focus Monthly studio life

Kenneth Baskin’s 20th Century Artifacts focus studio life

November 2009 $7.50 (Can$9) www.ceramicsmonthly.org

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 1 Monthly

Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial [email protected] telephone: (614) 895-4213 fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall assistant editor Holly Goring assistant editor Jessica Knapp editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Advertising/Classifieds [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5834 fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Subscriptions/Circulation customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Design/Production production editor Cynthia Griffith design Paula John Editorial and advertising offices 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 Editorial Advisory Board Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada Bernard Pucker; Director, Pucker Gallery, Boston Phil Rogers; Potter and Author, Wales Jan Schachter; Potter, California Mark Shapiro; Worthington, Massachusetts Susan York; Santa Fe, New Mexico Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July and August, by Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082; www.ceramics.org. Periodicals postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. The publisher makes no claim as to the food safety of published glaze recipes. Readers should refer to MSDS (material safety data sheets) for all raw materials, and should take all appropriate recom- mended safety measures, according to toxicity ratings. subscription rates: One year $38.45, two years $59.95. Canada: One year $40, two years $75. International: One year $60, two years $99. back issues: When available, back issues are $7.50 each, plus $3 shipping/handling; $8 for expedited shipping (UPS 2-day air); and $6 for shipping outside North America. Allow 4–6 weeks for delivery. change of address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are available online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org. indexing: Visit the Ceramics Monthly website at www.ceramicsmonthly.org to search an index of article titles and artists’ names. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index, daai (design and applied arts index). copies: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use beyond the limits of Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law is granted by The American Ceramic Society, ISSN 0009-0328, provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA; (978) 750-8400; www.copyright.com. Prior to photocopying items for classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, or for advertising or promotional purposes, or to republishing items in whole or in part in any work in any format. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Publisher, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2009, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org Ceramics Monthly November 2009 2 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 3 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 4 November 2009 / Volume 57 Number 9

Monthly focus studio life

26 Studio Visits Don’t you love visiting the studios of people whose work you admire? Beginning with this issue, we’ll be taking you inside the garages, barns, basements, lofts, closets, and porches that serve as studios for potters and sculptors of all stripes. We kick off this special feature with four artists whose studios and work are both geographically and stylistically diverse: 26 Patsy Cox, Los Angeles, California 28 Jeff Campana, Louisville, Kentucky 30 Stephanie Lanter, Topeka, Kansas 32 Robbie Heidinger, Westhampton, Massachusetts features

34 Kenneth Baskin’s 20th Century Artifacts by Katey Schultz A sculptor uses abstraction, function, and scale to comment on human connectivity and relationships in the Technological Age. 38 Attractive Repulsion: Visceral Made Tangible by Billie Sessions Sculptor Alison Petty discovers another way to use silica with porcelain—and it’s flexible in more ways than one. 42 Pavel Amromin: Adventure Bound by Jill Foote-Hutton A sculptor employs various seemingly innocent constructs and devices to portray the darker aspects of human nature. 44 Graphic Power: Terry Gess Makes His Mark by Katey Schultz A North Carolina potter takes a well-established tradition of decorating with slips and makes it his own. recipes Slips for Decorating monthly methods Slips and Marks by Terry Gess 48 MFA Factor: Edinboro University A Great Lakes school with diverse options.

52 A New Pot’s Story by John Dix Have you ever pulled a pot out of your kiln and had it change the way you look at the rest of your work? Have you ever pulled that pot out of the inferno 32 that is the frebox of a white-hot anagama at the height of a six day fring?

cover: Link, from the Industrial Intuitions series, 11 in. (28 cm) in height, soda-fired stoneware with steel, by Kenneth Baskin, Lake Charles, Louisiana; page 34. 38 2626

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 5 departments

8 from the editor

10 letters from readers

12 answers from the CM technical staff

14 suggestions from readers 14 Tip of the Month: single-handed wheel wire

16 upfront reviews, news, and exhibitions 56 call for entries 56 International Exhibitions 56 United States Exhibitions 58 Regional Exhibitions 58 Fairs and Festivals 60 new books Mastering Portraiture: Advanced Analyses of the Face Sculpted in Clay By Philippe Faraut 64 calendar 64 Conferences 64 Solo Exhibitions 68 Group Ceramics Exhibitions 72 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions 74 Fairs, Festivals, and Sales 75 Workshops 78 classified advertising 79 index to advertisers 80 comment Bowls Under the Table by Conner Burns 22 online www.ceramicartsdaily.org information and inspiration from inside the artist’s studio Features Tips, techniques, profles, and more—delivered to your inbox. Education Listings of colleges, classes, guilds, workshops, and residencies. Galleries Artist gallery pages, plus our comprehensive listing of museums and galleries that showcase ceramic art. Bookstore Complete line of ceramic art books to inspire, inform, and instruct. Free Gifts Handy downloadable resources for the studio, including projects, recipes, our annual Buyer’s Guide, and more! Magazines Current and archived features, exhibition reviews, article index.

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Ceramics Monthly November 2009 6 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 7 from the editor by Sherman Hall

It is said that eyes are the window to the soul. When it comes to artists, I disagree; I think it’s the studio that claims that role. Whether it’s a closet, a basement (a corner of the basement) or a swank urban loft, you can learn a lot about a person by visiting his or her studio. But we don’t get to do that very often, do we? Well, we’re going to start—not in person, but in print. I don’t know many other groups of people who get as excited as potters at the prospect of seeing into someone else’s studio. So I thought I’d kick this off by showing you a little bit of the CM staff’s studios—sort of setting the mood, if you will. The entire editorial staff went to school for ceramic training, contin- ues to work in clay to some extent, and maintains work space in one form or another. One of these days, we’ll estab- lish a staff studio in an extra office, but I have a feeling that would be become the This is the corner of my studio where I spend the most time. It’s favorite office—or maybe it would just where bisqueware, glazes, and tools are stored. In the other create a huge argument about keeping corner (see below), one of my favorite throwing tools is a wooden stoneware away from porcelain (and I rib (left) that I notched, which allows me to throw the outside of lose that argument two to one). In the a foot ring (I like throwing—trimming, not so much). I also really interest of keeping the peace, we’ll just dig the plastic sheeting over shelves so plastic does not contact show you our current studios. wet work. Also, I don’t need a million pieces of plastic. —Sherman Hall, editor The other, more expansive, Studio Visits, which are the actual focus of this issue, start on page 26. We’ll be including one in each issue for the foreseeable future, so if there is someone whose studio you would like to “visit,” let us know (email me at [email protected]). And if you’d like for us to visit your studio, simply go to ceramicsmonthly.org and click on the “Submit Content” link. Studio Visit guidelines are in the top section of the page.

email letters to [email protected]

It’s great to finally have a studio in my house, even if it is in the basement (to limit the Pigpen dust-cloud factor). Though I store tools elsewhere and do my sanding Having moved less than a week before this issue goes to print, the glamour of my outside, this is my main work station. Oddly enough, no matter how large my new basement studio (complete with furnace, laundry, and the cat’s litter box!) studio has been, in each one I’ve usually spent most of my time working in a space lives in these boxes. Now, if I could just get some time off to empty them... the size of what you see here.—Jessica Knapp, assistant editor —Holly Goring, assistant editor

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 8 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 9 letters email letters to [email protected]

Recipes and Techniques Testing Your Metal urations for use with my work and they do I have been a loyal reader for 7 years and I read with interest the answer from Pro- a great job of supporting my pieces which I have to say the new CM leaves me un- fessor W. Lowell Baker regarding firing I design in such a way that the stilts do not inspired these days. You should change metal objects in an electric kiln [June/July/ contact any glazed surfaces, and have been the magazine name to CeramicArtistBios- August CM, p. 12]. I thought that my very pleased with the results. Monthly as that’s all it contains any more. experience on the subject might be of in- Dr. Richard H. Pollack, Longboat Key, Florida Not to take anything away from the artists terest to others: In a vain attempt to locate Dr. Pollack, we sent your response to professor that are featured but that’s all there is, and stilts strong enough to support the weight Baker. He responds as follows: even at that they don’t share any of their of my pieces (6–10lb), without bending There are a lot of variables. Thick, short techniques or glazes or tips. and allowing glazed portions to come in screws would be better than long and I subscribe because I want to learn contact with and sticking to the ceramic skinny. In cone 6 oxidation, the stain- something new in terms of creating art. I base of the stilt, I decided to try my hand less could hold up for a number of fir- want new glaze recipes to try, I want to see at making my own stilts. ings, since the metal itself is manufac- new and interesting art that will give me I first tried using steel screws embed- tured at higher temperatures. Stainless new ideas and learn how they did it. There ded in a clay base. The screws were used oxidizes more slowly than other steel, is really none of that anymore in CM. rather than nails because they are avail- so it might be used repeatedly. The There are a few interesting photos of able in a variety of lengths and diameters, problem with metal is that, each time artists’ work still but no hints or clues as to and the threading allows the clay to grip it is heated, it loses a little strength, and how their work was created. the screw. The outer “skin” of the com- when it fails, it will fail rapidly. I com- You should do some type of reader mon steel screws fired at cone 6 did exact- monly use old electric kiln elements survey to find out what readers want and ly what Professor Baker said they would for stilts, but I only use them once. what they think of the new CM. I think it do, they swelled and formed a black iron You also might read Jason Doblin’s Tip of the would open your eyes. oxide “skin,” which crumbled under light Month (“Way Cool Wadding,” September CM, I used to look forward every month to finger pressure. p. 14) on making wadding. That might resolve getting my new copy of this magazine. Not I then tried using stainless steel screws your stilting problem. As it happens, he also has so much anymore. in a base of the same clay, and it worked! I a suggestion for attaching wadding on page 14 of Brian Dean, Prosper, Texas have now made stilts in a variety of config- this very issue. Enjoy!—Eds.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 10 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 11 answers From the CM Technical Staff email technical questions to [email protected]

Q From time to time I see reference to artists—Phil Rogers, Peter Beard, and Steve Mills commented, “A number of potters the use of T-material in articles on low-fire Mills—about it. Their responses follow: use T-material mixed with porcelain about smoke-fired ware. It seems to be used usually “It is said that T-material is a very friendly 50/50, mostly I think for large sculptural with porcelain, and I have read that it is a combination of molochite and stoneware. material and can even be joined when dry,” works, and particularly because of its extreme I’d like to know more about this. What is according to Rogers, who is a functional potter. whiteness. I think a few do use it for pit firing, it? What are the proportions of molochite “It is used for handbuilding complex forms and large Raku-process works, but there are to stoneware? How is it incorporated into because of its stable nature. Others use it for a number of heavily grogged clays which do porcelain? And what does it do?—N.G. its ability to withstand extreme firing.” the same job pretty well.” Use of a clay mixer T-material is a proprietary (secret) mixture Mills, a founder of UK ceramic materials or hand wedging would be necessary to blend of calcined clay (molochite) and noncalcined retailer Bath Potters’ Supplies, summed up the T-material into a porcelain clay body. clay, and is made in the United Kingdom by strengths of T-material this way: “It has very Beard, who typically makes sculptural Morganite Thermal Refractories., Ltd. Because low shrinkage, withstands high thermal shock, forms, says he quit using T-material years ago. it is proprietary, we really don’t know the specific and withstands very high temperatures.” “There are now very good clays that I would mix of materials it contains, and I am unaware “As far as I am aware,” wrote Beard, maintain are better than T-material, mainly of any distributors for it outside the UK. “T-material was developed for the foundry produced by Valentine clays, who are in Stoke According to The Potter’s Dictionary of industry and was picked up by potters as it is on Trent. They go under the name of “earth- Materials and Techniques (Hamer and Hamer, a very white firing handbuilding clay that is stone range.” This company also produces very 4th ed., A&C Black, London, 1997), “It is very forgiving (i.e., easy to repair cracks and good clays for smoke firing. This is why I do strong and plastic in raw state and increases in little movement in firing). It has always been not use T-material anymore.” strength as it is fired. It vitrifies above 1300°C very expensive.” For a look at these artists’ work, see (2372°F) and is therefore to be considered a Both Mills and Rogers wrote that other UK philrogerspottery.com, peterbeard.co.uk, and refractory clay.” firms have tried to make various substitutes mudslinger.me.uk. Twenty years ago, T-material was widely for T-material. “I hear none are as good,” Dave Finkelnburg, CM Technical Editor used in the UK, so I asked three British ceramic said Rogers. Pocatello, Idaho

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 12 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 13 suggestions email suggestions to [email protected]

No Brainer Stay-Put Wadding! For years I have been using a multi-purpose tip of the month glue to apply wadding and shells to my pieces Single-Handed Wheel Wire for wood and salt firings. These glues are very This ingenious wire tool and throwing frustrating to use because of the long drying wheel adaptation is for anybody who is time and the sticky mess. Recently, all of the tired of searching through a pool of muck glue bottles were missing, so I plugged in a hot or untangling a twisted, wiry mess. Attach a wire tool to one side of the throwing wheel at the same height as the bat or the wheel head. Screw an eye bolt into a thin wood block and attach the block to the splash pan using a C-clamp or similar device. Tie the tire tool to the eye bolt allowing enough room for the wire to stretch across the diameter of the wheel head. The small wooden dowel used to make most wire tools can also be easily clamped for a quick use and remove system. This simple set-up allows for easy one-handed use and a clean cut giving a glue gun and started gluing the wadding to my smoother bottom for trimming! pots. It worked like a dream! It was quick and if the wadding came off before the work was stacked, we simply had a glue gun near the Congratulations to John Powell of kiln to replace it. The clean up was a whole Castroville, California. Your subscrip- lot easier as well. This truly is a no brainer. tion has been extended by one year! — Jason Doblin, Tuscaloosa, Alabama potters council potters Potters Council — Making a Difference!

Now is the time to join an organization that works for you. our member benefits touch every aspect of your life — from money saving discounts, and eligibility for group health insurance, to learning new techniques at conferences. Visit www.potterscouncil.org to join.

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Ceramics Monthly November 2009 14 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 15 upfront exhibitions and reviews

exhibitions: 16 William Brouillard: Remonstrations from the Iconic Rust Belt Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio 18 Nyukana (Daisy) Baker: Retrospective JamFactory, Adelaide Australia 18 Disparate Worlds Tim Salen Gallery, St. Petersburg Clay Company, St. Petersburg, Florida 19 New Amsterdam at 400: A Celebration of Contemporary Dutch Ceramics Greenwich House Pottery, New York, New York 19 Enno Jäkel Galerie Montana, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands 20 Subdivision Hunter College Project Space, New York, New York 22 Carouge Ceramics Itinerary Galerie Ligne Treize, Collectif C’Bos and additional galleries in Carouge, Switzerland 22 Rene Murray: Architectural Dreams Clay Art Center, Port Chester, New York reviews: 24 Reid Ozaki by Matthew Kangas Northwest Craft Center & Gallery, Seattle, Washington

William Brouillard: Remonstrations from the Iconic Rust Belt A solo exhibition of work by William Brouillard is on view at the Canton Museum of Art (www.cantonart.org) in Canton, Ohio through November 1. The exhibition includes ceramic vessels and large scale platters that tell stories of the industrial age. “My recent work for this exhibition references several ceramic traditions,” explains Brouillard. “I refer to the first of these traditions as ‘The Palace Art Pot.’ Historically, palace art pots were made to demonstrate the wealth and power of the owner or institution that displayed them. They were large scale works that reflected the culture and architecture of the times in which they were made. In addition to their role as a mirror of high culture, they were also made to tell stories, commemorate events or individuals. The larger forms in this exhibition are reflections of the industrial age. They incorporate the wheel and the gear and the look of turn of the century machine age devices. “The vessel series works mimic the forms of nautical vessels and carry some narrative in addition to their formal three dimensional compositions. Irish Dreams [not shown] is a boat shaped vessel divided into two sections both filled with porcelain potatoes. It speaks of the tens of thousands of poor Irish immigrants to the US during the potato famines in Ireland. “The second tradition referenced is the tin-glaze tradition of Majolica work that began in the Middle East and traveled through Italy and Spain to England and the Netherlands. The Italian Deruta work was the most complex and varied and the source for many of my recent works. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 16 “With humor, whimsy, and machine age technology as the backdrop, I have tried to inject some familiar objects from both the natural world and the man made environ- ment into the decorative/commemorative ob- ject. Selection of the objects is made with the overall objective of a contemporary portrayal using a historical format. The scale of the platters is larger than would be appropriate for everyday use to give a slightly overblown sense of importance and to make them easy to see and understand at a distance. They are meant for the wall and the table; the large size to fit the importance of large gatherings or architectural spaces. “I have replaced some the historical pat- tern work of the majolica style with objects from nature or human artifacts rendered as pattern. Some of the objects are extensions of my environment (urban, industrial Cleve- land), or reflections of personal interests. Images of turn of the century technology are a personal favorite. The most recent series of works refers to the collision of machine age technology and digitally based media, science and pseudo science, and myths (both cultural and technological). My studio is within blocks of the smokestacks of the Cleveland steel mills and I am reminded daily of the processes and the plight of heavy industry.” Opposite page: William Brouillard’s The Myth of Technology, 26 in. (66 cm) in diameter, wheel- thrown red earthenware, bisque fired to cone 05 oxidation, majolica-style white base glaze, overglaze brushed decoration, glaze fired to cone 04 oxidation and cone 018, 2007.

Above Right: William Brouillard’s Grist for the Mill, 30 in. (76 cm) in length, coil and slab built stoneware vessel, copper blue glaze over white crackle slip, fired to cone 4; wheel-thrown grist wheels, fired to cone 6, 2007.

Right: William Brouillard’s Machine Age Graffiti, 36 in. (91 cm) in length, coil and slab-built earthenware body, crawling glazed with brushed underglaze on top for images; slip-cast whiteware bricks, copper/lithium blue glaze; painted MDF, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 17 exhibitions

Nyukana (Daisy) Baker: Retrospective A solo exhibition of works by Nyukana (Dai- sy) Baker was recently on view at JamFactory (www.jamfactory.com.au) in Adelaide, Australia. “Curated by Dr. Diana Young, this important survey, which includes batiks, paintings, ceramics, floor rugs, prints, childhood drawings, wood carving, basketry, and bead work, portrays the creative life of this outstanding indigenous artist,” explains Margaret Hancock, gallery manager at Jam Factory. “For over half a century, Baker has created exquisite objects while based almost entirely at the homeland com- munity of Ernabella, on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia. “Baker is an imaginative innovator with many skills. She has been central to the development of the Ernabella artistic style that has been influential across other Western Desert art movements and she is regarded by her colleagues as one of the very best.”

