6-Week Online Ceramic Course: Asymmetrical & Refined Sculptures
Are you looking for a community to build a body of work out of clay this summer? Are you hoping to find new inspiration, building techniques, and encouragement? Then you are in the right place.
Course Description:
Week One: Overview of the building techniques to be covered - make at least three bases
Week Two: Building with coils and slab coils with focus on quickly gaining height, creating asymmetrical shapes, building one side at a time with coils/slabs
Week Three: Introduction to negative space and making one shape split into two, during the week we will have separate times to meet one-on-one for 15-minutes
Week Five: Learn to connect two sections of a piece with proper planning techniques, Learn how to finish the surface of work as you go - either in refined or textured manner
Week Six: Learn to close one form entirely using paddling and wedge coils, Discuss “dry sanding” for hard-to-reach areas when work is bone dry
Below you will find content posted for the course as it plays out in real time. It will not begin until July 12, 2024. You will receive a welcome email after booking and paying your course fee, which includes the Zoom class link and set-up instructions for your workspace.
Why take an online class?
I can’t think of anything more meaningful than guiding, encouraging and inspiring artists to gain skill and access meaning in their work. I know that art-making is empowering, and finding a way to prioritize self-development, discipline and creative thinking will benefit all areas of your life. Progress in art-making is showing up regularly, working when you don’t want to, and letting the work show you the next step. But what about learning through play? This also needs to be scheduled into the artists’ calendar.
A class can be the time to play and gain skills at the same time. It will push you to cover material you wouldn’t have come across. It puts you in dialog with others, with yourself and with your work. You also see the creative development of 10-20 other people, and the varied directions you can go with the same prompt.
Some of us work best with deadlines. I know I sure do! This class will push you to make 3-5 big works in 6 weeks. That’s more than I make some years lately…but it will push me too! Working quickly in a series and having accountability (showing progress in class) will help with the production and plant seeds for future bodies of work as well. Not every piece is a masterpiece, or even something like/support. But in this course I encourage you to learn four different construction techniques with each piece, giving you four potential directions for future work to grow.
FAQs
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Zoom is required to schedule classes or book lessons/calls.
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Classes meet for two hours from 1-3pm Central Standard Time. Meeting dates are Fridays including 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9 and 8/16.
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we will focus on handbuilding techniques that showcase how to work quickly in a body of work. we cover how to work in a refined style, how to smooth as you work, how to refine work with various tools, and how to refine work when it is bone-dry.
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booking and paying for the class in acuity app will secure your spot. once I receive confirmation, I will send a tool list and welcome email for setting up your workstation.
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if you can't make this course, stay tuned for more offerings. there will be one summer course, one course in the fall, and one on in the spring. the course dates for fall are November 1-December 6 and the course content will most likely be "Ceramics on the Wall"
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yes, I hope to teach three 6-week courses online per year, and have a few videos for purchase on special topics such as "refining clay", "mending cracks" and "trimming wheel-thrown plates" etc.
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yes! all classes are recorded and sent to the participants. the recording will not expire, so they are all yours forever more.
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yes, if you reach out to me we can discuss specifics. i may only have a few of these spots per session, etc.
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yes, I hope to have three six-week classes per year. and I do hope to download 30min videos for around $35 each, so let me know if you have a request for content. Example, trimming plates, trowing a double foot on plates, Kyusuu (Japanese one-handed small teapot) construction, Japanese tool making (trimming, dragonfly tool, etc.), throwing a rolling lip bowl, etc.