Carving and Decorating on Greenware

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Class Description

    Have you always wanted to create more visual and sensory interest on your pots? During this weekly class, the focus is on adding decoration through various techniques including carving and painting on greenware. For part of the first day, we’ll spend time throwing or hand building forms to decorate. Class will include demonstrations on creating forms ideal for decoration and covering the methods to add imagery and specific types of patterns. The class will commence with glazing the finished work. Students will be provided with a few additional carving tools. Please bring your throwing and carving tools along with a sketchbook. 

Sculpting Animals 

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Workshop description

   During this three day workshop, students will learn how to sculpt expressive animal forms, drawing inspiration from animal narrative within historical art and personal experiences. Throughout the weekend, we’ll build multiple sculptures to practice scale and details while learning various techniques including the hollowing method and coil building to form larger animals. Instruction will include individual guidance on portraying emotion and character through facial expressions or gesture and students are encouraged to bring their own aesthetic approach, whether whimsical or realistic. We’ll also explore methods for achieving textured surfaces such as creating feathers, fur, or designs using slips and oxides washes. While the workshop does not include a firing, we’ll discuss various ways to glaze and fire the completed sculptures. Students can bring their favorite sculpting and clay tools along with a sketchbook and printed images of animals they might want to create. Join us for a playful exploration into representing with clay the animals that bring us wonder in our everyday lives!

Creating Zoological Vessels

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Workshop Description 

    Animals hold a long tradition of visual and symbolic representation in ceramics. During five days together, we’ll add to this tradition by sculpting and integrating our own animal figures with wheel thrown and hand built forms. Katherine will demonstrate how she throws classically functional pots then alters, sculpts, and carves, to create realistic animals embellishing the vessel. Students will learn basic sculpting techniques such as the hollowing method, additive and subtractive sculpting, and how to give their animals expression and detail. Katherine will provide individual guidance to help each student achieve a pleasing composition, structural integrity, and personal meaning in their finished work. Students need some prior experience working with clay but can be new to sculpting. A basic ability to form a vessel either on the wheel or by hand building is required. Katherine will cover various techniques and ideas for glazing and firing the finished work in electric and wood kilns.