (weekly, July 8-21 and August 5-18; 2- or
3-day weekends starting June 22 or August 24); fee:
weekly, £395 (approximately US$575); weekends,
£269 (approximately US$390); includes materials,
firing, lodging and meals. All skill levels. Contact
Martin Homer Pottery, Lower Aston House, Aston
103
Summer Workshops
nonpotters. Instruction in French and English.
E-mail [email protected]; or telephone/fax
(33) 467 55 94 54.
Germany, Wiesbaden
Bank, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire WR15 8LW;
e-mail [email protected]; or telephone
(44) 1584 781 404.
England, West Dean (near Chichester)
“Mosaics for Exterior Use” with Emma Biggs (June
15-17); fee: £170 (approximately US$245). “Model­
ing the Figure from Life in Terra Cotta” with Alan
Saunders (June 19-24); fee: £405 (approximately
US$585). “Pottery—Glazes, Glazing and Firing”
with Alison Sandeman (June 24-29); fee: £405.
“West African Pottery” (June 8-10). “Pueblo Indian
Pottery” (June 15-17). “Traditions in Mexican Pot­
tery” (June 22-24). Sessions include handbuilding,
slip application, painting, burnishing, incising and
sculpture. Instructors: Silvia and ManuelaCasselmann.
Instruction in German and English. Beginning
through advanced. Limited to 10 participants. Fee/
session: DM 295 (approximately US$140), includes
materials, electric firing (extra fee for primitive firing)
and two meals. Contact Manuela Casselmann,
Biebricher Allee 138, 65187 Wiesbaden; e-mail
[email protected]; or telephone (49) 61
184 3650.
Greece, Island of Evia
Two-week sessions on handbuilding, throwing, re­
duction stoneware, pit, raku, saggar and black firing,
with Alan Bain and Alexander Leckie (Summer); fee:
£275 (approximately US$400), includes materials,
firing, lodging, meals and excursions. All skill levels.
Contact Alan Bain, Kalamoudi Pottery, 34005
Kalamoudi near Limni, Island of Evia.
Italy, near Certaldo
“Architectural Ceramics” with Marcia Selsor, using
extruded forms and shapes, handbuilding, moldmaking demonstrations, design problems for specific
sites, installation, plus travel to various locations (May
25-June 9); fee: 2,400,000 lira (approximately
US$1135), includes materials, firing, lodging and
mid-day meals. Intermediate and advanced. Contact
Marcia Selsor, La Meridiana, 703 Burlington Ave.,
Billings, MT 59101; e-mail [email protected]; tele­
phone (406) 259-7244; or fax (406) 245-1642.
Seminar with Wally Keeler, plus workshops on terra
sigillata with Giovanni Cimatti; raku with Tim
Andrews; advanced throwing with John Colbeck;
sculpture with Mo Jupp; and soda firing with Pietro
Maddalena (Summer). Contact La Meridiana, Loc.
Bagnano, 135 50052, Certaldo (FT); e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.pietro.net; telephone (39) 571 660084; or fax
(39) 571 660821.
Italy, Faenza
Ron Meyers paddling a vessel made
during a workshop at the Clay Art Center
in Port Chester, New York.
“Sculptural Ceramics and Vessels Decorated with
Colored Vitreous Slips” with Carolyn Genders (July
28-August 3). “Mosaics—Texture, Tone and Color”
with Emma Biggs; or “Oceanic Ceramics—
Handbuilding on Marine Themes” with Gordon
Cooke (August 4-10). “Handbuilding and Throw­
ing for Raw and Stoneware Firings” with Alison
Sandeman (August 11-17). Beginning through ad­
vanced. Fee (unless noted above): £510 (approxi­
mately US$740), includes firings, lodging and meals.
Contact the College Office, West Dean College,
West Dean, near Chichester, West Sussex PO 18 OQZ;
e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.westdean.org.uk; telephone (44) 1243 811 301;
or fax (44) 1243 811 343.
