This was a special one! Newly fired student works were lively and vibrant. Weather didn’t allow a barrel fire so we hunkered down for the main event. One of our favorites: the two person, single handed throwdown! It’s optional (buy highly encouraged) to have a cocktail in the spare hand. The tallest vessel in 4 minutes “wins”, even though performing worse is somehow more fun.
How does Jan manage to win nearly every competition?
The first all-class party and potluck after summer break is always a treat! Everyone has extra enthusiasm from in pottery deficit for so long, and it feels so great to get creative muscles moving again.
As usual student brought great food and vibes to share.
We don’t always take ourselves so seriously, so it was time to go head to head on the mini wheels to make the tallest little vessel you could muster using only a syringe! Are you not entertained??!
Short thereafter it was time for the big reveal as we pulled out pieces from the barrel firing. At just the right temperature you can create remarkable random fine lines using horse hair and/or feathers which burn ornamentation onto surfaces.
That’s a lot, so time to eat some more and take pictures of newly fired student work!
There’s always creative process stories to share.
It wouldn’t be Seattle without a little Spring drizzle, but it didn’t dampen any enthusiasm for seeing freshly fired pottery from the kiln (final glaze firing). Nor anticipation for how pre-prepped pieces from the barrel firing would come out, which always carries a bit of mystery. No two barrel firings are the same!
Once things were hot enough, in goes a little iron oxide powder for added effect. Once pottery is carefully moved to a cooling station, it can be altered and decorated with feathers or horse hair. There’s a temperature range ‘sweet-spot’ that allows hair to imprint thin, random lines without instantly burning off. Students grab a glove and mash hair against the surface of their piece. The results are nearly always surprising and satisfying.
The pot luck spread was marvelous! A few students are known for contributing delicious dishes. A cherry on top of an already satisfying Spring Session!
The winter weather didn’t slow any students down! After 9 weeks of throwing, trimming and glazing, it was such a pleasure to have all classes together to commiserate, and excitedly look over newly fired pieces fresh out the kiln. Students shared each other’s work, discussed technique, and took photos of their accomplishments in the photo booth.
The head to head competition broke people into teams and challenged throwers to create the tallest vessel in 4min time! As usual the food is superb to recuperate from the rigors of competition!
See you next session!
Here’s a lil’ creature that will be heading to the Madison Park Art Walk with his friends this Friday, viewable along with many other great artists starting at 5pm. Come see works from a diverse array of talented artists while snacking and mingling with the locals. I’ll be showing my newest sculptures at HomeStreet Bank, 5pm-8pm. Come join the festivities!
4036 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA 98112
It was a beautiful day for all classes to converge! Superb potluck dishes on hand, and the barrel firing got going straight away and loaded with various pots and masks already prepared by many of the students. All sorts of different elements were added to the firing to achieve an array of effects (cow dung collected from Eastern WA, iron oxide, salt, and more). It’s always an interesting gamble that never seems to disappoint once everything comes out.
We topped it off with a (very informal, goofy) mini-wheel throwdown competition! A mini egg holder theme, but with M&M like candies standing in for actual eggs. You know, like everyone does! The mini wheels are USB powered and a torch is used to quickly dry and firm up the piece to remove it.
Thanks to all the students who came to enjoy the day! We’ll see many of you in the fall. Have a great summer!
This little weirdo is heading to the Madison Park Artwalk with his friends this Friday! This event is back after a 3 year hiatus and I’ll be showing my newest sculptures at HomeStreet Bank, 5pm-8pm, Friday, Sept 8th, 2023. Come join the festivities!
4036 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA 98112
The chill in the air didn’t slow up students from bringing some great food and spirit to this Fall Session party.
Students enjoyed seeing newly fired pieces and meeting students from other classes. We even had quite a few pups in the studio!
Towards the end, a rousing round of head to head vase throwing, the tallest piece that could be made in 4 minutes! Heckling is always encouraged!
It’s always a pleasure seeing students photograph their work in the ‘photobooth’ just outside the studio. See you next session!
The weather cooperated for an action packed final part for this Spring session! There’s always a little more excitement knowing we can spread out in the fresh air and do cool stuff, like getting a barrel firing in (but the action didn’t stop there).
The Raku firing in the barrel requires a variety of material including firewood, sawdust, leaves, needles, cow manure, and further in, additives like iron oxide.
While the barrel got heated up, it was obviously time for a head to head round on the mini wheels! But as a twist, contestants threw tiny pieces an active tic tack toe board. A near turducken of competition!
Eventually it was time to pull pieces from the barrel and experiment with applying horsehair and feathers, which have to be applied within a particular temperature range to leave its effects. The pieces were cool and interesting straight out of the barrel.
It was a marvelous day of fun and experimentation!
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After the resounding success of our blindfolded throwing competition, we thought: ‘how else can we screw up a thrower’s capability?’.
Each pair of competitors had only one hand to use each to throw the tallest vessel in 6 minutes! Some pieces were remarkably well formed. Others, not so much! But in the end it was all for the prestige of the title, not the art.
A late addition to the rules was to demand competitors fill their free hand with their drink! Why did it take so long to figure that one out? Better late than never.
All of this restricted pottery training should produce some Kung Fu level throwing skills!
©Barbara Dunshee | All Rights Reserved | Site: Plaid Tractor
©Barbara Dunshee | All Rights Reserved | Site: Plaid Tractor