Nyukana Baker’s platter, 15 in. (39 cm) in diameter, terra cotta, underglaze decoration, 1998. Photo: Grant Hancock.

Disparate Worlds Works by artists in residence Jamie Bardsley and Sarah Tancred were re- cently on view in the Tim Salen Gal- lery located at St. Petersburg Clay Company (www.stpeteclay.com) in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bardsley’s work consists of sculptural porcelain largely based on organic forms. Tancred’s functional pottery incorporates microscopic images and cellular patterning into the surfaces of the vessels. Side by side this contrasting work explores a common theme.

Sarah Tancred’s Plant Cell Vessels, 5 in. (13 cm) in length, thrown and altered porcelain, screen printed, underglaze, gas fired to cone 10, 2009.

Jamie Bardsley’s Untitled, 18 in. (46 cm) in length, slab-built porcelain, wood fired to cone 10, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 18 New Amsterdam at 400: A Celebration of Contemporary Dutch Ceramics An exhibition of works by artists from the Netherlands was recently on view at Greenwich House Pottery (http://greenwichhouse.org) in New York, New York. “‘New Amsterdam at 400: A Celebration of Contemporary Dutch Ceramics’” presents works produced by companies including Royal Tichelaar Makkum, which was founded in 1594 and still uses local Frisian stoneware,” explains Sarah Archer of Greenwich House Pottery. “Antique Makkum ceramics are exhibited in museums around the world, and today Makkum produces the works of Dutch designers innovating ceramics in form and style. As the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam was established in September 1609, this exhibition uniquely connects Greenwich House Pottery’s own anniversary with the cultural heritage of Dutch settlement in New York City. “In addition, the exhibition will showcase ceramic works by other Dutch artists and designers internation- ally recognized for their traditional and modern product conceptions. The artists and designers include Neils van Eijk & Miriam van der Lubbe, Jo Meesters, Alexander Van Slobbe, and Hella Jongerius.” “Using medieval shards donated by the Museum Boymans van Beuningen, I took the initiative in a postmodern restoration project,” states Hella Jongerius. “As a starting point I created seven archetypes in which I glued the shards with epoxy. Some parts of the vases and pots where painted in bright colors; old and new were joined together. “In 1998, two pots from this series were cast in porcelain, which resulted in solid industrial pots. The casting seams are still visible. The pots appear to consist of more than one piece. As with the medieval pots, the pots are decorated with porcelain labels of my thumbprint. This was customary in the Middle Ages when illiterate potters would mark their pots with their fingerprints under- neath. The vase has a red band of car spray paint. This

Hella Jongerius’ Big White Pot and Red/White Vase, 16 in. (41 cm) in height (tallest), porcelain, is done to mock the tradition of glazing within the automotive paint, 1998. Commissioned by: Royal Tichelaar Makkum. Photo: Jongeriuslab. ceramics world.”

Enno Jäkel An exhibition of ceramic forms by Enno Jäkel was recently on view at Galerie Montana (www.galerie-montana.nl) in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. “Jäkel is one of a group of young Ger- man artists who are also distinguished outside of their home country for their ceramic work,” states Netty Vink, owner of Galerie Montana. “He developed a specific technique to prepare the surface or skin of his ceramic forms. In that process, Enno covers a freshly thrown ceramic form with a layer of porcelain. He presses a geometric pattern into the porcelain, then enlarges and expands the form from the inside. The surface is stretched and the pattern of the layer is forced to break open.”

Enno Jäckel’s bulbs, 11 in. (28 cm) in height (tallest), clay covered with porcelain slip, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 19 exhibitions

Subdivision A site-specific installation by Gail Heidel was recently on view at the Hunter College Project Space (www.hunter.cuny.edu) in New York, New York. “Subdivision references urban planning strategies and the built environment,” explains Heidel. “The installation is comprised of six rolling structures fabricated from 2×4s, drywall, and ceramic castings of Styrofoam packaging. “The work is sited in a multi-use space, which I exem- plify by placing the structures on casters and designing them to notch into the walls they are located in front of. I subdivide the project space with these structures, tak- ing into consideration the flow of foot traffic. I visually echo this idea of multi-use by creating repetitive patterns of one type of casting at a time. These patterns progress from one end of the room to the other, culminating in a mixed-use cityscape composed of hybrid castings. The castings reference both the brick, a building block of cities, and consumerism in relation to the buying, dividing, and selling of land. The work can be interpreted as subdivisions of an aged cityscape merged with new construction that is built into the space rather than through it. The outcome is an emergent installation that can adjust according to the needs of the viewer.”

Left and Below: Gail Heidel’s Subdivision, variable dimensions, stoneware castings of Styrofoam packaging, Dry Rot glaze, bisque fired to cone 04, glaze fired to cone 06, 2×4-inch wooden boards, drywall, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 20 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 21 exhibitions

Above Left: Margareta Daepp’s Tokyo-Line Oedo, 11 in. (28 cm) in diameter, porcelain, decals, lacquer, 2007. On view at Galerie Ligne Treize (www.galerielignetreize.ch). Above Right: Christine Aschwanden’s Zuckerstreuers/ Sucriers, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, hand-built porcelain paperclay, fired to 2336°F (1280°C). On view at Collectif C’Bos (www.cbos.ch). Carouge Ceramics Itinerary Works by more than twenty ceramic artists were recently on view at galleries in the city of Carouge, Switzerland, as part of the Carouge Ceramics Itinerary (www.parcoursceramiquecarougeois.ch), the city’s biennial international ceramics festival.

Rene Murray: Architectural Dreams A solo exhibition featuring clay paintings and wall sculpture by Rene Mur- ray was recently on view at the Clay Art Center (www.clayartcenter.org) in Port Chester, New York. Rene Murray had a studio at the Clay Art Center in the mid-1960s and currently works as a studio artist in Brooklyn, New York. “All of my work has its foundation in the age-old techniques and conventions of the potter,” Murray explains. “There is a flow in my work from one piece to the next piece and from one series to the next. My creative process is circular, always moving and taking in new ideas and inspirations while keeping in view all that has gone before. The sculptures that I have been making for the past ten years are architectural and have been inspired by the buildings of Brooklyn and Italy. I have completed a series of free-standing ceramic objects that are reminiscent of the hilltown fortresses of Tuscany. These pieces are meant to evoke the feeling of these towns—their glorious exterior beauty in contrast with what I suspect were cold, dark interiors. “For this site specific show at Clay Art Center, I used these three- dimensional hilltowns as a starting point. I first imagined how the city landscapes inside of these exterior walls would appear, and then rendered my vision as clay paintings in their own ceramic frames. Then I distorted the streets and alleyways in order to morph the solid and real hilltowns into surreal architectural dreamscapes. “I pushed the series to its conclusion by combining the two elements of the hilltowns, creating objects that are mounted on a vertical surface and resemble paintings, yet also extend outward and appear to be free-standing. The viewer would see actual depth alongside an illusion of depth.”

Rene Murray’s Firenze - Turquoise Alley 2, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, slab-built stoneware with porcelain inlay, engobes, and glaze, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 22 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 23 exhibitionsreviews

Clockwise from top left: Gourd Vase 09-62, 19 in. (48 cm) in length, fired to cone 10 reduction. Round Vase 09-05, 14 in. (35 cm) in height, wood fired, tumble-stacked. Round Vase 09-77, 16 in. (40 cm) in height, slip glazed, fired to cone 10 in reduction. Stone Vase 09-11, 10 in. (25 cm) in height, wood fired. Shoyusashi 09-42, 10 in. (25 cm) in height, wood fired. Round Vase 09-04, 13½ in. (34 cm) in height, wood fired, tumble-stacked. Mizusashi 09-97, 7½ in. (19 cm) in height, slip glazed, fired to cone 10 in reduction. Shoyusashi 09-71, 4½ in. (11 cm) in height, wood fired. All works are stoneware and were completed in 2009. Images Courtesy of Northwest Craft Center & Gallery. Photos: Tom Holt.

Reid Ozaki by Matthew Kangas Reid Ozaki should know a thing or two about himself as a professional potter since 1975 when incisions. More traditional, Shoyusashi 09-71 (soy firing; after all, he grew up near Volcano, Ha- he left the University of Puget Sound. Over time, sauce container) has its own flat circular tray waii, and spent summers at a camp in Volcano Ozaki has become one of the area’s most respected beneath it. With the container’s body slightly National Park. Although he had an important potters. While sticking to functional forms, a few tilted back in position, its stopper resembles a solo show at Bryan Ohno Gallery in Seattle, works, like Gourd Vase 09-62, with a gas-fired simple black stone. Washington, in 2003, Ozaki has exhibited for black monochrome glaze, have quasi-sculptural Among the gas-fired pieces, color emerges the most part in craft galleries, pottery shops, appearances. In alluding to historical Japanese with great effect, but with the same subtlety of and nonprofit spaces. His latest body of work, examples, Ozaki reminds us that many teapots, the wood-fired works. Mizusashi 09-97 (water shown at Northwest Craft Center & Gallery bowls and vases frequently took on identifiable container) has a meltingly beautiful blue-green (www.northwestcraftcenter.com), Seattle’s most looks of plants, fruits, and vegetables. glaze that slides diagonally from its top to a base venerable site for handmade objects, was displayed The wood-fired pieces, such as the round that is uniformly reddish-brown. Round Vase 09-77 next to work by fellow potters John Benn and vases, have a broad range of beautifully mottled is cinched at its waist and dimpled in form with a Matthew Allison (for more on Allison’s work, see firing effects, including darker smoky areas, lighter black-on-black speckling that resembles fish skin. Ceramics Monthly, December 2008). brown spots over dappled white areas, and open, Without all the delicate irregularity of the Ozaki, a former graduate student at Univer- unglazed spots around which the glaze pooled. wood-firing process in these works, Ozaki still sity of Puget Sound in Tacoma (where he studied Averaging 10 to 16 inches high, Ozaki’s pots have manages to make the gas-fired pots look sponta- with F. Carlton Ball), concentrated on wood- and a comfortable tabletop scale. In Stone Vase 09-11, neous and natural while taking advantage of the gas-fired vases, pots, teapots, platters, and soy two dropped openings sit bellow the object’s top; more uniform firing possible to give the gas-fired sauce and water containers. Much of the material these are like side vents, as it were, for placing works a satisfying chromatic and compositional is meant to relate to the Japanese tea ceremony. flowers. Elsewhere, inRound Vase 09-04, glaze was harmony. Altogether, the grouping suggests a The artist’s grandfather was a great influence on dripped sideways to create horizontal tentacles that young master nearing the peak of his achievement his interest in all aspects of Japanese art and cul- echo a double incision between the pot’s upper and with no signs of let-up. ture. Overall, the results were skilled, innovative lower hemispheres. and traditional at the same time. Round Vase 09-05 has paler browns and whites the author Matthew Kangas, a frequent con- Teaching at Tacoma Community College one covered with small dark brown spots, the com- tributor to CM, also writes for Art in America quarter per year since 1996, Ozaki has supported position again anchored by mid-pot double-band Sculpture and Art Ltd. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 24 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 25 Studio Visit Patsy Cox Los Angeles, California

the studio My studio is in Los Angeles, California, about a mile east of downtown and a block south of the infamous Sunset Boulevard. One space (400 square feet) is used for fabrication and the other (500 square feet) is primarily for packing, organizing, and storing my work. My favorite aspect of the studio is that it is in the middle of the city hustle. It has good lighting with a view of my succulent collection, the inspiration for much of my work. However, the studio plays only a small part in my creative process. Because the majority of my current work is installation-based, it relies on the process of installing the work in Just the Facts a specific space. In other words, I see my work as being created in a studio without walls. Clay If we define a studio as a space where art is created and completed, without a doubt, the Porcelain & stoneware galleries and public spaces where my work, such as Urban Rebutia, is installed must also Primary forming method be considered part of my studio. The true creative process for my work takes place in the Thrown and assembled exhibition space where I reconfigure multiple pieces to best convey my concepts while Favorite surface treatment considering my immediate surroundings. I am never absolutely sure what the work will Overglaze look like until the day I actually install it and it is only a “work” for the time it lives in a Primary firing method particular space. The rest of the time it’s hibernating in storage. When I open the dozens Multifiring to cones 10, 6, 06, and 018 of totes and see the masses of color, it’s truly an adrenaline rush as they pop into my hands Favorite tool begging to be brought back to life again. Serrated rib tool While I benefit from the hustle and constant flow of action and people around me, the Most-used piece of equipment dirt and grime of living in the city takes a toll on the work. I dislike having to wash soot Electric wheel off my work spaces. Working in the middle of such activity also lends to distractions— neighbors popping by while out for a stroll, car alarms blaring, people pushing grocery carts and rummaging through trash bins and collecting recycling, the constant hum of helicopters, daily gardeners blowing leaves and trash in the street, relentless dog barking (my own included). Sometimes I wish for a small space on a large plot of land in the countryside and wonder how such a tranquil environment would affect my work.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 26 focus studio life

Life of Oscar Wao, Sarah Waters’ The Little Stranger, and Ori and Rom Branfman’s Sway. I’m currently reading Seven Days in the Art World, by Sarah Thornton. I’m a current affairs/news junkie, too, and highly recommend the periodical, “The Week.” To recharge, I exercise and spend quality time with friends and loved ones. Spending time with other artists always motivates and refuels me as well.

marketing Because my most recent work has been installation-based, it is not necessarily geared toward commercial venues. I spent several years strictly making functional work in the late ’90s and sold 90% of my work at fairs. The stand-alone work that I sell today is sold directly out of my studio or at an exhibition, and is usually bought by collectors. The work that I make, that interests me the most, is the work that has very little commercial application, which can be seen as a disadvantage. My greatest successes online have been connecting with artists locally and nationally. The Internet has a way of making the world a smaller place. It’s been an accessible place to see and share new work. Also, nowadays the best news comes over email—invitations for exhibitions and grant awards, for example. However, old work never really disappears from the Internet. It’s like growing up and not being able to escape your kindergarten nightmare or most embarrassing moment. paying dues (and bills) Day Job: Associate Professor of Art and the ceramics area head at most valuable lesson California State University, Northridge. It is critical to develop routines and set up some structure to my dis- Ceramic training: BFA, Missouri State University; MFA, Uni- cipline. Structured routines are vital to creative time, work (school) versity of Delaware. time, and personal time. Without some semblance of routine and Studio time varies. Summers are full-time while during the structure, one major area of my life inevitably suffers. school year I get about 24 hours a week, if I’m lucky. When I’m prepping for an exhibition, I work around the clock. No matter validation how prepared I am, I always find just one more thing I need to At a recent arts organization focus group, I was asked, “As an art- do to make it my best effort. With Urban Rebutia (above), for ist where do you find validation?” All eight artists in attendance example, I am compelled to add 5000 or so pieces every time it is answered the same question, each applying his or her personal installed in a new space. definition of success. It’s different for everyone. For me, validation has little to do with applying monetary value body to the equation of success. I find validation in the way that I have I take exercise very seriously. I participate in boot camp twice a arranged my life to enable me to make work that lives out my week and I train with LA Roadrunners for the marathon every year. creative concepts without limitation. I consider myself extremely I run at least one half marathon or full marathon annually. fortunate that I’m able to make my work and give back through I’m lucky to have health insurance through my position as a teaching and mentorship opportunities. My greatest validation professor at Cal State Northridge. I’ve also been very fortunate is found when I see my students become self-confident artists, not to have any emergencies (knock on wood). I have done some meeting their goals while in turn creating their own definitions physical therapy in the past to educate myself on posture to help of success. prevent neck and back strain.

mind WebFaceSpaceBloGallerTwEtsyList I just finished a summer reading binge, which included Jumpa patsycox.com facebook.com/cox.patsy Lahari’s Unaccustomed Earth, Junot Diaz’s The Brief and Wonderous artaxis.org accessceramics.org culturalvisions.org

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 27 Studio Visit Jeff Campana Louisville, Kentucky

Just the Facts

Clay: Mid-range Grolleg porcelain the studio Primary forming method: All of my pots are thrown on the wheel. My studio is the main perk associated with my position as visiting artist in the ceramics Some are altered. All are assembled from program at the University of Louisville. The setting is urban and industrial, with the two or more thrown parts. constant rumble of planes landing and trains passing by. I have a large private space (10 Favorite decorating method: × 27 feet) that opens into the main ceramics studio classroom. It is nicely equipped with I cut apart, and then carefully reassemble, an air compressor jack, hood vent, sink, and shelves. I use the same kilns that are used my pots at the leather-hard stage to draw lines that reinterpret my forms, inside and for student work, so I must work with the ebb and flow of the semester and student out. People often tell me I’m crazy for do- demand for kiln usage. ing it, but knowing how this process can Teaching and making work can get scrambled together, and I often find myself in transform the mundane into the extraordi- conversations and impromptu demos that can last hours. It’s nice, but it makes it hard nary, I think I’d be crazy not to. to get things done at times. Headphones are a good idea but don’t always work. That Primary firing method: said, I love working within a community setting. If I spent as much time as I do in a Cone 6–7 electric with a slow cool completely private location, I would become an absolute recluse. This way, I get the Favorite tool: I’m never without my trusty hardware store bulk of my human interaction mixed in with the long studio hours I put in. Of course, retractable box cutter with a snap-off blade. not having to pay rent is pretty nice, too. I use it as most people typically would use a fettling knife. paying dues (and bills) Most-used piece of equipment: Day job: I am now in my second year of teaching part time while making work full time. The tile bat system I rigged up from a couple I hope to eventually become a full-time professor. I’m not quite there yet, but that’s what of plasti-bats glued together. There is a square hole cut to accept terra cotta patio I’m working toward. tiles. The tiles are dirt cheap, warp-proof, Ceramic training: I first threw on the wheel when I was 14 years old at the very well textured, absorbent, and fit nice and orderly equipped Verona Area High School just outside Madison, Wisconsin. After I graduated, I went on the shelves. I spent one afternoon making for my BFA at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, which took me 6 years to complete. it about ten years ago. It still works flawlessly. It is so entwined with my studio experience In 2008, I received my MFA at Indiana University in Bloomington. During the summer, that, at this point, I’d be lost without it. when making work is my only responsibility, I spend about 55 hours a week in the studio.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 28 marketing During the school year, it drops to about 30 hours a week. There is a Most of my work is sold directly. About 80% of my work is sold constant 15 hours per week of paperwork/promotion/photography/ through Etsy.com, in person, and through email commissions on shipping in addition to that. my website. Various solo, two-person, and invitational group shows make up the other 20%. body I am a practitioner of social media cross-promotion, which is I couldn’t accurately be described as physically fit; however, I do essentially the act of promoting promotion tools. I use my twitter try to sneak in a hike whenever I can and find that it helps in a account to promote my blog, store, and facebook fan page. I use number of ways, especially in relieving stress. I address the physi- each of these venues to promote each other venue. Once someone cal demands of making art by varying my studio routine. I never has stumbled across my work, there are hours of content to explore, do the same part of the process for more than a couple hours in a and many ways to get to know me in a casual, Internet sort of day. I jump between throwing, trimming, glazing, and assembling way. Making strong, accurate images of my work is instrumental constantly to avoid repetitive stress injuries. I have carpal tunnel to this approach. syndrome in both hands, so I must be very careful about that or I say yes to almost every opportunity that comes my way, as I’m out of commission for a week or more. long as I’m certain it isn’t some sort of scam. That seems to be I basically had to make the choice between having health insur- doing the trick for now. ance and following my dreams. I can’t have both at this point. My The small online successes seem to build upon one another adjunct teaching positions do not come with health insurance, to become one big success. The more websites that reference or but are necessary in gaining the experience needed to become a feature my work, the more attention it gets from other websites. full-time professor. They also don’t pay nearly enough for me to I would attribute many of the shows I have been invited to, jobs afford to buy an individual health care plan. I’m between a rock I have gotten, and even this Ceramics Monthly studio visit at least and a hard place; that’s just my reality for the next couple of years. in part to the growing online presence I have been cultivating over I’m keeping my fingers crossed, descending staircases with caution, the last year and a half. and driving defensively. I am occasionally haunted by my past in the form of my very first, very embarrassing, geocities webpage popping up in the mind google searches. It will only vanish if traffic to it stops. Lesson I like Kurt Vonnegut novels, Sculpture magazine, and Ceramic learned: everything you put out in cyberspace will remain there Review (in addition to Ceramics Monthly, of course), but sadly, I indefinitely, so keep the filter on at all times! almost never get the time to read them or anything else. I occasionally discard all work in progress and take a vacation. most valuable lessons I really like to go camping or visit friends from my past who are I am astounded at the volume of work that must be made and sold now spread out all over the country. Once I realize I’m in a rut, I to make a living. I truly had no idea what that looked like before try to get away from the studio for at least a week. When my hands I tried it. It continues to terrify me. On the plus side, when you start itching to make work again, the new ideas just flow. make that much work, you get really good at it.