France, Allegre
One-, two- and three-week sessions on throwing,
glazing, firing and raku with Simonot Michel (Sum­
mer); fee: 3000 Fr (approximately US$420) or 6000
Fr (approximately US$840), includes materials, firing,
lodging and meals. Beginning and intermediate. Con­
tact Simonot Michel, Mas Cassac, F-30500 AllegreLes Fumades; e-mail [email protected]; see
website at www.ceramique.com/Mas-Cassac; tele­
phone (33) 466 24 85 65; or fax (33) 466 24 80 55.
France, Burgundy
Earthenware, raku and smoke firing, plus half-day
instruction on handbuilding and throwing for begin­
ning through intermediate levels, with Marlene Rob­
ert (Summer); fee: US$1000 per week; US$600 for
104
Workshop on sculpture, design and firing with Emidio
Galassi (July). Advanced and professional. Contact
Emidio Galassi, Arte Aperto, IV Novembre N i l ,
48018 Faenza; telephone/fax (39) 546 680398.
Italy, Florence
Handbuilding, throwing, majolica decoration and
modern mosaics in ceramics with Isabella Fazzo and
Silvia Fossati (July 2-13); fee: 1,250,000 lira (ap­
proximately US$590), includes materials and firing.
Lodging: 500,000 lira (approximately US$235). In­
struction in Italian and English. All skill levels. Con­
tact Anna Wendy, Studio Giambo, Corso Tintori, 6
Black, Firenze, Italy 50122; telephone/fax (39) 552
343735; e-mail [email protected].
Italy, Siena
“Archaeology and Clay” with Polly Tessler (July 3—
August 1); Fee: US$4220, includes 5 college credits.
Instruction in English. All skill levels. Location: Ital­
ian headquarters of the Etruscan Foundation, Castello
di Spannocchia. Contact Office of Special Programs,
Parsons School of Design, 66 Fifth Ave., 8th FI., New
York, NY 10011; see website atwww.parsons.edu/sis;
or telephone (212) 229-8933.
Japan, Mashiko
“Throwing” with George Dymesich, staff and guest
artists, hands-on workshop plus visits to museums
and temples (May 30-June 6). Instruction in Japa­
nese and English. Beginning and intermediate. Con­
tact George Dymesich, 7475 Oakridge Rd., Aptos,
CA 95003; or telephone (831) 475-5614.
Korea, Suwon
“The Fourth Annual Macsabal International Wood
Fire Festival 2001” includes workshops, slide presen-
CERAMICS MONTHLY
tations, wood firing and tours (May 30—June 10); fee:
US$200, includes materials, lodging, meals. Contact
PJ Gama, Kual-3 Dong 442, Osan City, Kyonggi Do,
South Korea447-140; e-mail [email protected]; see
website at www.macsabal.org; telephone Kim Yong
Moon (82) 31 374 1336; fax (82) 31 374 1774.
Mexico, Nuevo Casas Grandes
“Ancient Culture Through Pottery” with Gregory S.
Wood and Julian Hernandez, digging for clay, mak­
ing tools, handbuilding, burnishing, decorating and
wood firing (August 12-18); fee: US$395, includes
materials, firing, and trips to archaeological sites,
museums and Mata Ortiz. Instruction in Spanish and
English. All skill levels. For further information,
contact Ancient Arts®, PO Box 27, Masonville, CO
80541; e-mail [email protected]; see website at
www.AncientArts.org; or telephone (970) 223-9081.
Mexico, San Miguel de Allende
3 college credits. Participants not enrolled at Univer­
sity of North Dakota will need to register as transient
students through admissions office. Contact Office of
International Programs, University of North Dakota,
PO Box 7109, Grand Forks, ND 58203; e-mail
[email protected];
see
website
at
www.und.edu/dept/oip; telephone Don Miller (701)
777-4231 or Braden Frieder (701) 777-2963.
Netherlands, Oosterwolde (Fochteloo)
Stoneware and porcelain workshop (July 16—20); or
earthenware and raku workshop (August 13-17);
with Kees Hoogendam. Sessions include clay prepa­
ration, handbuilding, throwing, kilnbuilding, and
firing with gas, oil and wood. Fee/session: A600
(approximately US$250), includes materids, firing,
lodging and meals. All skill levels. Contact Kees
Hoogendam, de Knolle 3A, 8431 RJ Oosterwolde
(Fochteloo); telephone/fax (31) 51 658 82 38.
