- Guest Speaker Phil Harlam
- Guest Speaker Wendy Werstlein of Wrenn Pottery.
- Wendy came to clay as a second vocation. She taught high school biology for 10 years. She worked to cultivate in her students a desire to explore the world while also encouraging scientific inquiry. She finds these two skills serve her just as well in the studio. She left teaching and returned to the classroom as a student at Haywood Community College, completing an Associates Degree in Professional Crafts. From there she moved to Floyd, Virginia and worked as an apprentice to studio potter Silvie Granatelli.
- Wendy is currently in her studio/home on the Blue Ridge Parkway, building a life as a studio potter in Floyd, Virginia and embraces the following in her work. It is a conscious choice for her each day to make pots, to entice ers to use and share these forms. The choices of where we place our money and energy is an economic statement, but there is also an emotional component and larger cultural significance when people choose to support an artist’s work or make the commitment to create a life as an artist. These decisions shape our world of external objects as well as our inner sense of self. The clear purpose of a bowl - the proxy for hands cupped together holding, carrying, containing that which will nourish our bodies and our minds. Her mind and hands shape each piece with those intentions and as the pots move out into the world, her touch is extended to the person who takes that piece into their own home to use.
- The pottery from Wendy is made of porcelain clay and is fired in an electric kiln to cone 10. She seeks to infuse her work with a sense of movement; the soft stroke of the hand giving comfort and thanks through use.
- All pots are safe for microwave, dishwasher and oven.
- Workshop lead by Kathy Grace, ceramic artist and long-term teacher (40+ years). She has developed Ceramic programs at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, OH and at Ohio Dominican University. Having spent five years at Roswell, Georgia's Clay Collective, Kathy is now teaching at Sawtooth School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Her work has been shown in numerous galleries and shows in Columbus, OH, Atlanta, GA, and Winston-Salem, NC.
- Discussion of planning and throwing an altered/assembled piece in porcelain & glaze and overglaze techniques
- Demonstration of assembling green ware pieces, fluting, faceting, texturizing and stamping of assembled piece, underglaze effects on bisque ware pieces
- Numerous examples of unassembled green ware pieces, assembled green ware pieces, bisque ware pieces and finished pieces were presented and discussed.
- Q&A was encouraged through out the demonstration!
- Finished pieces were available for sale
March 9, 2019
- Guest presenter was Adam Wiley.
- Presenter Takuro Shibata from Starworks. We were fortunate he was able to give us this time --- he is very busy, with full time at Starworks, plus a professional potter with his wife.