WebFaceSpaceBloGallerTwEtsyList Jeffcampana.com facebook.com/JeffCampanaCeramics twitter.com/JeffCampana artaxis.org/ceramics/campana_jeff/jeff_campana.html accessceramics.org/results/artist/133 campanaceramics.etsy.com 1000markets.com/users/jeffcampanaceramics akardesign.com

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 29 Studio Visit Stephanie Lanter Topeka, Kansas

Just the Facts

Clay Red and white earthenware

Primary forming method the studio Handbuilt—a combination of modeling, I work at home, and I was extraordinarily fortunate to find a beautiful little airplane carving, filing, coiling, and some press molding. To form adjunct elements, I usu- bungalow to rent with the space for the TWO studios I really need. The “dirty” studio, ally crochet, knit or sew various fibers. where I work in wet clay and glaze, is my 13×11-foot spare bedroom on the first floor, and the “clean” studio, where I draw, keep yarn, crochet, knit, and sew, is the upstairs Favorite surface treatment I am addicted to burnishing leather-hard 12×7-foot loft area. Nearly as important are the “portable studios” of my sketchbook, forms, the wackiness of commercial glazes, digital camera, and laptop. I gratefully am able to fire work in the kilns at Washburn and crocheting fibrous elements onto University (less than a mile and a half away), where I teach. pieces post-firing. My favorite aspect of my studios is utter privacy, and the way the morning sun streams Primary firing method in upstairs. (Windows compose three of the four walls, and the largest wall faces east.) Cone 06–04 electric My least favorite aspect is also utter privacy, as well as lack of a kiln, and dealing with Favorite tool clay dust 15 yards from my bed. A sense of humor. Or, in the gift shop of the Dinosaur Museum in Thermopolis, paying dues (and bills) Wyoming, I found this polished black rock in the shape of a heart. It is simply perfect Day job: Full time teaching as Catron Visiting Professor of Art at Washburn University. for hours and hours of burnishing love. I I teach design and special topics, as well as develop and perform art outreach program- also heart the jeweler’s files and altered ming for regional elementary schools and the Topeka community. butter knife given to me by friends. Ceramic training: MFA, Ohio University (Athens); BA, Xavier University (Cincin- Most-used piece of equipment: nati). Residencies: Red Lodge Clay Center, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic My sound system Arts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Mendocino Art Center.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 30 body Ideally, I run everyday, mop my floor everyday, always—always— I do try to grow my market or find new ones by exhibiting in wear my respirator and latex gloves, meditate, do yoga, and get cross-disciplinary shows, collaborating with non-clay artists, and lots of sleep. Really, I try to walk to work and the store as much as becoming part of each local community into which I move. I can, regularly stretch my kinked up wrists, shoulders, and back, I cherish the creator of my website (Thread Studio Web De- do standing work on a soft ergonomic surface, take breaks, contain sign), but I wish I knew how to keep it updated myself. I also have clay shavings in wet buckets, and get a massage about twice a year. not had the hoped-for onslaught of eager art buyers flooding my As far as health insurance goes, thank you, Washburn. Inbox. However, the worst aspect of the Internet is that it lies. I make objects and visceral experiences after all, and globs of pixels, mind neat as they are, just don’t cut it. Right now, I’m reading student papers. This summer, I was ab- It is most rewarding to share the strange mystery of my work sorbed by psychology texts and memoirs of mental illness, but I (through both image and text) with my family and friends, who are adore fiction writers like Margaret Atwood and Virginia Woolf scattered all over the country. I have gotten a number of exhibition (recently). I also highly recommend listening to RadioLab, and invitations due to an online presence, and I know it has supported This American Life on NPR. my applications to teaching jobs. Here is how I recharge, creatively: I retreat through walking, reading, music, sleeping, and re- most valuable lessons searching; and I connect through collaborating, engaging good What I haven’t learned yet is infinitely more interesting. artwork, discussing, and working with children. It is extremely difficult to really know what you want, but it is even more tricky to figure out why. marketing There’s a chasm of difference between originality and authenticity. Sales are not my strongest point. Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? I am an amazing trader, and I’m taking applications for managers. I think the fact that I write about other artists boosts my name WebFaceSpaceBloGallerTwEtsyList recognition and adds another dimension to my own work. Explor- stephanielanter.com artaxis.net ing other media and alternative projects also broadens my audience accessceramics.org redlodgeclaycenter.com base, as well as continually teaching. washburn.edu/cas/art/faculty.html waitingroom.weebly.com

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 31 Studio Visit Robbie Heidinger Westhampton, Massachusetts

Just the Facts

Clay Cone 6-8 stoneware Primary forming method Handbuilding Favorite surface treatment Layering slips and incising the clay the studio Primary firing method Cone 9 in a propane fueled, My studio is a converted horse stable, located in the Pioneer Valley at the foot of the Berk- 45-cubic-foot soda kiln shire Mountains. My space is surrounded by gardens, chicken coops, and bee hives. It’s small with big windows. The tightness forces me to be efficient with everything I Favorite tool My 15-year-old Dolan knife do, and I’m not allowed to have anything but a bare bones outlook. I have to turn off my water in the wintertime and carry buckets of warm water into the studio. The windows, Most-used piece of equipment I use my windows like an enormous on the other hand, allow my imagination to expand beyond the constrictions and absorb lightbox to transfer drawings and pat- the beauty of the passing seasons. These qualities seem to inspire the minimalist abstract terns onto multiple pieces of paper. organic aesthetic you can see in my work.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 32 paying dues (and bills) Ceramic training: MFA, Rhode Island School of Design. I have made an effort to develop the “shop locally” strategy. I spend about 35 hours per week in the studio. The rest of my It’s more than a strategy; it’s a necessity in this day and age where time is spent raising my children and gardening. consumers can make a conscious choice to keep individual artists making and support their local economy or they can shop at the body urban sprawl stores and support the mallification of America. I am very lucky to have a terrific yoga teacher in town and a Shopping locally isn’t instant gratification; it becomes an experi- husband who gives me nightly hand massages. I also exchange ice ence, a shared history, and a story to tell that adds richness to the cream for massages from my girls. meal and life of the user. There is a limit to the amount of studio sales you can do in a mind year. You always want to attract new customers but don’t want to This has been the year of “End of the World” literature. I have read overburden returning ones. World Made by Hand, by James Kunstler; The Road, by Cormac For me, expanding my market comes with the artistic explora- McCarthy; and Into the Forest, by Jean Hegland. tion of form and my cultural interest in bioregionalism, including Between firings, which represent about two or three months locavorianism. Right now, I am making a lot of plate forms and of clay work, I draw and paint to regain my energy and sponta- they have gotten me involved in the Taste of Greenmarket 2009, neity. The drawing usually starts in the garden or woods and is a Brooklyn, New York, fundraiser that includes the best chefs in focused on plant forms. Once the drawings come inside, they the country using my experimental plates while promoting open are developed and altered to convey a feeling or experience I am space and community improvement. It sounds corny, but those after. At this point, I can return to handling the clay and have the sort of opportunities come from following your bliss. confidence to transfer that abstraction into the material in a lively and essential way. most valuable lesson Having a clear goal and a feeling for the piece I’m making. Keeping marketing that focus is the challenge. I do wholesale, retail, galleries, and online sales, but studio sales are also very successful and satisfying. During the holidays, I do a sale WebFaceSpaceBloGallerTwEtsyList with a jeweler, a painter, and pastry chef, which gives customers I think my website robbieheidingerceramics.com is an eclectic mix of choices they definitely appreciate. I also have beautiful, but I don’t update it enough. I have flirted with applied for grants and, this year, I was very lucky to get an Artist getting an Etsy account, but feel like I would need to cre- Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. ate a separate line of work to make that a success.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 33 Kenneth Baskin’s 20th Century

Artifacts By Katey Schultz

Union, from the Industrial Intuitions series, 24 in. (61 cm) in length, soda-fired stoneware, steel, 2007.

Picture it: You’re in the jaws of a grinding machine roughly the the wrong places and jamming up the gears. It’s your job to get size of an Army tank. Never mind that it’s turned off. Never mind them out first. Then you have to get yourself out. that you’re the only person with the key. Still—it’s holding you So it went for nearly twenty years for Kenneth Baskin. Born in there, your back pressing into its rough steel tongue, gear-like teeth the epitome of an industrial city with an aptitude for installing, surrounding you on all sides. It’s the day shift at a Detroit factory repairing, and fabricating machinery, this work seemed a natural and the plastic recycling machine has clogged again, this time the step. “At that time, I did not possess the personal tools or skills twisted shards of milk jugs and soda bottles accumulating in all necessary to follow a life in art,” says Baskin. One class at a time,

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 34 he learned basics on the potter’s wheel through a com- munity college. After several years, ceramics became a “serious hobby,” even though Baskin still viewed the artist’s life as an unattainable fantasy. In 1998, this hobby became a dream he could no longer ignore and he enrolled in a four-year college with aspirations to study ceramics and teach. With all mediums, there exists the notion that an artist must pay respect to the life experiences that shaped him the most. Call it source material or call it biographical influences; this acknowledgement hap- pens consciously or subconsciously and is evidenced in the work itself. From roughly 1998 to 2007, Baskin’s work did just that. “This work was dealing with the city from the perspective of industry—the grit of the city and urban decay. The way I was using color and texture to break up the space has a lot to do with the idea of contrasts, rela- tionships, and strength of line,” says Baskin. “I decided to focus my attention on the micro world. By enlarging objects, we view them differently. We can understand the formal beauty of line, shape, and form.” Developing techniques he still uses today, Baskin fired some pieces up to five times to achieve a certain effect. The first, and highest, firing is always in an atmospheric kiln for a spontaneous, natural looking surface. Adding silicon carbide to slips, Baskin ac- complishes a gritty, textured surface. Additional layers of glazes and a black wash fired at lower temperatures complete the design.

Above: Pieces from the 20th Century Artifact series. Clockwise from upper left: Counter Weight, 28 in. (71 cm) in height; Track, 48 in. (1.2 m) in length; Wheels, 144 in. (3.6 m) in length, each wheel 32 in. (81 cm) in diameter. All pieces are salt-fired stoneware, 2005.

Left: Salvaged, from the Industrial Intuitions series, 26 in, (66 cm) in height, soda-fired stoneware, 2007.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 35 By 2005, he finished the first round of his 20th Century can be summed up in this pressing question: If technology Artifact series, which relied heavily on abstracted forms that has become the new definition of humanity, by what means echo the industrial world. Altering the scale and shape of do we measure our humanity and, ultimately, what does it these pieces separated them from their intended functions mean to be alive? and invited viewers to consider their own relationships to Appropriating the language of the industry, Baskin fabri- tools and machinery. cates his larger forms from slabs and molds. He incorporates When an artist has attained some level of critical distance steel when necessary for shipping and assembly. He also uses from the life experiences that shaped him the most, he is free wood trays engineered to assure each ceramic piece is straight to create with a more deeply imaginative vision. Union (2007) and level before final assembly and detailing. Shaped by early was a pivotal piece for Baskin, as it represents the first time experiences physically crawling into industrial machines, the he connected two ceramic objects to imply motion, while artist now creates work that conceptually crawls into the hu- at the same time immobilizing the forms by their very size man machine. “I often equate the idea of machines to us,” and structure. “When I put the two together, they spoke to says Baskin. “Machines have a skeletal structure that protects me about interpersonal relationships. I understood that this and houses all of their necessary functioning parts (internal piece needed to be scrutinized. I stopped what I was doing organs), lubrication lines (blood), and a functioning brain and started to think about the implications of the relation- with a rhythm of sounds they produce that can diagnose ship the forms carried.” potential problems.” Baskin spent the next two years exploring these impli- In 2010, Baskin will show his latest work in a solo show at cations, adding conceptually sophisticated pieces to his Goldesberry Gallery in Houston, Texas. This will include a 20th Century Artifact series. Every form in the series is an abstraction of industrial objects that show evidence of the human touch, yet Baskin’s newest additions carry the seeds of narrative tension. There is always a push-pull between the notions of connecting and disconnecting, balancing and unbalancing, moving and staying put. Baskin hopes this work will call attention to the fact that the Technological Age is replacing all evidence of the hand. The tension be- tween our roots as a people who built tools for survival and our future as a people with unparalleled technological tools

Anchor, from the 20th Century Artifact series, 30 in. (76 cm) in length, anagama-fired stoneware, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 36 Above: #9 Untitled 4 ft. (1.2 m) in length, salt-fired stoneware, 2004.

Left: Stability, from the 20th Century Artifact series, 24 in. (61 cm) in height, mid-range stoneware, anagama and soda fired, 2008.

series of large, altered crucibles. He also plans to work collaboratively with Virginia Scotchie, Scott Meyer, Ted Metz, Rick Hirsch, and Michael Rogers on a group show at Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts.

Kenneth Baskin teaches at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He has traveled twice to Tai- wan as a visiting artist and guest instructor at Tainan National University of the Arts and National Taiwan University of the Arts. He is represented by Blue Spiral 1 Gallery (bluespiral1.com) in Asheville, North Carolina. To learn more visit kennethbaskinsculpture.com.

the author a frequent contributor to CM, Katey Schultz writes from her home in Bakersville, North Carolina. She is the author of Lost Crossings, a collec- tion of contemplative essays. Her current work includes a series of essays about artists. To learn more, visit katey.schultz.googlepages.com.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 37 Attractive Repulsion: Visceral Made Tangible by Billie Sessions Cross Section 5, 36 in. (91 cm) in height, thrown porcelain, medical grade silicone rubber, and silk, 2008. Photo: John Lucas.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 38 Ribbons of rubber and strands of silk meander and stretch around Her earlier Congealed series cast an ambient and gooey glow, while porcelain pods and protrusions. The current work of Alison Petty Somatic Spill looked like puddles of blood. She likes to question Ragguette explores the parallel between visceral and mechanical the idea of what is deemed icky, gross or beautiful. systems. This intelligent and emotive work envelops interior spaces “Rubber for me is my dirty little secret. I think I have an erotic where bones fit into cartilage swaddled with translucent skin, or kind of interest in the yumminess of materiality. I deliberately nourishing fluids flow. Naked porcelain, silicone rubber, and col- choose materials that are seductive, fun, and playful. I looked at orful silk thread merge, wrap, wind, and flow, implying the hard- my dad’s medical models of joints and bones, and of viscera and ness and softness of our interior and exterior lives. These organic organs. I am fascinated with the space and function of the internal abstractions are intimate and tight, slick and sticky, stimulating body and my work draws it into the tangible world. It’s attractive and seductive, playful and alien. and repulsive at the same time.” Considering her experiences and influences, Ragguette’s path to After gaining skill casting polyurethane rubber, Ragguette this merged media seems a forgone conclusion. Born to Canadian has moved away from its invective aura. Armed with a grant to parents in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while her father worked on his pursue new creative research and materials, The Purosil Rubber medical degree, she was interested in her brother’s train tracks and Company in Corona, California, invited her as their first visiting space systems, mud, clay, and dough. “My nanny used to let me play with flour and water, and just muck around.” Throughout her school years in Vancouver, she was inher- ently interested in materials and construction. Instead of taking traditional art classes, she took woodworking and sewing. “As a teenager, I started taking pottery classes at a community studio. They had 24-hour studio access, and I found myself going there instead of going out with my friends. I wanted to learn how to throw well. Hours flew by. It was kind of an escape for me. I found working with my hands to be relaxing; the methodical practice of handwork took me to a place in my head that was out of my body, and it still does.” Being basically self-taught to throw, Ragguette put together a portfolio of ceramics and at the age of eighteen was accepted to Gold- smiths University of London. In this spectacular facility, she learned mold making and slip casting. While finishing her degree in ceram- ics in Montreal at Concordia University, she expanded her material vocabulary with additional work in fibers and paper sculpture. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a lot of time jus- tifying her desire to throw, but a big shift happened in Raguette’s MFA program at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco. “I think a pivotal point for me was when I stopped making functional ware, and that’s when it got exciting. I tend to make most of my work on the wheel, but I believe it is important to decide what to make first and then think about how I can best execute it.” At CCA, her inquiry rose to a higher level. “[I] started thinking about the material significance of clay and combining it with other materials to confuse it all.” She muses, “Clay has this long tradition, a common material that we encounter daily, sometimes fragile and precious; rubber has a low cultural value, it is malleable, durable, and often disposable. Integrating these two materials creates a dialog of hard and soft, fragile and flexible, like skin and bone. My world blew wide open when I started to think this way.” Revealing her childhood propensity to “merge materials and make them a part of each other, like they were born that way, in- stead of placed together,” Ragguette integrated glass, polyurethane rubber, and porcelain. She worked with latex, dipping porcelain forms and peeling it away; then casting solid polyurethane rubber.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 39 Congealed Triptych, 24 in. (61 cm) in width, thrown porcelain, cast rubber, glass, and silk, 2006. Collection: Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum. Photo: Debbie Christ.