Netherlands, Veghel
“Ceramics
in
Mexico”
with
Jack
Coelho,
handbuilding, throwing, decorating and firing (June
17-July 1); fee: $1300 (does not include airfare).
Contact Lois DeBruno, Extended Campus Programs,
Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd.,
Ashland, OR 97520; e-mail [email protected]; or
telephone (541) 552-6333.
“Porcelain on the Wheel” with Thomas-Jan Konig
(June 25-29); fee: A400 (approximately US$165).
Beginning through advanced. Contact Pieter Brueghel
Institute, Middegaal 25,5461XB Veghel; see website
atwww.pieterbrueghel.nl; telephone (31) 41 336 56
75; or fax (31) 41 335 49 07.
Mexico
Puerto Rico, Guaynabo
“Ancient Arts of Mexico—Field Experience” with
Don Miller and Braden Frieder, studying ceramics
and architecture of pre-Columbian and modern
Mexico in Mexico City, Teotihuacan, Tula,
Guanajuato, Michoacan, Mitla and Monte Alban
(May 14-June 11); fee: estimated US$2750, includes
Handbuilding workshops for children ages 4—15
years with Ida Gutierrez (June-July, 3 days per week,
A.M. or P.M.). Instruction in Spanish and English.
Contact Ida Gutierrez, Manos Felices, Taller Creativo,
Urb. Ponce de Leon, P2#60, Guaynabo 00969;
e-mail [email protected]; telephone/fax (787) 789-3443.
A participant adds newspaper as instructor James Watkins places a hot-from-the-kiln
pot in a garbage can for postfiring smoking during a raku and saggar-firing workshop
at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, Tennessee.
April 2001
105
106
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
107
108
CERAMICS MONTHLY
April 2001
109
Comment
Opening Doors byJeffZamek
My father died when I was seven years
old, and I frequently felt the lack of hav­
ing someone to show me the way or open
doors. Going into the family business or,
at the very least, having the backing of an
experienced mentor is an advantage in
life. You could even become president if
born into the right family. Whether you
choose to make the most of this circum­
stance or waste it is another matter. As
Woody Allen once said, “Ninety percent
of life is showing up on time.”
Having someone push or gently guide
you to show up physically or mentally is
not the only aspect of getting what you
want from life, but it can never be under­
estimated. As in billiards, position is ev­
erything. What does finding yourself in
the right “spot” have to do with making
pots? Well, being in the right position,
either through your own efforts or a guid­
ing hand, can have a significant impact.
My career in ceramics is now more
past than future. It all has gone by very
quickly. I used to teach and sell pots;
now, as a consultant, I talk pots. I still go
into the studio, but now as a true ama­
teur—one who makes pots for the love
of the endeavor. They are thrown,
trimmed, bisque fired and glazed, then
either given away as gifts or stored in my
attic. I do not show, sell or talk about my
pottery, as it is now a “hobby.”
Some 30 years ago, I was the typical
pot-shop rat who, upon discovering clay
in college, lived in the ceramics studio.
Climbing in closed pot-shop windows
after hours and on holidays was an ac­
cepted way of life. If the door was locked
it could be pried open with a fettling
knife. When caught by the security guard
for the fourth time, I offered a bribe of a
handmade coffee cup, and security (or
lack of it) was no longer an issue, so I
continued with my solitary after-hours
ceramics study.
My first year was spent happily, but
ignorantly, throwing bad pots. If I had
realized how inept my efforts were, I
would have surely quit at that time; igno­
rance was bliss. It was not until a potter
from the legendary New York State Col­
110
CERAMICS MONTHLY
lege of Ceramics at Alfred University came
by and critiqued my pots that their faults
were revealed to me. They were very badly
thrown and awkwardly glazed. It always
amazes me that I didn’t leave ceramics,
never to return, after hearing that the
sum total of my endless hours in the
studio amounted to nothing. To this day,
I still do not fully understand why this
assessment of my incompetence didn’t
persuade me to stop working in clay.
