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Spring Session 2024 Final Party and Mini Wheel Throwdown!

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!

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Final Class Party – Fall 2022: Head to Head Vase Throwdown!

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!

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Final Class Party – Spring 2022

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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New Website Launches!

After much hard work, coffee, and snacks, we’re excited to share this new, more fun and revealing window into Barb’s multi-dimensional world of ceramic art and teaching. Her remarkable pottery class students, who rock in so many ways, certainly have played an inspiring role. The site was designed and built in-house by Bob Boulware of Plaid Tractor.

The new site makes registering for classes easier and more enjoyable, and gives students a way to share their work and experiences. We hope to give you many good reasons to keep coming back as things grow, ripen, mature, immature, etc.

Cheers!