artist. Purosil manufactures rubber hoses for car engines, and non- ber combined with porcelain creates the dialectic of synthetic and toxic medical grade tubing and prosthetics. With the assistance of natural. This duality raises questions about material associations; material engineers in this industrial manufacturing environment, such different materials evolved from the same molecule.” Ragguette explored new technical inquiries, culminating in the Ultimately, the elegant Cross Sections are aesthetic objects to recent solo exhibition, “Viscerlab”, at the Robert V. Fullerton Art explore and enjoy, referencing the materiality of nature and tech- Museum, at California State University, San Bernardino. nology. The forms relate to many things and places, the micro- organic world, shells, diatoms, the interior body. Cross Section Series “I look at internal body diagrams, microscopic photographs, Viscera System and MRI scans. I think about cross sections of the body, nature, “I look at car manuals of Volkswagen engines. I think a lot about and mechanics—like slicing a car engine, a human joint, or a mechanics, comparing the systems of the body to engines, nature molecule in half under a microscope and seeing the inner con- to technology. There is this funky old Volkswagen manual with tents; the rubber is flesh containing and protecting these inner some amazingly illustrated diagrams. I love looking at the diagram porcelain forms.” of a crankshaft, or a combustion system. This book made me start For the Cross Section wall pieces, Ragguette cuts 13-foot-long to think about mechanics and specifically inspired the largeViscera medical grade silicone rubber sheets, folding and embedding the System sculpture.” layers with about 1000 feet of silk thread, making a thick noodle. The Viscera System is a weird and wonderful organism, like a The veined malleable taffy-like strips are sensuous and visceral science experiment that has grown out of control. It pumps colored when sprayed with water. Wet and slippery, they are stretched water, pulsating like it’s alive. A huge, 12×8×4-foot structure, this like a tendon, a slab of veined fat, a ligament, or colored cartilage marvelous messy network of rubber veins weaves in and out of around swollen, slumped or fetal shaped forms. The rubber is cured morphed, porcelain slip-cast automotive and plumbing parts. “The at 350˚F sucking it around thrown porcelain pieces. internal body has been a big source of influence for me, so I think “What is exciting to me about medical grade silicone rubber is of the inner contents of the tubes as body fluids; rubber as flesh, that it’s the silicone molecule—again! It is the key component to and porcelain as bone. I suppose it’s my attempt to make a visceral clay and glazes and materials that I’m so seduced by . . . . This rub- connection to the technological and synthetic world we live in. It

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 40 Left: Viscerasystem (front view), 12 ft. (3.6 m) in height, slip-cast porcelain, PVC, stainless steel, and water, 2008.

Below: Viscerasystem (detail), slip-cast porcelain, PVC, stainless steel, and water, 2008. Photos: John Lucas.

makes me think about my own internal plumbing in comparison with mechanical systems. I’ve been intrigued by those parallels.” While completing a residency at the Jingdezhen Experimental Workshop in China, Ragguette focused on creating forms that looked both organic and mechanical. In a junkyard in China, she foraged through piles of car parts and brought them back to the studio, and started adding clay to them. She designed prototypes of these hybridized forms, made molds and shipped them home. The porcelain objects slip cast from these Chinese car parts operate to suspend and interlock the Viscera System. “Though Viscera System appears to be an organic bodily system, technology is at work pumping it from underneath. It’s that fine line where humanity is becoming dependent on technology— prosthetics or pacemakers and even my laptop (this container of silicone-based technology as an extension of my brain). “The medical influence early in my life is definitely there. I have a strong visceral need to stay connected to my body and to Since moving to California, Ragguette’s work has become more the earth. I interact with all these mechanical and technological exciting, colorful, and playful. She is finding her definition of beau- things, yet clay keeps me grounded in the organic world. tiful aesthetic objects, a graceful connection to our technologically “I want the viewer to be seduced into this speechless place; based culture and a renewed realization of our need to connect to where they are in a state of euphoria or disgust. I like it when the earth and our bodies. people can’t put words to it—in this more visceral place. But my work also needs to be beautiful—making icky things beautiful. the author Dr. Billie Sessions, professor emeritus at California State Challenging the boundaries of what beauty is and expanding that University, San Bernardino, specializes in art education and the his- sensation of beauty.” tory of ceramics education.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 41 Pavel Amromin: Adventure Bound

by Jill Foote-Hutton

“Adventure Bound” is the most recent offering from ceramic sculptor Pavel Amromin. This series could be described with a variety of sin- gular terms: cute, naked, vulnerable, lush, poly- chrome, intoxicating, excessive, disquieting, and unnerving. Amromin covers the dark ground of human nature with a layer of Rococo sugar, presenting humanity and the nature of war pal- pably. The figurine format is an unavoidable lure to the viewer, drawing one in to be confronted by the underlying subtext. Amromin points a finger at the ever-present human ability to gloss over darker truths as we continuously exhibit a predilection to excuse complicity. He rebukes the idea that art has the ability to effect signifi- cant change, citing insufficient and inconsistent historical precedent as evidence. Yet he persists in the role of the maker, as recorder of human deeds, gaily reflecting the darkness within us. Amromin utilizes the idea of the boy/soldier manifested as a wee pup. As a visual metaphor, the pup represents an entity full of excessive energy and so in need of an alpha leader that he willingly takes on various guises. The boy soldier is simultaneously capable of great bravery and great evil. Each individual character wants so desperately to be a contributing part of the collective they climb into unmanageably large boots, heading off to an adventure they are not fully equipped to comprehend. Color is used to cloak acts of atrocity, making them initially more palatable. Fur- ther reflection exposes the true role of color in Amromin’s work—as an indication of acts of horror. This accusatory color is evidenced in works like Kiss Me, where only one boy is victimized. Saccharine polychrome beguiles the viewer with a boys-will-be-boys melody. And yet, as a homogenous entity, each aggressor is interchangeable with the victim at any point

Adventure Bound, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, in the adventure. Each character is oblivious porcelain, glaze, underglaze, 2008. to the consequences of their actions. They are

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 42 Kiss Me, 14 in. (36 cm) in length, porcelain, glaze, underglaze, and luster, 2008. Purple Heart: Allegorical Figure, 10 in. (25 cm) in height, porcelain, glaze, underglaze, and luster, 2008. ignorant innocents. It is only after each boy soldier experiences the periphery of the viewers’ minds, or make them contemplate a personal loss that the color drains dramatically out of them, as their contributions to the problem. in Purple Heart: Allegorical Figure. The flowery Rococo pedestals Our conversations these days seem peppered with ideas of take on a somber war memorial perspective. The consequences change and yet contemporary and politically relevant artwork of the action must come to bear on an individual boy soldier remains ineffective if it continues to be removed from the general before he is transformed into a stark white ghost, a memorial population. Every artist has their own prerogative regarding what of what once was. role and what truth they want their work to reveal. Amromin makes War wrapped in feminine ornamentation subverts traditional objects worth consideration around the dining room table as well masculine morality. Where conquering heroes and protectors as the war room table. However, this is not politically motivated might become buffoons in the hands of some, Amromin creates work preaching to the choir, this is absolutely a bipartisan reflec- pointed ironies. The work is a melange of Rococo and Modernist tion and no one looks very good in Amromin’s mirror. I, for one, sensibilities. Although, contrary to the visual Rococo reference, the would call for more public displays of objects and images that gen- work does not condone excess or celebrate the profane. Neither erate discussion if we are indeed a nation of “change” and moving does the work aim to modify behavior through a moral allegory. forward. Amromin doesn’t intend for the work to have such lofty As a passive interpretation, the work is a reflection of the fright- goals, but the boy soldiers might have the capability. ening ability packaging can have on consumer perception. The Pavel Amromin currently is an adjunct professor at Gulf Coast Com- most active interpretation finds the work performing as a warning munity College in Panama City, Florida. To see more of his work, see beacon—one society has always been aware of and yet consistently annnathangallery.com. fails to heed. So is Amromin just a mirror or is he exorcising ghosts? Is he the author Jill Foote-Hutton is chair of the art department at East Kollwitz or is he Daumier? Whatever the conclusion, the work is Central College in Union, Missouri. For further information, see polarizing and the ideas raised by the boy soldiers either stay in jfhstudio.com.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 43 GraphicPower Terry Gess Makes His Mark by Katey Schultz

Blue container, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, thrown and altered white stoneware with multiple slips and glaze, salt fired to cone 10, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 44 Over the past thirty years, Terry Gess has developed a personal logic that allows him to engage fully with the world around him. The short version of the story is this: Whole life, whole potter. The long version has to do with learning how to see, touch, and hear the nuances of daily life, then intuit a light-handed, rich response through clay. It matters that Gess plays the piano, dabbles in paint- ing, takes creative writing classes and can tell you five Southern Appalachian ways to say, “He’s not from here.” It matters that when Gess sees an African wall hanging he hears polyrhythmic music; when he studies a piece of sheet music, he sees the patterns in black and white but understands that these flashes on the page do not come to life until they are played—in other words, until they fulfill their function. This sort of synesthesia lends itself to a body of work whose beauty reveals its secrets slowly. Gess’ work can be seen, touched, and used in daily tasks. But his signature saturated black marks across a layered palette of earthy browns and ivories are what keep unfolding long after the mug has been washed, the plate scraped, or the vase emptied and put back on the shelf. Like a flash of pattern behind closed eyelids, these marks are intuitive and sudden. They are seen but also felt, tapping into an archetypal language across histories and cultures. To see Gess move around in his studio is to understand the freedom with which he makes these universal design marks. When he recounts a past experience, there is a gentle and honest quality Striped melon vase, 16 in. (41 cm) in height, white stoneware, thrown in to his gestures that seamlessly morphs into full-bodied, accurate sections, with multiple slips and glaze, salt fired to cone 10, 2009.

Sake set, to 5 in. (13 cm) in height, thrown, altered and handbuilt white stoneware with multiple slips and glaze, salt fired to cone 10, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 45 Right and below: Squared plate, recipes 9 in. (23 cm) square, thrown and altered white stoneware Helmar Slip with multiple slips and glaze, Nepheline Syenite ...... 15 % salt fired to cone 10, 2009. Grolleg Kaolin ...... 20 Helmar Kaolin ...... 65 100 % Add: Veegum Cer...... 2 % Bentonite...... 1 %

Tile 6 Slip Nepheline Syenite ...... 20 % Calcined EPK Kaolin...... 20 Tile 6 Kaolin...... 50 325-mesh Silica...... 10 100 % Add: Veegum Cer...... 1 % Bentonite...... 2 %

70/30 T6 Slip Nepheline Syenite ...... 30 % Tile 6 Kaolin...... 70 100 % Add: Veegum Cer...... 2 %

impersonations. Rather than narrate an entire trip to France, for and spiritual or esoteric meanings. Pattern has a life of its own instance, he’ll summarize the influential people on the trip in one and moves through all cultures.” or two lithe gestures or sayings. These flashes of movement and Rather than replicating these patterns exactly—or imposing a cadences of speech are seen, heard, and felt in much the same way rigid, false diversity— Gess treats each piece like a cousin of the that his mark making on clay can be experienced. one that came before it. Glazing and marking a series of bowls, Gess calls this “graphic power” and has the critical distance to for instance, one thought leads to the next. This progression ap- trace experiences of this throughout his life, naming some sources pears on the surface of his work so that a piece can stand alone for the work he makes today. or work intuitively with others in a “I was a camp counselor one It is very difficult to move beyond what set. More complex are the five-piece summer and the cabin had one has spent considerable time and canister sets that Gess began work- this zebra pelt on the wall,” ing on a few years ago. These pieces says Gess. “I remember it effort developing in order to find new are wheel thrown and hand altered because it was real, graphic, ways of working, but the search is and look rugged and bold, yet subtle bold, exotic, and patterned. critical to the creative process.—Terry Gess in their surface design. “The chal- I think, on some level, that lenge,” Gess explains, “is to take a was a fundamental experience of what I was interested in—that shape and [vary] it in size, up and down, larger and smaller—to graphic power. Early on, I was influenced by things like this that play with gaining and increasing scale while maintaining a rela- percolated for years.” tionship to form. The next trick is to take a surface pattern and Working with nine basic marks, Gess breaks up the space integrate it into a number of pieces that can work together as on each piece in a different, spontaneous way. The spiral, line, well as individually.” circle, dot, ellipse, square, rectangle, zigzag, and cross can stand Just as significant as his mark-making are the forms Gess chooses alone or function in chorus. Multiplied or patterned, these marks to make. His favorite pottery has always been the “spirited, populist alter the way a piece is experienced. “Pattern is of great interest styles,” such as Medieval English jugs and fifteenth-century Islamic to me—the way in which space is ordered and adorned logically, tin-glazed wares. Much of this work was made in large quantities intuitively and randomly,” says Gess. “A mark repeated becomes with little regard for each piece as an individual statement. Insistent a pattern. The negative space comes into power and the pattern upon leaving the mark of the handmade, Gess finds value in the becomes invested with meaning. Patterns have religious meanings occasional awkward base or sloppy lip. This is tempered by his

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 46 Monthly Method s desire to make forms that function fully and properly, the end Slips and Marks result being a body of work that evokes his historical influences, adding a touch of modern finesse. by Terry Gess Ultimately, Gess seeks to create work that is infused with The challenge and subtle beauty of slips are of great a spiritual function as well. The clearest way to summarize his interest to me. Potters firing with salt, soda or wood kilns intention in this regard is to quote Daniel Rhodes from the first often employ slips on the exterior surfaces of their work chapter of the first edition ofClay & Glazes for the Potter. Gess has to achieve thin, skin-like surfaces. These slips are related the quote, as follows, committed to memory: “Pottery, at least to to glazes, but they are comprised primarily of kaolin. The those of us who make it, seems to have a quality which is some- slips will record the nuances of the kiln’s flame, combustion thing quite beyond the sum of its usefulness and beauty. There is and atmosphere. The result can be similar to the blush on in pottery a connection with the earliest traditions of civilization a peach or the subtle patina of a weathered wall. It is, and culture, and pottery forms symbolize in a particularly direct however, a most fickle process, and results can be difficult way some of the most fundamental human activities. Any piece of to reproduce. pottery, no matter how crude it is, seems to share in the glory of a On any given piece, I use up to four different kaolin craft which, at its best, has succeeded in filling profound human clays in individual slip recipes in order to achieve subtle needs, both practical as well as spiritual.” variations in the surface treatment. There are a number Growth and experimentation are among these human needs. of different kaolin clays available from around the world, “It is very difficult to move beyond what one has spent consider- and they all have different qualities and benefits. I apply able time and effort developing in order to find new ways of work- the slips by overlapping, dipping, layering, pouring, using wax resist, and other basic glaze application methods. ing, but the search is critical to the creative process,” says Gess. I apply my slips Throughout 2009, he has slowly integrated his new work into onto bisqueware. exhibitions. This work has a clear celadon glaze that turns blue Bisque gives me when fired over a black glaze. Like his already established work, the opportunity to the use of layering is still prevalent. But in this case, the universal experiment, make design marks are painted on top of black glaze with a wax resist. mistakes, and to “It’s two different ways of thinking, two different ways of ap- change my mind and proaching the mark,” he says. “The other work was done with wash everything off mark-making as well, but this way the wax disappears and the without destroying mark is what’s left behind rather than what is put on.” the pot. The greatest The year is also scheduled with teaching opportunities for Gess. technical challenge “The challenge for me is to teach people how to improvise—how to this approach is to live and learn to make pottery that is of their own self, their own shrinkage. The slips nature or instinct or personality,” says Gess. Much like improvisa- need to be watery- tion in jazz, the spontaneity of mark-making has to come from thin. (If the slip looks within. What keeps Gess teaching is the fact that it’s fulfilling to wonderfully thick give back. “When I work, I don’t analyze every step for myself, and creamy in the but when I teach I have to articulate things differently.” bucket, then it’s Three decades of life and studio experience cannot be sum- much too thick for bisque.) I standardize Teapot, 8½ in. (22 cm) in height, thrown and marized in one workshop—or one essay, for that matter. Poignant altered white stoneware with multiple slips the process by using experiences of graphic power can’t always be replicated. A teacher and glaze, salt fired to cone 10, 2009. cannot simply tell a student to live a full life. All of this, however, a gram scale and can be embodied. It can inform everything from reading sheet graduated cylinder music to telling stories. It can foster a critical and delightful view in order to carefully measure and record the specific gravity, or weight-to- of the world, one that provokes the senses with a nod toward the volume (density) comparison of each of my slips. To measure spiritual. It can lend itself to a whole life, a whole potter. the specific gravity, divide the weight of a given volume of your slip by the weight of the same volume of water. Terry Gess lives in Bakersville, North Carolina, with his wife and Most of my slips are 1.2 specific gravity (meaning they textile artist Carmen Grier. He is represented locally by Southern are 1.2 times as dense as water), while most glazes are Highlands Craft Guild, Penland Gallery, Crimson Laurel Gallery, in the 1.6–1.7 range. Adding approximately 2% Veegum and more. To learn more, visit terrygesspottery.com. Cer (which is a mixture of synthetic and natural gums) and 1% bentonite to the slip helps with glaze suspension the author Katey Schultz writes from her home in Bakersville, North and also binds each layer of slip to preceding layers on Carolina. To learn more, visit katey.schultz.googlepages.com. the surface of the pot.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 47 The MfA Factor We continue our series of profiles of ceramic graduate-study programs with a Great Lakes school that offers diverse options.