The importance of mentoring can
never be fully understood until it is expe­
rienced. To some extent, this kind of en­
richment happens in any good teaching
situation, but whether mentoring occurs
over a sustained period of time or during
a single instance, the effect can be instru­
mental to one’s career. The goal is to give
enough help and guidance to open a door;
it’s the student’s responsibility to go
through that door to make the most of
the situation.
After obtaining a degree in business, I
stayed on at my undergraduate college,
enrolling in art courses and advanced ce­
ramics classes. Many of my former busi­
ness teachers saw me that year and asked,
“What are you doing here? I thought you
graduated.”
My goal was to enter Alfred’s College
of Ceramics and obtain a master’s degree
in ceramics. My first application and sub­
sequent letter of rejection left me crying,
even though California College of Arts
and Crafts in Oakland had accepted me
into its graduate program. For several
reasons, I had my mind set on that “pot
place in New York State,” as my friends
called it.
During the following year of continu­
ing education in ceramics, my ceramics
teacher, an Alfred graduate, made a call
on my behalf to someone at Alfred. What
he said, I do not laiow. In fact, I don’t
actually know for sure he made that call;
it was only after piecing together several
clues over the past 20 years that I came to
that conclusion.
When I applied again the next year, I
was admitted as a “special student.” This
status allowed me to work for a year at
April 2001
111
Comment
Initially, I could not distinguish the
difference between them and myself as to
our methods of entry to this highly rated
Alfred before again applying for admis­
program, but over the next two years, I
sion to the graduate program.
did recognize a lack of effort and desire
During that exciting first year there, I on their parts to develop as potters. They
never left town; in fact, I only left my were given a chance, they took it and
studio to eat and sleep. There was no they were essentially just waiting around
more climbing through pot-shop win­
to be handed their next “free pass.”
dows as in my undergraduate days; Alfred Strangely enough, they each got it. Both
studios were open all day and night. Other were placed in good college teaching po­
students went away for Christmas or sitions and have since advanced in their
spring vacation, but the breaks simply profession. I do think placed is the cor­
rect word for their entry into the teach­
gave me more time to work undisturbed.
With a year of persistent effort behind ing world, as it denotes a passive quality.
me, I was accepted into the graduate pro­ While realizing that life is unfair, I do
gram. I don’t know if my pots actually believe it is more important to note that
improved in that year; however, I was when mentoring or helping a student,
given a chance to show what I could do there is always the question of helping
the right student.
and made the most of the opportunity.
At that time, only 10 out of 200 ap­
Teachers may never fully realize how
plicants from across the United States their actions or inactions can affect the
students they encounter. I remember
were admitted to AJfred’s graduate pro­
gram in ceramics. Most of my fellow spending extra time discussing career pros­
students were capable and very hard work­ pects with my students. Many had the
ing, but one of the first things I noticed drive to pursue a career in ceramics,
were two students whose acceptance was whether making pots or teaching—or as
not based entirely on their work. In short, frequently happens, doing both. I also
made some telephone calls on their be­
they got in on their connections.
half to help them along. But at that point,
it was up to them to take advantage of
the situation.
Looking back, I am convinced that it
was a telephone call by a teacher that
resulted in an opportunity to pursue my
dream. Taking that action at the right
time allowed me to achieve on my own.
This was not a long-term mentoring rela­
tionship, but when that teacher took the
time to pick up a telephone and make a
call, the result was an open door.
My story is clearly biased. After all, I
am the one doing the telling. Neverthe­
less, I also want to emphasize that the
practice of mentoring, of helping others,
is worthwhile not only for the recipient
but also for the person who is in the
position of offering time and expertise.
Giving back to a field that has allowed
you to follow your heart’s desire (we all
know there is no money in ceramics) is
good for the soul and permits a wider
perspective on your own life’s work.
The author A frequent contributor to Ce­
ramics Monthly and author 0/What Ev­
ery Potter Should Know, Jeff Zamek resides
in Southampton, Massachusetts.
