Instructor: Steven Hill
Saturday June 29th and Sunday June 30th
10am - 5pm
Main Classroom

*There is an additional Artist Talk on Friday June 28th at 6:30pm

Throwing Relaxed, Gestural Forms For Intermediate Potters

As intermediate throwers hone their skills, they often begin to show an affinity for working more precisely. Precision throwing can lead to sublime beauty or to mechanical repetition, leaving pots a bit stiff. As potters develop their eye, along with their technical skills, they sometimes yearn to make forms that breathe – pots that show the plasticity of wet clay, even after they are fired.

In this workshop Steven will discuss design and how it relates to pottery. He will cover the relationships between rims, feet, bellies, handles, and spouts and talk about how our use of simple or compound curves impacts our forms.

This workshop will be structured for the potter with basic throwing skills, who would like to make relaxed forms that feel both well designed and more gestural. You won’t be encouraged to unlearn any of your hard-won techniques, but rather to expand the ways of gently altering thrown forms. We will practice alteration techniques with various drinking vessels and possibly a bowl. Steven will end the workshop with the demo of a larger pitcher or vase.

Preparing for the workshop – Items to bring with you.

1. Bring all throwing and trimming tools you normally work with.

Specific suggested tools are:

a. Kemper S4 Stainless Steel Scrapper – This is essential and their similar shape, S3, doesn’t cut it for this class!

b. Mudtools Shape 3 Polymer Rib, in blue or green (firm / medium firm)

c. Mudtools Shape 1 Polymer Rib, in red (soft)

d. Curved rib for shaping bowl forms

e. A chamois for smoothing rims

Skill: Intermediate to Advanced

$330 for Two Day Workshop with artist talk.

Workshop Policies

Clay and Firing Fees are not included