EDINBORO UNIVERSITY Students in the graduate ceramics program at Edinboro University are expected to develop a strong individual direction, whether it is in ceramic sculpture or functional pottery. Our extensive facility provides all methods of firing and studio access 24 hours a day. Three diverse full-time faculty members offer different approaches to the medium as students cultivate ideas and techniques. Our program averages eight MFA students, and two or more MA students per year. Students choose a committee of at least three graduate faculty members and the committee formally meets with each student a minimum of two times per semester. Our graduate classes meet twice a week for critical analysis of studio work, lectures, and discussions to support students in their research. The ceramics program is part of an Art Department of 50 faculty with 900 undergraduate art majors. Graduate students are encouraged to take advantage of the breadth of our accomplished faculty and to explore other mediums in the context of their ongoing work. Our NASAD accredited program also includes specialty courses in kiln building and glaze calculation. Other topics including market- ing and photographing artwork for portfolio and publication purposes are integrated within the curriculum. Edinboro’s ceramics program brings in at least two nationally known visiting artists per year in addition to other guest lecturers, critics, and demonstrators. Our graduate students are instrumental in selecting these artists and organizing their itinerary. These lectures and demonstrations add variety and depth to our already comprehensive course offerings. Many of our ceramic graduate alumni are pursuing careers as studio artists with a large percentage teaching at the university level across the country and internationally.

Steven Program Details Kemenyffy • 3-year/ 60 credit MFA program. Candidacy review at mid- way point. • Solo thesis exhibition required at the end of the program. • Approximately 20 applicants per year • 2–3 accepted per year as space allows • Graduate assistantships, including tuition waiver and stipend, awarded to all full-time MFA students (non-teaching as- sistantships). • Career-planning and job-placement-assistance including a required interdisciplinary graduate Fine Arts Seminar course. • Cost per year: In-state fees: approximately $1056 Out-of-state fees: approximately $1112

Steven Kemenyffy, professor of art/ceramics, received his MFA from the University of Iowa. Steve has been teaching at Edinboro University since 1969, while maintaining an active exhibition history. He has participated in hundreds of workshops and lectures across the country and internationally. Kemenyffy is best known for his contributions to American raku and his innovative approach to ceramics. Right: Orb # 1, 36 in. (91 cm) in height, earthenware with variegated styrene inclusions, steel, iridized ceramic, 2008. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 48 Chuck Johnson Facilities Highlights • 9800 square feet of dedicated space • Four 320-square-foot semi-private graduate studios for all full-time MFA students • 45-cubic-foot downdraft car kiln • Five 20-cubic-foot Alpine gas kilns • 30-cubic-foot Alpine gas kiln • 10-cubic-foot downdraft test gas kiln • 6-cubic-foot updraft test gas kiln • 60-cubic-foot downdraft kiln • Three raku kilns of varying sizes • Five electric kilns (23×27 in.) • Small electric test kiln • 26-cubic-foot downdraft soda kiln • 4-cubic-foot test salt/saltku kiln • 110-cubic-foot anagama wood kiln • Two Soldner mixers, one Bluebird mixer, and one Randall mixer • Pug mill • Ball mill • Two spray booths • Two slab rollers • 28 Brent wheels, 2 Randall motorized wheels • Three extruders

Chuck Johnson received his BA in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater and his MFA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Johnson is a sculptor whose main focus is narrative stacked forms made of unglazed clay. Much of his work explores issues of environmental sustainability and the impact of human Lee Rexrode activities on endangered species. He also has a background in vessel making and production pottery and he continues to produce functional forms. Above: Rhino with Gothic Organ, 34 in. (86 cm) in height, unglazed cone 1 sculpture body fired to cone 1 in reduction, 2008.

Edinboro[faculty]

Lee Rexrode, professor of ceramics, earned his MFA degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. Since 1990, Lee has been teaching at Edinboro University, making pots, and teaching workshops across the country. Rexrode’s expertise is altered wheel- thrown pottery and he often fires his work in salt. He is currently researching salt firing at cone 6 and plans to publish his results in the near future. Right: Black jar (nesting), 17 in. (43 cm) in height, wheel-thrown stoneware, salt fired to cone 10, 2007. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 49 THE MFa FActor

Rachel Carpenter

Edinboro[grad students]

First and foremost the diversity and reputation are what attracted me to Edinboro. Also the plethora of equipment and full tuition waiver contributed to my decision. I took a year and a half off in between undergraduate and graduate school. During that time I was the artist in residence at my undergraduate school, Buffalo State College. There, I was able to create new work and develop a more professional and cohesive portfolio that would enable me to be competitive in pursuing graduate schools. After completing my MFA I plan on pursuing professorship positions, but am open to various possibilities.

I chose to attend Edinboro University because of the versatility of the professors’ and Jonathan Matecki students’ work. Edinboro has offered me a place to grow as an aspiring potter. After undergraduate school, I took the opportunity to teach high school art while getting my Master’s in Education. After graduate school, I will be applying to residencies and teaching positions. Right now I am concentrating on learning and pushing my work and ideas.

Heath Papa

I taught high school mathematics for 10 years before resigning to attend graduate school full time. I had been working as a potter for years when, with the support of my wife, I decided to follow my passions and pursue a career in the arts. My assorted degrees and certifications will allow me to apply for teaching positions in grades K-12 as well as post-secondary levels, while continuing to create and exhibit my work. Bob Shields

After considering my options, talking to the faculty, students, and alumni, the overall reason for my coming to Edinboro is how it felt, and it’s been a blessing. I did take a few months between receiving my undergraduate degree, and coming to Edinboro, but I was able to keep working in clay. I would like to get a job after school, teaching would be nice, but as long as it supports a family it will do. Though I haven’t exhibited much, I plan on doing more as I get closer to graduation. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 50 Amy Eaton When I finished my BFA in Ceramics, I felt graduate school was the next Rutledge logical step, so I chose not to take time between academic degrees. Ultimately, I chose Edinboro because of the Graduate Assistant program and the rural location. The school currently provides all of its graduate students with a tuition waiver and a graduate assistantship, which provides a stipend. The rural location was important to me because I wanted to find a school that didn’t have a lot of distractions that bigger cities often provide.

Tomas Schneider I took about six years after earning my BFA to learn every aspect of bronze I spent a year after undergraduate school working casting, mold-making, and the business of running a foundry to expand as a teaching assistant at my alma mater while I my knowledge and marketability. I plan on seeking a professorship after solidified my portfolio and researched graduate graduation. I am aggressively pursuing exhibitions while in school, the last programs. Edinboro stood out, both for the reputation being the Slipstream concurrent exhibition at the Pittsburgh NCECA. and ability of the faculty and for the quality and diversity of student work. After earning my MFA, I plan to seek a college level teaching position, while also pursuing exhibition opportunities. Anne Mormile Edinboro allows me to freely explore my creativity through clay and experimentation with surface treatment. This and the diversity of the faculty is what initially drew me to this school. After graduating with a BFA, I took four years off. In that time frame, I had the opportunity to set up and run a ceramic program at a private arts center.

Shortly after receiving my undergraduate degree in art education, I bought an existing Eric H. pottery studio and business, spent several Schwartz years as a successful production potter, then moved and started a graphics arts business. Eventually, I became a high school ceramics teacher and subsequently took graduate courses to upgrade my teaching certificate. Edinboro has an excellent ceramics program and is relatively close to where I live and teach. Being a student in the program has recharged my ceramics batteries, inspired me to shift from production work to sculptural pieces, and provided opportunities to participate in group exhibitions.

Jason Stockman

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 51 A New Pot’s In my last firing, I made a pot that satisfied me like none before. It was one of those miracles where a good form and an even better firing combine with a dollop of seren- dipity. On a whim, I yanked the piece out of the kiln on the last day of a six-day wood firing. As I watched it cool from red heat into glacial blues, whites, and blacks, I was story By John Dix overcome with both a feeling of accomplishment and a vision of a new and exciting direction for my work. It had been a while, though I used to get that feeling quite a bit when I first started firing my kiln, an anagama I built in the Tanba region of Japan about twelve years ago. In early firings, I’d get some good pots, a lot of bad pots, and usually one or two truly wonderful pieces. The Properly suited up, John Dix watches his Kelly bag cool after pulling it from a hot kiln. Pulling pots out of a hot good pieces sustained me through the tough times of kiln is known in Japan as hiki-dashi. learning how my kiln worked and, over time, the amazing

Photos: Live shots, Amy Farkas; finished piece, Yoshihiko Fujimura

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 52 Left: the Kelly bag shown as Dix and his assistant, Kjell, use a stainless steel rod and wooden sticks to retrieve the piece from Dix’s wood kiln. Below: The Kelly bag with Snowy Shino glaze, which, when cooled rapidly, transforms from glowing red to cool glacier-like white with hues of blues and purples blending into coal-glossy black.

piece from one firing would become the norm in later firings. For the last few years, however, I’ve been getting a lot of good pots and some great pieces, but no totally unexpected beauties. The vase in question has a basket shape, and I call it the Kelly bag. When I first made this form, many years ago, Hermes had just opened its Japanese flagship store in the Ginza. To commemorate the opening, the firm offered a limited edition of one of their most famous bags (named after Grace Kelly) and the media was filled with pictures of Tokyo women lined up around the block for the privilege of dropping several thousand dollars for one. The shape of that first vase was coincidentally similar to that bag, and although recent iterations bear almost no resemblance to the early ones, the name has stuck. Pulling pots out of a hot kiln is known in Japan as hiki-dashi. I imagine it was originally done to gauge the progress of a firing, to see if the glazes matured, or how much ash had accumulated. I was taught the technique by Peter Callas, who has turned the technique into an art form. I raced to my computer, which had photos of the loading. I hadn’t planned on pulling this piece. I always pull a few black One showed a Kelly bag on the floor with the same shino, but glazed pots (hiki-guro) at cone 6 and also a number of natural ash it was fairly big and I doubted it would fit out the stoke hole. I pieces throughout the firing (mostly sake cups, teabowls, and the looked further back in the library and found a shot of me at the occasional small vase) but never a shino-glazed piece. As I was wheel with the Kelly on a shelf behind. Next to it was a box of trying to get a teabowl out, it dragged a glazed sake bottle (tok- Kleenex, and that was all I needed to see. Estimating shrinkage, I kuri ) along with it, and I broke the teabowl in the kiln trying to calculated the Kelly would fit with less than an inch to spare, and separate the two. decided to go for it. Cussing to beat the band, I decided to yank out the tokkuri in Properly suited up, I reached in with my thickest stainless rod. order to get it out of the way so it wouldn’t stick to another pot. I hooked under the handle of the Kelly and pulled. It was stuck Almost unnoticed, it cooled to a glacier-like white with hues of pretty well but finally started to give, like gum on the bottom of a blues and purples blending into coal-glossy black. These colors shoe. I knew I was running out of time (you only have a couple of astounded me, and my mind went into overdrive searching for minutes until the rod goes limp from the heat) and, sure enough, what else with that glaze was within reach. as I got it closer to the door, the rod started to bend.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 53 recipe Snowy Shino (cone 12–14) Kamato Feldspar (see below)...... 80 Kaolin ...... 20 100 % Kamato Feldspar Analysis

SiO2...... 76. .45

Al2O3...... 13 .36

Fe2O3...... 0 .06

TiO2...... 0. .01 CaO...... 0. .81 MgO ...... 0 .01

A lot of the Shino potters (which I don’t con- sider myself to be) mine their own feldspar, or have secret sources and keep their cards pretty close to their vests . Kamato is a commercially sold feldspar in Japan . It needs cone 12 bend- ing over and a lot of ash before it starts to get interesting in my kiln .

Right: The red-hot Kelly bag crash cools shortly after being pulled from the kiln.

I yelled at my assistant (ironically, named Kjell) to get ready For functional ware, I use an American–type shino, which is with a couple of sturdy sticks. Kelly made it to the door, but the spodumene, nepheline syenite, and soda feldspar, and the pieces foot of the pot scraped along the bottom bricks with millimeters are fired towards the back of the kiln, which is cooler and receives to spare at the top—I had forgotten to take into account the wad- less ash. More important pieces, however, receive what I call Snowy ding! Somehow, Kjell caught it as it came out and we wrestled it Shino, which is a local feldspar with a bit of kaolin added. It needs down onto some bricks, Kjell getting a nasty burn on his finger more heat and ash before it starts to get interesting, and I fire these in the process. We then watched in awe as it cooled into one of pieces near the front of the kiln, around the firebox. The result the finest pieces I had ever made. Soon, we were calling it “The is a rich, white matt glaze with tinges of blues and purples where Game Changer” for the possibilities it opened up. the ash accumulates. Over the following weeks, the Kelly became more of a game The winning Kelly had thickly applied Snowy Shino. The winner than a game changer (I’m much more comfortable with sudden extraction and cooling gave it a glossiness that radiated as sports metaphors than zen parables). It felt like a victory—a pay- if it were lit from within. This look is distinct from all previous off following years of experimentation and struggle. I think most Snowys that have ever emerged from my kiln, and, in fact, stands athletes would say it wasn’t luck or God that made victory possible, apart from any shino I have seen anywhere. but years of hard work. This vase monopolizes my thoughts. Can I pull it off again? Like most of my work, the Kelly vases started as a rough concept How many can I get per firing? Can I enlarge the door? Would that needed time to evolve. I look back at the first prototypes now a stronger rod be too heavy? Two people, two rods? And so on. and cringe; they were way too cerebral. After each firing, though, my Needless to say, I won’t sleep much until my next firing. self-critiquing informed the next series. More importantly, repetition honed my technique. The mechanics of making moved from the mind the author John Dix, an American from Flint, Michigan, has been and into the gut, and that is when my work starts to get strong. making pots for 30 years—the last 20 in Japan. After spending 3 years What really knocked the new Kelly out of the park (sorry), in Bizen and firing in Shigaraki, he built an anagama-type wood was how the shino came out. About half the pots in my kiln are kiln in the Tanba area near Kobe. He regularly exhibits in Tokyo and glazed with one of two types of shino, the rest having no glaze. Osaka, and gives workshops in both Japan and the United States.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 54 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 55 call for entries Deadlines for Exhibitions, Fairs, and Festivals Submit online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org international exhibitions Pimentel, Igneri Foundation, 1733 NW 79th Ave., Doral, Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4000; [email protected]; FL 33126-1110; [email protected]; www.elit-tile.net; www.art.usu.edu; 435-797-3566. November 1, 2009 entry deadline 809-531-0164. December 4, 2009 entry deadline Massachusetts, North Adams “Call for proposals December 1, 2009 entry deadline Minnesota, Elk River “Arts in Harmony” (February for 2009–2010 exhibition schedule.” Contemporary Pennsylvania, Philadelphia “Tell-Tale Tiles & Fractured 8–March 25, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: Arts Center, 189 Beaver St., North Adams, MA 01247; Fantasies” (March 19–April 19, 2010) open to tile work. $30 for two entries. Jurors: Marian Ortolf Bagley [email protected]; www.thecac.org; 413-663-9555. Juried from digital. Fee: $45 for three entires. Juror: and George Robinson. Elk River Arts Alliance, PO November 15, 2009 entry deadline Susan Tunick. Contact Sheila Menzies, Tile Heritage Box 737, Elk River, MN 55330; [email protected]; Italy, Venice “Arte Laguna Prize” open to sculpture. Foundation, PO Box 1850, Healdsburg, CA 95448; www.elkriverart.org. Juried from digital. Fee: $103 for two entries. Arte La- [email protected]; www.tileheritage.org; December 11, 2009 entry deadline guna, Via Roma 29/A, Mogliano Veneto, TV 31021 Italy; 707-431-8453. California, Mission Viejo “Small Fish, Large Pot IV: [email protected]; www.artelagunaprize.com; December 1, 2009 entry deadline 4th International Small Teapot Show and Competi- 39 041 5937242. Utah, Logan “Ceramics West” (January 11–February tion” (February 11–March 11, 2010) open to small November 30, 2009 entry deadline 6, 2009) open to artists in the United States, Canada, teapots. Juried from actual work. Fee: $40 for three Dominican Republic, Santiago “Fourth International and Mexico. Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. Juror: Guanzhen Zhou. Contact Tony Huntley, Ceramic Tile Triennial” (April 15–June 15, 2010) open entries. Juror: Chuck Hindes. Contact Dan Murphy, Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Pkwy., Mis- to tiles 15x15x5 cm. Juried from digital. Contact Thimo Utah State University, Dept. of Art, 4000 Old Main sion Viejo, CA 92692; [email protected]; http://gallery.saddleback.edu; 949-582-4401. December 11, 2009 entry deadline Spain, Sa Cabaneta “Bienal Internacional de Cerámica de Marratxi” (May 29–July 10, 2010). Juried from digital. Area de Cultura del Ayuntamiento de Marratxí, C. Santa Bárbara s/n, Sa Cabaneta, Marratxí, Balearic Islands 07141 Spain; [email protected]; www.marratxi.es; 971-797-624. December 18, 2009 entry deadline Minnesota, St. Paul “3rd Biennial Concordia Conti- nental Ceramics Competition” (January 28–February 19, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Concordia University, 1301 Marshall Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104; fields@csp. edu; www.csp.edu/art; 612-978-0069. January 20, 2010 entry deadline Florida, West Palm Beach “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” (March 2–16, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Contact Helen Otterson, Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401; [email protected]; www.armoryart.org; 561-832-1776. February 4, 2010 entry deadline Illinois, Chicago “21st Annual Teapot Show” (April 4–May 16, 2010) open to teapots. Fee: $25. Contact Joan Houlehen, A. Houberbocken, Inc., PO Box 196, Cudahy, WI 53110; [email protected]; 414-481-4000. February 19, 2010 entry deadline Italy “Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition 2010” open to ceramic tiles. Juried from digital. Novità Communications, Italy; [email protected]; www.tilecompetition.com. March 5, 2010 entry deadline Ohio, Kettering “Call for proposals for 2011 solo exhibition schedule.” Contact Amy Anderson, Coordinator, Rosewood Gallery, Rosewood Arts Centre, 2655 Olson Dr., Kettering, OH 45420; [email protected]; www.ketteringoh.org; 937-296-0294. united states exhibitions November 6, 2009 entry deadline Ohio, Peninsula “Cups of Kindness.” El- ements Gallery, 1619 W. Mill St., Penin- sula, OH 44264; [email protected]; www.cupsofkindness.net. November 12, 2009 entry deadline Texas, Beaumont “48th BAL National” (March 1–31, 2010). Fee: $35. Juror: Fealing Lin. Contact Dana Dorman, Beaumont Art League, 2675 Gulf St., Beaumont, TX 77703; [email protected]; www.beaumontartleague.org; 409-833-4179. November 13, 2009 entry deadline Washington, Kirkland “Call for proposals for 2010–2011 exhibition season.” Juried from digi- tal or slides. Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St, Kirkland, WA 98033; [email protected]; www.kirklandartcenter.org; 425-822-7161. December 16, 2009 entry deadline Illinois, LaGrange “Pour” (January 16–February 17, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. Juror: David Toan. Contact David Toan, Terra Incognito Studios and Gallery, 35 S. LaGrange Rd., LaGrange, IL 60525; [email protected]; www.terraincognitostudios.com; 708-352-1401. December 31, 2009 entry deadline Texas, Denton “42nd Annual Visual Arts Exhibi- tion” (April 22–May 28, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $35. Juror: Melissa Miller. Contact Deanna Wood, Visual Arts Society of Texas, PO Box Ceramics Monthly November 2009 56 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 57 call for entries