Index to Advertisers
A.R.T. Studio............................................ 71
Aftosa........................................................ 79
Amaco/Brent/Genesis........................6, 7
American Ceramic Soc. ... 73,77,93,111
Amherst Potters Supply....................... 105
Anderson Ranch.......................................95
Annie’s Mud Pie Shop............................. 76
Appalachian Center............................. 106
Art Clay USA............................................ 83
Axner Pottery........................................... 15
Bailey Pottery............................. 1, 34, 35
Bennett’s Pottery....................................... 5
BigCeramicStore.com......................... 108
Bluebird....................................................86
Brickyard.............................................. 102
Brown Tool Co.........................................76
Callas, Peter..............................................91
Campbell’s Ceramic Supply.................... 70
CCAD....................................................... 97
Ceraco International........................... 110
Ceramic Services (CA).............................84
Ceramic Services (PA) ............................90
Ceramic Supply Chicago......................... 82
Ceramic Supply of New England ... 70
Ceramic Supply of NY & NJ................... 81
Chester Springs Studio........................ 100
Clark Art Glass & Refractories............ 109
Classifieds ........................................... 107
Clay Art Center.........................................83
Clay Factory......................................... 103
112
Clay Times.................................................9
Clayworks Supplies ............................ 104
Clayworld................................................. 87
Contemporary Kiln.............................. 104
Continental Clay...................................... 80
Corey Ceramic Supply.............................88
Cornell Studio...................................... 108
Craft Business Institute...........................81
Creative Industries.................................. 92
Davens......................................................89
Del Val................................................. 108
Dolan Tools......................................... 109
Dragonfly Journeys ............................ 100
Duncan Enterprises................................ 17
Duralite................................................ 104
Euclid’s.................................................... 32
Falcon.................................................. 110
Geil Kilns........................................ 28, 29
Georgies................................................... 10
Giffin Tec................................................. 21
Great Lakes Clay......................................78
Greenwich House Pottery................... 105
Handmade Lampshades .................... 105
Haystack Mountain School ....................99
Highwater Clay........................................94
Hurricane Mountain........................... 101
Idyllwild Arts................................98, 106
Interlaken School of Art ......................... 83
ITC........................................................... 85
Jepson Pottery................................. 19, 31
Kelly Place .......................................... 103
Kickwheel Pottery......................................2
Krueger Pottery................................... 110
L&L ............................................. Cover 3
Laguna Clay............................................ 13
Laloba Ranch...........................................95
Lockerbie................................................. 89
ManitouArts (HBD Ceramics) ... 110
Master Kiln Builders........................... 108
Max Wheel........................................... 108
MBF Productions................................ 102
Miami Clay...............................................89
Mile Hi Ceramics.................................... 30
Minnesota Clay........................................25
Moravian Pottery & Tile Works ..103
Mudpie Potters.................................... 100
New Mexico Clay................................ 104
Nields, Elizabeth................................. 104
Ninety-Second St. Y.................................93
North Star Equipment ........................... 11
Olympic Kilns.......................................... 91
Orton Ceramic Foundation.....................72
Ox-Bow School........................................ 78
Paragon Industries.............................23, 75
Penryn Workshop.................................... 98
Peter Pugger........................................ 109
Potters Shop.............................................90
Pottery Making Illustrated...................... 77
POTTERY.COM.....................................99
Pupick Pottery..................................... 101
Pure & Simple......................................... 86
Sapir Studio..............................................81
Scott Creek.............................................. 83
Shadow Bay Pottery & Gallery .... 104
Sheffield Pottery......................................84
Shigaraki.............................................. 106
Shimpo............................................Cover 2
Sierra Nevada College......................... 100
Skutt Ceramic Products................. Cover 4
Smoky Mountain Pottery.................... 105
Southern Pottery Equipment................ 72
Spectrum Glazes..................................... 74
Standard Ceramic Supply....................... 87
Studio Potter............................................88
Sunbury Shores.................................... 102
Taos Art School....................................... 97
Tara Productions.....................................33
Thomas-Stuart.........................................27
Touchstone Center..................................93
Trinity Ceramics Supply......................... 85
U. S. Pigment ......................................... 87
Ward...........................................................8
West Coast Kiln................................... 109
Westerwald.............................................. 82
Wise Screenprint.................................. 110
Wolfe, Jack D....................................... 109
Worcester Center.....................................95
YWCA, City of New York....................... 91
CERAMICS MONTHLY