Porcelain Exhibition @ Mudfire

by | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized


“Porcelain, an exhibition of 15 contemporary masters of the wily, translucent medium, opens at MudFire Gallery on August 7, 2010. Yet, the specific type of clay is just the beginning. When this show is seen in person, it is unmistakable that it is wildly, exuberantly, yet quite cogently about things of a porcelain nature, many different things: large and small, abstract and representational, glazed, unglazed, functional and dysfunctional. Featuring some of the top studio potters working in porcelain today, the exhibit is a sheer visual force, with its saturated colors and varied surfaces, and a delight to those whose weakness is for inventive form. Spanning the country, from Seattle to Buffalo to North Carolina and Atlanta, the show reflects contemporary styles and innovations that are a far cry from the famously macabre incidents that lead to the discovery of true porcelain in Europe in 1710.
Putting all its fragile eggs in one basket, the Porcelain exhibit argues for ceramics as a more than worthy subject. It reminds us that the art form incorporates quite a bit of painting and sculpture, thank you, and has one of the richest histories of any medium on the planet. This timely, satisfying show proves once more, that while ceramics is just another art medium, there is no art medium quite like ceramics. And no ceramics quite like porcelain. Chris Campbell , Jim Connell , Lucy Dierks , Annette Gates , Tina Gebhart, Ryan Greenheck , Bryan Hopkins, Marlene Jack, Kristen Kieffer, Allison McGowan, Karen Newgard, Emily Reason, Deborah Schwartzkopf, Gay Smith, and Julie Wiggins have works on display and for sale through September 25, 2010 at MudFire Gallery, 175 Laredo Drive, Decatur, GA. “
via MUDFIRE

Bruce Cochrane Workshop @ the Bray

by | Aug 4, 2010 | Uncategorized

Lidded Form and Surface Techniques
Instructor: Bruce Cochrane
August 12–15, 2010 Tuition: $400 (includes $40 lab fee)

Maximum Enrollment: 15
Open to artists with intermediate or advanced throwing skills

Registration Information During this four-day workshop, participants will focus on the relationship between form, lid and function. Proportion, scale, balance and utility will be discussed as participants complete specific projects throughout the workshop. An investigation of handles, knobs and feet will be encouraged and demonstrated, as well as various lid connections, and fitting lids to thrown and altered forms. A number of pre-fired surface techniques, which may be applied to any material or process, will be explored. Students will be encouraged to push their ideas beyond familiar solutions, make some awkward yet interesting work and return to their studios excited about new possibilities and ideas.
A soda firing will take place during the session and participants are asked to bring stoneware or porcelain bisque work to experiment on during the week. Cochrane will give a public artist talk on Saturday, August 14th at 7:30 pm in the Bray Resident Center.

Bruce Cochrane was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 1972 he received a BFA from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Nova Scotia, followed by an MFA from Alfred University in Alfred, New York. Since 1979 he has taught in the ceramics program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, and has conducted workshops throughout North America, Europe and Asia. His work has been exhibited in over 300 exhibitions and is in such notable collections as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics in Toronto.

Workshops with John Shirley

by | Aug 4, 2010 | Uncategorized

Friday mornings from 9:30am – 12:30pm at The Pottery Studio, 24 Old Kilcullen Road, Bryanston.

If you wish to attend any of the workshops listed please book now to secure a place by mailing: [email protected]

These are demonstrating workshops and a large amount of material is covered.

Cost R300.00 per workshop

Decorating Techniques – green and bisque ware: August 6th. This workshop covers a variety of surface treatments which can be carried out on both green ware and bisque-fired ware. Among the techniques covered are a number of resist methods, etching on raw clay, underglaze and majolica, stamping, a new method of tube lining, sponging and banding. You will also be shown how to make your own underglazes, majolica colours and ceramic crayons.

Creating a Professional Image: September 3. Are you doing enough to get your name and your work in the public eye? In this session we will look at various ways of how to go about promoting yourself and your work without outlaying large amounts of money. Also discussed will be the importance of creating your ‘brand’ and where to position yourself in the market.

Paperplaster; the mould making revolution: October 29th. The revolutionary paperplaster method has changed my approach to mould making forever. Introduced to me by Sandra Black as taught by Trudy Golley this is an excellent introduction to basic mould making as well as a great new method for those more experienced in this area. This method uses much less plaster than is usually used for mould making resulting in lighter easier to manage moulds. I will also be demonstrating and doing my best to take the mystery out of slip casting.

Paperplaster
Glazes, everything you wanted to know: November 5. This workshop will focus on all practical aspects of glazing. Glaze application methods will be discussed and demonstrated as well as ways of keeping glazes consistent. Glaze on glaze decoration as well as ways of creating specialised surfaces using a number of techniques will be covered as well as the introduction of line blending, a method that offers you the opportunity to create your own glazes with no technical knowledge.
Image Transfer on Clay: November 12. This workshop will cover ways of transferring images on to your work using a variety of methods. I will cover the making of your own decals using a normal laser printer as well as other methods of surface enhancement using photocopiers and printers, and other transfer methods, including a lithographic process that you can carry out on your own with few materials.

via John Shirley Ceramics