1281, Denton, TX 76202; [email protected]; April 5, 2010 entry deadline November 9, 2009 entry deadline www.vastarts.org. Missouri, Kansas City “KC CLay Guild Teabowl Na- Pennsylvania, Haverford “Mainlining Ceramics” January 18, 2010 entry deadline tional” (June 1–30, 2010) open to teabowls. Juried from (March 14–April 4, 2010) open to DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY Colorado, Grand Junction “3rd Biennial Contem- digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: Peter Pinnell. and PA artists. Juried from digital. Fee: no fee for six porary Clay 2010” (May 14–June 26, 2010). Juried Contact Susan Speck, KC Clay Guild, 200 W. 74th St., entries. Juror: Glen Brown. Contact Judy Herman, Main from digital or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. Kansas City, MO 64114; [email protected]; Line Art Center, 746 Panmure Rd., Haverford, PA 19041; Juror: Pete Pinnell. Contact Cheryl McNab, The Art www.kcclayguild.org; 816-363-1373. [email protected]; www.mainlineart.org; Center, 1803 N. 7th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501; regional exhibitions 610-525-0272. [email protected]; www.gjartcenter.org; November 2, 2009 entry deadline December 12, 2009 entry deadline 970-243-7337. Mississippi, Columbus “Functional Relationships.” California, Pomona “Ink & Clay 36” (March 18–May February 2, 2010 entry deadline Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. Jurors: 1, 2010) open to residents of CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, ND, Texas, San Angelo “The 18th San Angelo National Matt Long and Robert Long. Contact Alisa Holen, SD, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, and WY. Juried Ceramic Competition” (April 16–June 20, 2010). MUW Art Gallery, Dept. of Art & Design, Mississippi from digital or slides. Fee: $20 for three entries. Juror: Contact Karen Zimmerly, Collections Manager, San University For Women, 1100 College St. MUW-70, Elaine Levin. Contact Patrick Merrill, Kellogg Art Gallery, Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St., San Angelo, Columbus, MS 39701-5900; [email protected]; California State Polytechnic University, 3801 W. Temple TX 76903-3092; [email protected]; www.samfa.org; http://muw.edu/fine_arts2/functionalrelationships.pdf; Ave., Pomona, CA 91768; [email protected]; 325-653-3333. 662-241-7814. www.csupomona.edu. January 15, 2010 entry deadline Illinois, Peoria “2nd Biennial Central Time Ceramics” (March 4–April 2, 2010) open to artists in the Central Time Zone, including Canada and Mexico. Juried from digital. Fee: $40 for five entries. Juror: Matt Wilt. Contact Elizabeth Kauffman, Gallery Director, Bradley University, Heuser Art Center, 1501 W. Brad- ley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625; [email protected]; slane.bradley.edu/bug; 309-677-2989. February 13, 2010 entry deadline California, Davis “2010 California Clay Competion” Functional and sculptural work. Fee: $15 per entry. Juror: Stan Welsh. The Artery, 207 G St., Davis, CA 95616; [email protected]; www.theartery.net; 530-758-8330. March 1, 2010 entry deadline Texas, Houston “CraftTexas 2010” (September 25, 2010–January 9, 2011) open to TX artists. Juried from digital. Fee: $35. Jurors: Gail M. Brown, Cindy Hickok, and Paula Owen. Contact Mary Headrick, Communications Director, Houston Center for Con- temporary Craft, 4848 Main St., Houston, TX 77002; [email protected]; www.crafthouston.org; 713-529-4848. fairs, festivals and sales December 8, 2009 entry deadline New Jersey, Tinton Falls “40th Anniversary of Monmouth Festival of the Arts” (April 17–21, 2010). Juried from actual work or digital. Fee: $20. Contact Rose Grossman, Monmouth Festi- val of the Arts, 332 Hance Ave., Tinton Falls, NJ 07726; [email protected]; www.monmouthfestivalofthearts.com; 732-747-8278. January 25, 2010 entry deadline Wisconsin, Cambridge “Cambridge Pottery Festival & US Pottery Games” (June 12–13, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $25. Contact Wendy Brabender, Cambridge Pottery Festival & US Pottery Games, PO Box 393, Cambridge, WI 53523; [email protected]; www.cambridgepotteryfestival.org; 608-423-3164. February 10, 2010 entry deadline Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh “Three Rivers Arts Festival” (June 4–13, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $25. Contact Sonja Sweterlitsch, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 803 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222; [email protected]; www.artsfestival.net; 412-471-3191. April 1, 2010 entry deadline New Jersey, Verona “Fine Art and Crafts at Verona Park” (May 15–16, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $330. Contact Janet Rose, Rose Squared Produc- tions, Inc., 12 Galaxy Ct., Hillsborough, NJ 08844; [email protected]; www.rosesquared.com; 908-874-5247. April 15, 2010 entry deadline Canada, Edmonton “The Works Art Market” (June 25–July 7, 2010). Juried from digital. Contact Glen Evans-Percy, The Works Art & Design Festival, 10635 - 95 St. NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5H 2C3 Canada; [email protected]; www.theworks.ab.ca; 780-426-2122. May 1, 2010 entry deadline New Jersey, Hillsborough “Fine Art and Crafts at Oak Ridge Park” (June 5–6, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $330. Contact Janet Rose, Rose Squared Productions, Inc., 12 Galaxy Ct., Hillsborough, NJ 08844; [email protected]; www.rosesquared.com; 908-874-5247. May 1, 2010 entry deadline New Jersey, Bloomfield “Spring Fine Art and Crafts at Brookdale Park” (June 19–20, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $330. Contact Janet Rose, Rose Squared Productions, Inc., 12 Galaxy Ct., Hillsborough, NJ 08844; [email protected]; www.rosesquared.com; 908-874-5247. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 58 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 59 new books

Mastering Portraiture ethnicity, and even a sense of the psychological Advanced Analyses of the Face state of the subject. The book emphasizes the im- Sculpted in Clay portance of studying facial anatomy, with several by Philippe and Charisse Faraut examples of how this structural understanding makes it possible to recreate expressions with a In this, the follow-up book to Portrait Sculpt- high degree of exactitude. ing: Anatomy and Expressions in Clay, published The book’s ten chapters start with one cover- in 2004, Philippe Faraut expands on techniques ing the tools and materials needed for sculpting for sculpting portrait busts and faces in water figurative busts, including a few you might not based clay, concentrating on how to analyze and think of, like reference casts, and high contrast convey expressions and emotions, a sense of age, lighting in the workspace. Faraut also explains

the best strategies for using photos as references and avoiding transferring photographic distor- tions into your clay portraits. The second chapter covers the concept of style and the third illustrates analyzing a face as a series of intersecting planes. The chapter on likeness starts with learning strategies, and continues on to the ways to achieve an accurate portrait, including working with a live model, deciding on scale, measuring, determining proportions and planes, and placing features. Portraying gender is discussed through com- parisons of the overall size and shape of the face, as well as the individual facial features specific to males or females. Hair and drapery are discussed separately, though the instructions on how to approach each starts with the basic construction and continues through to conveying the variety of texture, color, movement, weight, and types. A chapter dedicated to facial expressions shows a variety of emotional states illustrated by different portraits and discusses some of the musculature involved. Conveying a sense of the subject’s age through an understanding of the morphology of facial features for various age groups comprises the last major chapter. The discussion includes interest- ing insights from the author’s work in forensic facial reconstruction. The book ends with an overview of various methods for finishing the piece, from hollowing and firing the original to making molds and cast- ing or creating the portrait in other materials. 230 pages, 483 illustrations, Hardback, $54.95, ISBN 978-0-9755065-6-1. Published by PCF Studios, PO Box 722, Honeoye, New York, 14471; pcfstudios.com; [email protected]. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 60 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 61 Offers expire 12/11/2009. GreatGreat HolidayHoliday GiftGift IdeasIdeas forfor 20092009

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P.S. Every time you give a gift of a Potters Council membership or a magazine Offers expires December 11, 2009. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 subscription, we will63 send a personalized gift card on your behalf. calendar Conferences, Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs submit listings at www.ceramicsmonthly.org

conferences Contact Linda Saville, Laguna Beach Ceram- Conference,” with Bruce Cochrane, Sara Jaeger, ics, 31071 Monterey St., Laguna Beach, CA Lorna Meaden, Elaine Olafson-Henry, Anthony Alabama, Dothan February 19 to Febru- 92651; [email protected]; Schaller and Jeff Zawek. Fee: $175. Contact ary 21, 2010 “Alabama Clay Conference 25: www.lagunabeachceramics.com; 949-499-7446. Randolph Arts Guild, PO Box 1033, Asheboro, Rhythms, Generation, Re-Generation,” with Florida, Pensacola February 11 to Febru- NC 27205 Canada; [email protected]; Marko Fields, Spencer MacCallum, Brian Nettles, ary 13, 2010 “Gulf Coast Clay Conference www.randolphartsguild.com; 336-629-0399. Juan Quezada, and Lana Wilson. Contact Linda and Woodstoke Festival,” with Patrick Bodine, Canada, Burnaby March 13, 2010 “5th Trien- Saville, Troy University and Alabama Crafts John Britt, Bill Clover, Steve Dark, Jason Stokes, nial Canadian Clay Symposium: Aesthetics,” with Council, 500 University Dr., Dothan, AL 36303; and Anne Halley Webb. Fee: $95. Contact Robert Baron, Kathryn Finnerty, Amy Gogarty, [email protected]; www.alclayconference.org; Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society, 7507 Buckeye Don Hutchinson, Les Manning, D’arcy Marges- 334-670-3375. Dr., Navarre, FL 32566; [email protected]; son, Gailan Ngan, Alwyn O’brien, Peter Pown- California, Laguna Beach January 31 to www.gulfcoastkilnwalk.org; 850-939-7972. ing, Jack Troy, and Kathy Venter. Fee: $124.95. February 4, 2010 “Paperclay Today,” with North Carolina, Asheboro March 5 to March Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Canadian Rosette Gault and Graham Hay. Fee: $95. 7, 2010 “24th Annual North Carolina Potters Clay Collective, 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; www.canadianclaysymposium.ca; 604-291-6864. Denmark, Skælskør November 3 to Decem- ber 16 “Network 2009: Symposium.” Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Jern- banevej 14, st. tv., Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Denmark, Skælskør January 5 to February 17, 2010 “Network 2009: Symposium.” Con- tact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Jern- banevej 14, st. tv., Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Germany, Bröllin September 3 to September 5, 2010 “1st European Woodfire Conference.” Contact Markus Böhm, First European Woodfire Conference, Alt Gaarz 6, Lärz, D-17248 Germa- ny; [email protected]; www.woodfire.net; 82 43 277 2501 3. Republic of Korea, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheon- gju-Si through November 1 “Cheongju Internation- al Craft Biennale 2009.” Fee: $275. Contact Kang Sun Kyoung, Cheongju International Craft Biennial, 329 Heungdeok-Ro, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si, AL 361-828 Republic of Korea; [email protected]; www.okcj.org; 82 43 277 2501 3. solo exhibitions

Arizona, Scottsdale November 5 to No- vember 19 “Vagabond in the Desert,” works by Virgil Ortiz; at King Galleries of Scottsdale, 7100 Main St., #1. California, Pomona through January 9, 2010 “A Timeless Legacy,” works by Harrison McIntosh; at American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave. California, San Diego November 14 to De- cember 12 “Featured Artist Presentation,” works by Mari Page; at San Diego Sculptors Guild and Gallery, Spanish Village #36 Balboa Park. California, San Francisco November 18 to December 1 “Gratitude: 63 Bowls for My 63 Years,” works by Bonita Cohn; at Ruby’s Clay Studio and Gallery, 552A Noe St. California, Santa Monica through No- vember 7 “Recent Ceramic Sculpture,” works by Wouter Dam; at Frank Lloyd Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave. B5B. Colorado, Denver November 6 to November 30 “Intimate Vessels,” works by Kevin Snipes; at Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. Colorado, Denver December 4 to Decem- ber 28 “Retrospective: 1973-2009,” works by Jonathan Kaplan; at Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. Illinois, Chicago through November 7 “Skin,” works by Thomas Schmidt; at Dubhe Carreño Gallery, 118 N. Peoria St. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 64 Visit us at ceramic artsdaily.org

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Ceramic Publications Company, 600 N. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082 Phone: 866-721-3322 Fax: 614-794-5842 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 65 calendar solo exhibitions Illinois, Chicago through November 7 works by Karen Mahoney; at The Potters Shop, Montana, Red Lodge November 6 to Novem- “The Junk Mail Experiment,” works by Barbara 31 Thorpe Road Suite 206. ber 30 “Featured Artist,” works by Steve Godfrey; Hashimoto; at Dubhe Carreño Gallery, 118 N. Michigan, Midland through January 3, at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. Peoria St. 2010 “Pareidolia,” works by James Freeman; at Montana, Red Lodge December 1 to Decem- Maryland, Bethesda November 13 to Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art, 1801 ber 31 “Featured Artist,” works by Jenny Mendes; December 5 “Dye, Stitch, Join,” works by W St. Andrews Rd. at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. Laura Peery; at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 Minnesota, Minneapolis through Novem- New Jersey, Springfield November 16 East West Hwy. ber 1 “We Believe in Some Thing,” works by to December 29 “Frogs, Friends & Fireplaces: Massachusetts, Boston December 5 to Roxanne Jackson; at Minneapolis Institute of Through the Seasons with Earthsongs Studio,” January 18, 2010 “Striking Balance,” works Arts, 2400 Third Avenue S. works by Linda Vonderschmidt-Lastella; 66 by Randy Johnston; at Pucker Gallery, 171 Missouri, Sedalia through December 6 Mountain Ave. Newbury St. “Androgyny,” works by Sergei Isupov; at Daum New Mexico, Santa Fe through December 5 Massachusetts, Needham through Novem- Museum of Contemporary Art, State Fair Com- “Harmony and Dissonance,” works by Chris Sta- ber 27 “Asian Inspired Stoneware and Porcelain,” munity College, 3201 W. 16th St. ley; at Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. New York, Fabius through November 16 “New Work,” works by Jack Troy; at Gandee Gallery, 7846 Main St. New York, New York through November 13 “Vessels and Sculptures,” works by Shizue Imai; at Cocobolo Gallery, 195 Chrystie St 402D. New York, New York through November 19 “Traffic Patterns,” works by Kathy Erteman; at Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. New York, Woodstock November 21 to January 3, 2010 “The Time is Now,” works by Craig Wood; at Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, 28 Tinker St. North Carolina, Bakersville November 7 to December 31 “Yakishime-Kohiki-Yuuyaku,” works by Akira Satake; at Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 Crimson Laurel Way. Ohio, Canton through November 1 “Re- monstrations from the Iconic Rustbelt,” works by William Brouillard; at Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave., N. Ohio, Canton November 27 to March 7, 2010 “Forty Five,” works by Terri Kern; at Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave. N. Ohio, Columbus through November 8 “New Work,” works by Chris Gustin; at Sherrie Gal- lerie, 694 N. High St. Texas, Johnson City through January 5, 2010 “Recent Works,” works by Danville Chadbourne; at Kirchman Galleries, 213 N. Nugent Ave. Vermont, Bennington through November 8 “Revisiting Traditions: Illuminating Our Times,” works by Emmett Leader; at The Bennington Museum, 75 W. Main St. (Rte. 9). Vermont, Bennington November 14 to December 26 “New Work,” works by Molly Hatch; at The Bennington Museum, 75 Main St. (Rt. 9). Washington, Bellevue through January 31, 2010 “Bright Abyss,” works by Robert Sperry; at Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. Wisconsin, Racine through January 17, 2010 “Collection Focus,” works by Michael Lucero; at Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St. Canada, Banff November 12 to November 18 “New Work,” works by Barbara Tipton; at Willock & Sax Gallery, 110 Bison Courtyard, 211 Bear St. Canada, Aurora November 4 to December 5 “The Great Umbrella Caper,” works by Ann Mortimer; at Church Street School Cultural Centre, 22 Church St. Canada, Waterloo through November 30 “The Masked Ball,” works by Aganetha Dyck; at Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline St., N. England, London November 18 to December 18 “New Work,” works by Hans Vangsø; at Gal- erie Besson, 15 Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond St. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 66 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 67 calendar solo exhibitions England, Liverpool through November 28 Netherlands, Deventer through November Josep Serra Abella; at Masia Museu Serra, Paseo “The Elisabeth Zuckerman Memorial Exhibi- 7 “New Work,” works by Gustavo Pérez; at de la Campsa 1, Cornellà de Llobregat. tion,” works by Magdalene Odundo; at Bluecoat Loes & Reinier International Ceramics, Vlee- Switzerland, Geneva through January 11, Display Centre, 50-51 The Bluecoat, Bluecoat shouwerstraat 1. 2010 “+ PT Projects,” works by Philippe Barde; Chambers, College Ln. Netherlands, Deventer November 22 to at Musée Ariana, Ave. de la Paix 10. Netherlands, Amsterdam through Novem- December 24 “New Work,” works by Philippe ber 14 “Ceramics,” works by Michael Moore; at Dubuc; at Loes & Reinier International Ceramics, group ceramics exhibitions Galerie Carla Koch, Veemkade 500. Korte Assenstraat 15. Netherlands, Delft through November 21 Netherlands, Leeuwarden through Novem- Arizona, Tempe through November 28 “Na- “New Work,” works by Catrin Howell; at Gallery ber 8 “Killing Treasures,” works by Anamá Ponce tive Confluence: Sustaining Cultures”; at ASU Terra Delft, Nieuwstraat 7. Vazquez; at Ceramic Museum Princessehof, Art Museum Ceramics Research Center, Arizona Netherlands, Delft November 28 to Decem- Grote Kerkstraat 11. State University, Mill Ave. and Tenth St. ber 31 “New Work,” works by Daphné Corregan; Spain, Barcelona through November 6 California, Bakersfield November 6 to at Gallery Terra Delft, Nieuwstraat 7. “1906–1989: Artista de la Ceràmica,” works by December 19 “Three Oakland Potters,” works by Jason Dunn, Noelle Nakama, and Hue Yang; at Surface Gallery, 1703 20th St. California, Fresno November 5 to Decem- ber 19 “Intimate Cups”; at Clay Mix, 1003 N. Abby St. California, Oakland November 24 to Janu- ary 15, 2010 “Juried Annual 2010”; at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St. California, San Rafael through January 2, 2010 “Out of the Fire: Clay & Glass from ACGA”; at Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave. California, Walnut Creek December 1 to January 31, 2010 “Objects of Virtue: A National Exhibit of Contemporary Pottery”; at Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Dr. Colorado, Denver December 4 to December 28 “Plinth Gallery Retrospective 2009,” works by Dan Anderson, Conner Burns, Amanda Jaffe, Suzanne Kane, Danny Meisinger, Peter Saenger, Kevin Snipes and Russel Wrankle; at Plinth Gal- lery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. District of Columbia, Washington through January 1, 2010 “Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia”; at Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Georgia, Decatur November 27 to December 24 “Holiday Studio Exhibit,” works by Chris Baumann, Kyle Carpenter, Cara Gilbert, Erik Haagensen, Ronan Peterson, Adrina Richard and Liz Summerfield; at MudFire Clayworks & Gallery, 175 Laredo Dr. Georgia, Sautee Nacoochee through August 31, 2010 “International Folk Pot- tery Exhibition”; at Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, Georgia Hwy 255, Sautee Nacoochee Center. Illinois, Chicago through November 8 “New Work,” works by Dan Anderson and Robert Archambeau; at Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. Illinois, Chicago November 16 to December 31 “Gift Box: The 34th Holiday Show”; at Lill- street Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. Illinois, Warrenville October 23 to No- vember 21 “Clay³”; at ClaySpace, 28W210 Warrenville Rd. Iowa, Iowa City through November 6 “Recent Ceramics,” works by Naomi Dalglish, Michael Hunt and Warren Mackenzie; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. Iowa, Iowa City November 13 to December 4 “30 x 5”; at AKAR, 257 E Iowa Ave. Massachusetts, Brockton through January 3, 2010 “The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories”; at Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St. Michigan, Ann Arbor November 1 to De- cember 5 “25th Anniversary Invitational Exhibit,” works by JT Abernathy, Royce Disbrow, Shirley Ceramics Monthly November 2009 68 PORCELAIN Potters Council Regional Conference San Diego, California | February 5-7, 2010 Featured Artists: Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Meira Mathison and Tom Turner

Artist: Elaine Coleman Artist: Tom Coleman Artist: Meira Mathison Artist: Tom Turner REGISTER TODAY This conference brings together four of North America’s most adept and experienced porcelain potters. With an average of 42 years of working with porcelain between them, this porcelain dream team will share their expert tips and techniques for working with this beautiful yet challenging ceramic material.

Space limited 800.424.8698

www.potterscouncil.org Host: Clay Artists of San Diego www.ceramicartsdaily.org/education www.clayartistsofsandiego.com

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 69 calendar group exhibitions Knudsvig, Yiu Keung Lee, Roann Ogawa, John Stephenson, Bobbi Stevens, Shirley White-Black, Donna Williams, and Monica Wilson; at Clay Gallery, 335 S. Main St. Minnesota, Minneapolis through November 11 “Minnesota Women Ceramic Artists Second Annual Juried Exhibition”; at Minnesota Women Ceramic Artists, 1500 Jackson St. NE. Minnesota, Minneapolis through November 8 “2009 Regis Masters,” works by Ron Meyers and Patti Warashina; at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave. E. Missouri, Kansas City November 6 to November 28 “Where The Wild Things Are,” works by Bernadette Curran, Shanna Fliegel, Martha Grover, Calder Kamin, Brooke Noble, and Shoko Teruyama; at Red Star Studios, 821 W. 17th St. North Carolina, Seagrove November 10 to January 30, 2010 “Fire in the Valley: Catawba Valley Pottery Then and Now”; at North Carolina Pottery Center, 233 East Ave., PO Box 531. Ohio, Columbus November 15 to December 31 “New Work,” works by Elaine Coleman and Tom Coleman; at Sherrie Gallerie, 694 N. High St. Ohio, Kettering November 9 to December 11 “HWD 2009”; at Rosewood Gallery, Rosewood Arts Centre, 2655 Olson Dr. Rhode Island, Newport through November 5 “The State of Clay”; at Newport Potters Guild, 302 Thames St. Virginia, Alexandria through November 29 “Table Talk”; at Scope Gallery at The Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St. Virginia, Alexandria November 30 to January 3, 2010 “Gifts from the Earth”; at Scope Gallery at The Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St. Virginia, Williamsburg through Decem- ber 31 “Inspiration and Ingenuity: American Stoneware”; at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, 325 W. Francis St. Virginia, Williamsburg through January 2, 2011 “Pottery with a Past: Stoneware in Early America”; at DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 325 W. Francis St. Washington, Tacoma through November 20 “WAC 2009 Annual Show”; at Artstop Gallery, Washington Clay Arts Association, 940 Broadway. Canada, Toronto through January 10, 2010 “For the First Time Recent Acquisitions 2005- 2009”; at Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, 111 Queen’s Park. England, London through December 20 “Terra Incognita: Italy’s Ceramics Revival”; at Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, 39A Canonbury Sq. England, London through November 22 “The Power of Dogu: Ceramic Figures from Ancient Japan”; at The British Museum, Great Russell St. England, London through March 1, 2010 “Objects of Luxury: French Porcelain of the Eigh- teenth Century”; at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd. Germany, Berlin through November 16 “Karl Scheid and Gerald Weigel”; at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Schustehrusstr. 13. Germany, Berlin November 21 to Janu- ary 25, 2010 “Allerhand Weihnachtliches aus Keramik”; at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Schus- tehrusstr. 13. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 70 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 71 calendar group exhibitions Germany, Frechen through November 22 “Works by the London Group”; at Keramion Foundation, Bonnstraße 12. Germany, Frechen through November 22 “Frechener Keramikpreis”; at Keramion Founda- tion, Bonnstraße 12. Italy, Certaldo through November 1 “Concreta 2009,” works by Nino Caruso, Christine Fabre, Nedo Merendi, Martha Pachon, Pompeo Pianezzola and Gabriella Sacchi; at Pretorio Palace. Netherlands, Leiden December 2 to June 13 “Terracotta”; at Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, National Museum of Antiquities, Rapenburg 28. Republic of Korea, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si through November 1 “Cheongju International Craft Biennale 2009: Outside the Box”; at Cheongju International Craft Biennial, 329 Heungdeok-Ro. Spain, Barcelona through January 30, 2010 “Elegance and Minimalism: Imperial Chinese Porcelain from the Baur Collection”; at Museu de Ceràmica, Palau Reial de Pedralbes, Av Diagonal 686.

ceramics in multimedia exhibitions

California, San Diego through January 10, 2010 “Masters of Mid-Century California Modernism,” including ceramic works by Evelyn Ackerman and Jerome Ackerman; at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado. California, Santa Barbara November 14 to January 28, 2011 “Ceramics Rediscovered: Sci- ence Shapes Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California”; at Santa Barbara Trust for His- toric Preservation, 123 E. Canon Perdido St. California, Venice through November 7 “Maquettes,” including ceramic works by Gwynn Murrill; at L.A. Louver, 45 N. Venice Blvd. District of Columbia, Washington through January 3, 2010 “Renwick Craft Invitational 2009,” including ceramic works by Christyl Boger, Mark Newport, Mary van Cline, and SunKoo Yuh; at Renwick Gallery of the Smith- sonian American Art Museum, Pennsylvania Ave. at 17 St., NW. Minnesota, St. Paul through November 9 “Two by Two,” including ceramic works by Kinji Akagawa, Nancy Gipple, Nancy MacKenzie, and Warren MacKenzie; at The Grand Hand Gallery, 619 Grand Ave. New York, Peekskill through November 30 “Stories in Clay and Cloth,” including ceramic works by Marlene Ferrell Parillo; at Flat Iron Gallery, Inc., 105 S. Division St. Ohio, Rocky River through November 7 “New Work,” including ceramic works by Stephanie Craig and Todd Leech; at River Gallery, 19046 Old Detroit Rd. Pennsylvania, Wayne December 4 to Janu- ary 23, 2010 “Craft Forms 2009”; at Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave. Washington, Bellevue through January 3, 2010 “The Self Transparent,” including ceramic works by Judy Hill; at Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. Wisconsin, Racine through January 17, 2010 “New and Novel 2009: Recent Gifts to Ceramics Monthly November 2009 72 Ceramics Monthly November 2009 73 calendar multimedia exhibitions RAM’s Collection”; at Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St. Australia, North Fremantle November 20 to December 12 “Northern Lights - Southern Expo- sure,” including ceramic works by Sandra Black, Trudy Ellen Golley, Paul W. Leathers, and Grace Nickel; at Perth Galleries, 92 Stirling Hwy. England, London through November 21 “The Birthday Party,” including ceramic works by Mia E. Göransson, Kate Malone, Hylton Nel, and Jacob van den Breughel; at Flow Gallery, 1-5 Needham Rd. England, Bovey Tracey through November 8 “In Tandem,” including ceramic works by Blandine Anderson; at Devon Guild of Crafts- men, Riverside Mill. England, Bovey Tracey November 21 to January 3, 2010 “Wrapped Up”; at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill. England, Halifax November 28 to December 7 “Solid Foundation, Show 1,” including ceramic works by Rebecca Appleby, Zachary Eastwood Bloom, Amy Hughes, Jo Lee, Wilma Stone, Emily Stubbs, and Claire Wood; at Solid Foundation, Floor 3, The Artworks, Shaw Lodge Mills. England, Leeds through January 19, 2010 “All I Want For Christmas II”; at The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, City Art Gallery, The Headrow. England, Leeds through January 19, 2010 “Northern Lights II”; at The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, City Art Gallery, The Headrow. Netherlands, Deventer November 8 to December 24 “New Work,” including ceramic works by Fanny Acquard-Gensollen; at Loes & Reinier International Ceramics, Korte As- Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation senstraat 15. Publication Title: CERAMICS MONTHLY. Publication number 0009-0328. Filing date: October 1, 2009. Published monthly, except July and August; ten The Netherlands, Amsterdam through times per year. Annual subscription price: $34.95. Office of Publication: 600 January 31, 2010 “At the Russian Court: Palace N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, Delaware County, Ohio 43082-6921. Publisher: and Protocol in the 19th Century”; at Hermitage Charles Spahr, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, OH 43082-6921. Editor: Amsterdam, Amstel 51. Sherman Hall, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, OH 43082-6921. Managing Editor: none. Owner: The Ceramic Publications Company, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville, OH 43082-6921. Stockholders owning or holding 1% or fairs, festivals and sales more of total amount of stock: none. The known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amount of Arizona, Phoenix November 7 to November bonds, mortgages or other securities: none. 8 “Scottsdale Art Show”; at AZ Big Media, 3101 The average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months: N. Central Ave., Ste. 1070. a) Total number of copies (net press run) ...... 28,254 California, Pomona December 12 “Winter b) Paid/requested circulation Art and Pottery Market”; at the American Mu- 1). Paid/requested mail subscriptions...... 23,246 2) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and seum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave. other non-USPS paid distribution ...... 1,433 California, San Diego November 14 to c) Total paid/requested circulation ...... 24,679 November 15 “Holiday Sale”; at San Diego d) Free distribution by mail, samples, complimentary Potters’ Guild, 1770 Village Pl. #29, Spanish and other free copies...... 367 Village, Balboa Park. e) Free distribution outside the mail...... 295 f) Total free distribution...... 662 Colorado, Colorado Springs November 14 g) Total distribution...... 25,341 to November 15 “Pikes Peak Studio Tour”; at h) Copies not distributed...... 1,881 Willow Bend Studios, 514 N. 17th St. i) Total...... 27,222 Connecticut, Middletown November 28 to Percent paid /requested circulation...... 97% December 13 “Gifted Hands: Wesleyan Potters The actual number of copies for single issue nearest filing date: 54th Annual Exhibit and Sale”; at Wesleyan a) Total number of copies (net press run)...... 27,291 b) Paid/requested circulation Potters, 350 S. Main St. (Rt. 17). 1) Paid/requested mail subscriptions ...... 21,768 Connecticut, South Windsor December 5 to 2) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, December 13 “34th Annual Holiday Open Stu- counter sales and other non-USPS paid distribution ...... 1,416 dio”; at Greenleaf Pottery, 240 Chapel Road. c) Total paid/requested circulation ...... 23,184 Connecticut, Westport November 21 to d) Free distribution by mail, samples, complimentary and other free copies...... 386 November 22 “Craft Westport 2009”; at Staples e) Free distribution outside the mail...... 1,095 High School, North Ave. f) Total free distribution...... 1,481 District of Columbia, Washington through g) Total distribution ...... 24,665 November 1 “Smithsonian Craft 2 Wear Show”; h) Copies not distributed...... 1,892 i) Total ...... 26,557 at Smithsonian Women’s Committee, 401 F Percent paid /requested circulation...... 94% St. NW. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Florida, Pensacola February 11 to February Charles Spahr, Publisher 13, 2010 “Gulf Coast Clay Conference and Ceramics Monthly November 2009 74 calendar fairs, festivals, sales Woodstoke Festival”; at Gulf Coast Kiln Walk, Inc., 7507 Buckeye Dr. Illinois, Winnetka November 7 to November 8 “The Winnetka Modernism Show”; at Winger Marketing, 620 Lincoln Ave. Indiana, Bloomington November 13 to November 14 “12th Annual Holiday Pottery Show & Sale”; at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, 100 N. HWY 46 Bypass. Kentucky, Covington November 27 to No- vember 29 “Winterfair”; at Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. Rivercenter Blvd. Massachusetts, Walpole November 20 to November 22 “Holiday Show and Sale”; at Pot- ters Place, 127B Old West St. Massachusetts, Worcester December 4 to December 6 “Holiday Open Studios and Sale”; at The Fire Works Studio, 38 Harlow St. Montana, Helena November 19 to December 23 “Archie Bray Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. New Jersey, Demarest December 4 to December 6 “35th Anniversary Pottery Show and Sale”; at The Art School at Old Church and Mikhail Zakin Gallery, 561 Piermont Rd. New Mexico, Santa Fe November 21 to November 22 “Fall Contemporary Clay Fair”; at Santa Fe Women’s Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail. North Carolina, Dillsboro November 7 “Western North Carolina Pottery Festival”; at Front St, downtown Dillsboro. North Carolina, Seagrove November 20 to November 22 “2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters”; at Seagrove Area Potters Association, 798 Pottery Hwy NC-705. Ohio, Columbus November 15 to December 23 “Gifts of the Craftsmen Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. Ohio, Columbus November 15 to December 23 “Gifts of the Craftsmen Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Ohio Designer Craftsmen, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. Ohio, Columbus December 4 to December 6 “Winterfair”; at Ohio State Fairgrounds, 717 E. 17th Ave. Oregon, Medford November 20 to No- vember 22 “34th Annual Clayfolk Show”; at, Medford Armory, 1701 S Pacific Hwy.

workshops

Alabama, Fairhope December 1 to Decem- ber 3 “New Studio Skills, Three Days, Three New Topics,” with Maria Spies. Fee: $275. Contact Eastern Shore Art Center, 401 Oak St., Fairhope, AL 36532; [email protected]; www.esartcenter.com; 251-928-2228. Georgia, Decatur November 6 to November 8 “Sculpting Inside Out,” with Arthur Gonzalez. Fee: $295. Contact Luba Sharapan and Erik Haagensen, directors, MudFire Clayworks & Gallery, 175 Laredo Dr., Decatur, GA 30030; [email protected]; www.mudfire.com; 404- A subscription to Ceramics Monthly makes 377-8033. an ideal holiday present. We will announce Illinois, Sandwich November 12 to No- your gift with a handsome greeting card in vember 15 “Electric vs. Gas Firing Workshop.” your name. Go to CeramicsMonthly.org Fee: $390. Contact Steven Hill and Kim Miner, and click “Give a Gift” or call Customer Center Street Clay, 218 W. Center St., Sand- Service at 800-342-3594 to place your order. wich, IL 60548; [email protected]; www.centerstreetclay.com; 815-570-2030. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 75 calendar workshops Maryland, Frederick through November 1 “Finding Ideas and Giving Them Life in Clay,” with Val Cushing. Fee: $195. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson; 301- 696-3526. Maryland, Frederick November 5 to November 8 “Wood Firing,” with Joyce Michaud. Fee: $300. Contact Joyce Mi- chaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson; 301- 696-3526. Maryland, Frederick November 12 to November 15 “Properties of Glaze,” with Nancy Robbins. Fee: $300. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson; 301- 696-3526. Massachusetts, Truro November 7 to No- vember 8 “Preserving Memories in Paper Clay & Incorporating Multimedia into Ceramics,” with Lisa Merida-Paytes. Fee: $275. Contact Cherie Mittenthal, Truro Center for the Arts Castle Hill, PO Box 756, Truro, MA 02666; [email protected]; www.castlehill.org; 508- 349-7511. New York, Long Island City November 8 “Porcelain: Throwing and Assembling Pottery Forms,” with Sanam Emami, Fee $85. BrickHouse Ceramic Art Center, 10–34 44th Dr. 11101; ellen. [email protected]; www.brickhouse.com; 718-784-4907. North Carolina, Brasstown November 1 to November 7 “A Family Tradition in Clay,” with Brad Dodson and John Dodson. Fee: $512. Contact Sue Fruchey, John C. Camp- bell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brass- town, NC 28902; [email protected]; www.folkschool.org; 800-365-5724. North Carolina, Brasstown November 8 to November 14 “Wheel, Glazes, and Fir- ing,” with Rob Withrow. Fee: $512. Contact Sue Fruchey, John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902; [email protected]; www.folkschool.org; 800-365-5724. North Carolina, Brasstown November 15 to November 22 “Woodfire with the Young Guns,” with Austin Lindsey and Jesus Minguez. Fee: $750. Contact Sue Fruchey, John C. Camp- bell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brass- town, NC 28902; [email protected]; www.folkschool.org; 800-365-5724. North Carolina, Charlotte November 21 “Handbuilding Workshop,” with Liz Zlot Sum- merfield. Fee: $65. Contact Clayworks Studio and Gallery, 301 East 9th St., Ste. 150, Char- lotte, NC 28202; [email protected]; www.clayworksinc.org; 704-344-0795. North Carolina, Highlands November 2 to November 19 “Open Studio for Ceramics,” with Patrick Taylor. Fee: $375, members, $350. Con- tact Linda Steigleder, The Bascom, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands December 1 to December 18 “Open Studio for Ceramics,” with Patrick Taylor. Fee: $375, members, $350. Con-

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 76 calendar workshops tact Linda Steigleder, The Bascom, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. Texas, Marshall through November 1 “Small Town Raku,” with Steven Branfman. Fee: $275. Contact Erin Lambers, Pottery that Speaks, 610 West Burleson St., Mar- shall, TX 75670; [email protected]; www.erinspottery.com; 903-923-9728. Texas, Stafford March 8 to March 12, 2010 “Colored Clay: Form and Surface Workshop,” with Vince Pitelka. Fee: $350. Contact Pot- ters’ Place, Inc, 741 A Dulle Ave., Stafford, TX 77477; [email protected]; www.pottersplacepottery.com; 281-261-7687. Canada, Burnaby March 14, 2010 “Big Project? No Problem,” with Peter Powning. Fee: $137.05. Contact Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; shadboltcentre.com; 604-291-6864. Canada, Burnaby March 16 to March 21, 2010 “Woodfiring,” with Robert Barron and Jack Troy. Fee: $414.11. Contact Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; shadboltcentre.com; 604-291-6864. Greece October 1 to October 31, 2010 “Greek Island Ceramics Excursion.” Fee: $1250. Contact Denys James, Discovery Art Travel, 182 Welbury Dr., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2L8 Canada; [email protected]; www.denysjames.com; 250-537-4906. Indonesia, Lombok March 7 to March 23, 2010 “Lombok, Indonesia Excursion.” Fee: $2675. Contact Denys James, Discov- ery Art Travel, 182 Welbury Dr., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2L8 Canada; [email protected]; www.denysjames.com; 250-537-4906. Indonesia, Ubud November 1 to November 14 “Western Raku and Smoke,” with Hil- lary Kane and Marcello Massoni. Fee: $1250. Contact Ikuzo Fujiwara, Gaya Ceramic Arts Center, Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali Indonesia; [email protected]; www.gayafusion.com; 62 361 979252 253. Indonesia, Ubud November 22 to December 5 “Finding Center,” with Hillary Kane and Mar- cello Massoni. Fee: $1250. Contact Denys James, Gaya Ceramic Arts Center, Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali Indonesia; [email protected]; www.gayafusion.com; 62 361 979252 253. Japan, Mashiko October 30 to November 1 “10th World Art Educators Workshop in Japan: Architectural Ceramics,” with Ikuzo Fujiwara. Fee: $1999. Contact Ikuzo Fujiwara, Fujiwara Earthen Art Studio, 70 Naka, Ashi- numa, Mashiko, Japan; [email protected]; www.culturalcollaborative.org; 617-277-0482. Morocco, October 28 to November 15 “Mo- rocco Excursion.” Fee: $3175. Contact Denys James, Discovery Art Travel, 182 Welbury Dr., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2L8 Canada; [email protected]; www.denysjames.com; 250-537-4906. West Africa, Nungua July 11 to July 24, 2010 “Pottery House Painting in Ghana.” Fee: $1999. Contact Cross Cultural Collaborative, 45 Auburn St., Brookline, ; [email protected]; www.culturalcollaborative.org; 617-277-0482. Ceramics Monthly November 2009 77 classified advertising

Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, Opportunities, Per- sonals, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements will be inserted into the first available print issue, and posted on our website (www.ceramicsmonthly.org) for 30 days at no additional charge! See www.ceramicsmonthly.org/classifieds.asp for details.

buy/sell Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, 4-disc DVD set. Ceramics Consulting Services offers technical To order, see www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call information and practical advice on clay/glaze/ (828) 689-9430. Ceramic Studio for sale in Flagstaff, AZ. 7 Pacifica kiln faults and corrections, slip casting, clay body/ wheels, Skutt 1027, West Coast updraft 30 cu.ft., work glaze formulas, salt glazing, product design. Call tables, glazes and more. If interested, please contact real estate or write for details. Jeff Zamek, 6 Glendale Woods (928) 213-9273. Dr., Southampton, MA 01073; (413) 527-7337; Creative community located in the NC mountains, e-mail [email protected]; or www.fixpots.com. 10,000 pounds Greenstripe airfloated fireclay, 50# near Penland School of Crafts. Hundreds of art/ bags; Brent Model C potters wheel with splash pan, craft studios nearby. 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(860) 435-9734; room mission style home; 2000 sq. ft. fully-equipped Custom Mold Making—Increase your productivity [email protected]. studio and sales room; 3-car detached garage on and profits with quality slip-casting molds of your one acre in beautiful rural valley. Area home of Frank popular designs! Petro Mold Co. offers a complete Wood Firers: Jordan Clay — original bags. $40 Lloyd Wright, House on the Rock, American Players range of mold-making services, including sculpting per 50# bag plus shipping or $700 per 1000# Theatre. Available January 2010. For more info (608) and 3-D models, master and case molds, and pro- plus shipping. NY, NJ, CT, MA area. Contact 588-2195; www.wilsoncreekpottery.com. duction mold manufacturing to thousands of satisfied [email protected]. 1/2 hour North of Binghamton, NY and 3.5 from customers. Visit www.custommolds.net; or call (800) NYC: 1491 sq.ft. home, 1000 sq.ft. studio, 168 404-5521 to get started. employment sq.ft. concrete outdoor pad (wood kiln negotiable), 32+ acres with breathtaking stream. $189,000.00. Manabigama Wood Kiln. Fires and flashes with ash Skilled Production Potter wanted. We will teach [email protected]. deposits, 30 cubic feet of pots in 8 hours using ap- you how to make a living in pottery! Housing plus prox. 3/4 cord wood. Great teaching kiln. Plans include Laloba Ranch/Art Center, Steamboat Springs, Colo- salary and studio time; traveling to art shows; architected drawings, material list, kiln construction rado. Gorgeous Rocky Mountain Horse Ranch on 40 one year commitment. Contact: (859) 396-6841; CD and more. Manabigama kiln building and wood acres; 12 miles from Steamboat Springs. Keep as art www.stonefencepottery.com. fire workshops available. Contact John Thies at center or use as personal/corporate retreat. Charming www.monocacypottery.com or call (301) 898-3128. home with separate faculty apartment, 5 bedroom guest events house, studio, 2-story horse barn and shop, kiln shed and kilns, 2 hot tubs, 2 saunas, hiking trails, and ponds. travel Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For details, see $1,795,000.00. For brochure (970) 870-6423. www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. New Mexico Country Adobe: beautiful views of the Craft & Folk Art Tours. Christmas in Oaxaca mountains from this former general store on the ‘High (Mexico), Myanmar (Burma), India, Bhutan, Central Road’ to Taos—and the separate studio, covered out- Asia, Morocco, Ecuador, Guatemala. Small, per- opportunities door work area, and prominent retail location make it sonalized groups. CRAFT WORLD TOURS, 6776CM an artist’s dream. Fruit trees, water rights, 1/3 acre in Warboys, Byron, NY 14422; (585) 548-2667; Individual throwing instruction in your studio Chimayo. 2900 sq.ft. in the main house: hand-built, vigas, www.craftworldtours.com. by world renown potter Stephen Jepson. Will go history & charm. 2 bed, 2 bath. Studio: adobe, radiant Morocco 2009 Ceramics Excursion - October anywhere on Globe.Throwing made FUN, FAST and slab heat, 220v; commercial gas meter. $299,000. Con- 28-November 15, 2009. Offered again in 2009 due to EASY. Satisfaction Guaranteed. (407) 349-5587 or tact [email protected] for pictures & info. [email protected]. popular demand. www.discoveryarttravel.com. Potter’s Dream: Eaton, NH! Passive solar post- Stay Centered. Steven Hill Pottery at Center Street and-beam contemporary home and studio on 18 Overseas Ceramic Workshops & Tours—Morocco, Clay. centerstreetclay.com. wooded acres. Separate gallery-guest house, October 28 - November 15, 2009, Berber traditional very sunny studio, 20 years strong onsite sales. pottery, adobe architecture, tile art in Southern Mo- Large gas kiln rolls beautifully on track into stu- rocco. Lombok and Bali, March 2010, Crete, Greece, products dio. $314,900. Contact Alex Drummond, RE/MAX Presidential, 603-356-9444 ext.240, Direct: (603) October 2010. Burma (Myanmar) February 2011. Clay Marking Tools. Artist signatures and other de- 986-5910, [email protected]. Small, culturally-sensitive groups using local transla- signs laser cut into wood tools using drawings you Available immediately. tors and experts. Discovery Art Travel, Denys James, create on paper. Low cost unique custom tools! Visit Canada; (250) 537-4906; www.denysjames.com; website for full information www.4clay.com. [email protected]. services publications/videos Visit the potters of Nicaragua with Potters for Accept credit cards in your ceramics retail/whole- Peace, January 16-30. Work with local terra cotta sale/home-based/Internet and craft-show business. PotteryVideos.com – DVD’s with Robin Hopper, Gor- clays, slips and wood firings. Learn about our water don Hutchens and Graham Sheehan. Video Workshops No application fee. No monthly minimum. No lease filters and see how we work. $1400 covers all travel for Potters at all levels of experience. Choose from 21 requirement. Retriever/First of Omaha Merchant costs except airfare. www.pottersforpeace.org; titles. (800) 668-8040; [email protected]. Processing. Please call (888) 549-6424. [email protected].

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 78 index to advertisers

Aardvark Clay & Supplies...... 69 Coyote Clay & Color...... 60 L & L Kiln Mfg...... 4 Potters Council...... 14, 69 ACerS Books...... 2, 67, 79 Creative Paradise...... 59 L&R Specialties...... 77 Potters for Peace...... 61 Amaco and Brent...... Cover 2 Cress Mfg...... 10 Laguna Beach Ceramics Paper Clay Potters Shop...... 76 Art: Now...... 74 American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA)...... 15 Davens Ceramic Center...... 72 Larkin Refractory Solutions...... 73 Shakerag Workshops...... 77 Discovery Art Travel...... 76 Sheffield Pottery...... 73 Bailey Pottery...... 1, 11, 21 Master Kiln Builders...... 76 Dolan Tools...... 76 Shimpo...... 23 Bamboo Tools...... 76 Mid-South Ceramic Supply...... 77 Skutt Ceramic Products...... Cover 4 Bennett Pottery...... 7 Free Freight Pottery Supply, LLC...... 64 MKM Pottery Tools...... 75 Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick Supply...... 12 BigCeramicStore.com...... 74 Mudtools...... 71 Georgies Ceramic & Clay...... 69 Soldner Clay Mixers...... 76 Bracker’s Good Earth Clays...... 9 Giffin Tec...... 25 Spectrum Glazes...... 56 New Mexico Clay...... 75 Carolina Clay Connection...... 77 Great Lakes Clay...... 73 Standard Ceramic Supply...... 75 North Star Equipment...... 57 Ceramic Publications Company... 55, 65 Sunshine Glassworks...... 70 Ceramic Supply Chicago...... 76 Herring Designs/SlabMat...... 77 Olympic Kilns...... 13 CeramicArtsDaily.org...... 64 Highwater Clays...... 71 Trinity Ceramic Supply...... 66 Oneida Air Systems...... 73 Chinese Clay Art...... 71 Tucker’s Pottery...... 68 John Brown Tools...... 77 Classifieds...... 78 Paragon Industries...... Cover 3 Venco USA...... 76 Clay Art Center/Scott Creek...... 70 Kentucky Mudworks...... 77 PCF Studios...... 76 Vent-A-Kiln...... 75 Clayworks Supplies...... 77 Kiln Doctor...... 77 Peter Pugger Mfg...... 3

Continental Clay...... 58 Klopfenstein Art Equipment...... 71 Portion Master...... 79 Ward Burner Systems...... 72

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 79 Comment bowls under the table by Conner Burns

I am sitting with a friend in a public place Focus back to the table where I am He almost falls out of the chair as he when another couple I know sits down sitting and telling this story: Before I can uncontrollably starts to rise to his feet while and we begin to talk. He owns a financial move any further with the above story, the blurting out, “Who cares what they think of investment company and I know them man that owns the financial investment you in 100 years? Get the money today!” because of her interest in art. We are company leans forward forcefully as he I laugh and smile. His response is not so laughing about many things, but somehow abruptly states, “Are you crazy? What do lighthearted. The conversation continues conversation leads me to tell the following you do with them?” with some vague comments about different true story: goals, desires, and expectations that A lady drove a couple of hours Individuals often have very we each have, but truly, he cannot to visit my studio recently and she concentrate on that because he is brought a friend. She bought a different beliefs about similar still stunned by my actions. His wife teapot from me at an art festival situations. As we work as understands that there are two men and wanted to see my studio and artists, our goals—and thus our at the table, each with a completely introduce her friend to my work. different perspective, and she un- After pleasant conversation and actions—are totally contrary derstand that neither will change his looking at the artwork that was to many individuals’ entire perspective—it is just who they are. available for sale, she asked if I had understanding, goals, or values. I smile when I think of the in- any large bowls. I answered that I teraction. It is a story that I think did not but could contact her when is normal. Not because all artists I did. She agreed and I allowed her to con- I replied, “Most of the time I break have the same beliefs (far from it, we are a tinue to look around my studio, since it is them.” diverse group), but normal in that individu- in the same location as my gallery. He is intense and amazed. At this als often have very different beliefs about After a few minutes, she exclaimed with point, he can hardly speak, but manages similar situations. As we work as artists, excitement, “here are some bowls,” and to ask, “Why?” our goals—and thus our actions—are to- pointed to a stack of more than a dozen I answer, “Well, if someone buys this tally contrary to many individuals’ entire large bowls under a work table. as a gift, then the person who receives the understanding, goals, or values. I do not I answered, “Yes, those are the correct gift believes that this is my quality.” intend to imply that everyone should have size, but there is something wrong with His wife offers, “But you could explain the same opinion about seconds. You are each of them.” that to them.” welcome to act in the manner that makes With an I found a bargain look you comfortable, and I reserve on her face, she stated, “I would the right to act in the manner in be happy with one of those.” which I am comfortable. I answered, “I am not sure you Although the above interac- could afford one of those.” tions occurred years ago, I remain Her look instantly changed committed to that same thought from I found a bargain to one that process. I wonder if the other said I am offended. man ever came to understand any I quickly continued, “Those component of it. I wonder what pots have something wrong it would be like to be so strongly with them and are thus not for opposed to even the thought of sale. Since there is something giving up the opportunity to make wrong with them, and each bear another dollar in place of main- my name, it would cost a large taining quality. I am comfortable amount of money to convince with my decisions and the direc- me to let them out that door. It tion I am heading, but the oppor- would be much cheaper for you tunity to see life through another’s to wait until I made a bowl that eyes—that also is helpful. I am happy with.” “Yes I could,” I answer, “but it still Her look changed again, but this time represents me, and 100 years from now I the author Conner Burns operates Conner the look said ahhhh, yes, I understand. She do not want someone to think that this is Burns Studio in Natchez, Mississippi. For nodded softly as a smile crossed her face. the quality of work I made.” further information, see connerburns.com.

Ceramics Monthly November 2009 80 A custom tile mural for Don Fesler in New Port Beach, California. Cha-Rie Tang fires her tiles to cone 5.

After dipping the glaze, she hand rubs each piece to get just the right amount of clay body showing through the glaze. As a result, each piece is different from the next.

“The Paragon Dragon has changed my life. I have accepted jobs up to 500 square feet of tiles without trouble.” Architect Cha-Rie Tang of Pasadena, California with her Paragon Dragon front-loading kiln. This kiln is becoming a favorite with potters. It is easy to —Cha-Rie Tang load, heavily insulated, and designed to reach cone 10 with power to spare.

“The Paragon Dragon has changed my 16,500 watts heat the 24” wide, 24” deep, life,” said custom tile maker and architect 27” high interior to cone 10 with ample Cha-Rie Tang. “A front-loading kiln is es- power to spare. This results in long element sential for tiles. I can load five layers easily. I life, because the elements do not “struggle” can finally claim that I can offer Craftsman to reach high temperatures. Dropped, re- tiles for installation. cessed grooves seat industrial-gauge ele- “I use the kiln to do custom murals. Since ments for long life. I can fire up to 22" x 22", I carve relief panels The Sentry digital controller can calcu- in the style of Craftsman tiles. I have worked late electrical usage. Learn to conserve en- on the Pasadena landmark Greene and ergy by experimenting with firing speed, load Greene Robinson House, an entrance wall density, etc. for Santa Barbara’s Tile Collection, Isabelle The extra insulation cools the kiln slowly Greene’s fireplace, a fountain for All Na- to achieve dramatic shifts in glaze color such tions Church, numerous private commis- as iron reds. Long-lasting mercury relays sions, and the new Los Angeles Public power the elements. Library Exposition Park Branch. We offer a wide selection of “In addition to firing ceramics, I have top- and front-loading kilns. used the Dragon to fire architectural-sized Call us or visit our website for a glass. The computer controls are easy to 2011 South Town East Blvd. free catalog and the name of use,” Cha-Rie added. Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 the Paragon dealer near you. 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 Create breathtaking pottery in this excit- Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 ing kiln. The Dragon exudes power. Its www.paragonweb.com [email protected]