Past Workshops

Diane will take us through the process of planning and making an expressive sculpture out of clay from our own imaginative ideas!

You’ll create a free form sculptural piece using the methods appropriate for the size and expected outcome of your project. Diane will cover pinching, coiling, slab building and carving as well as how to support large work through the various stages of construction.

While some experience with hand building is an advantage, projects will be geared to each person’s ability.

Materials List

• A board to work on – I most often use a piece of drywall with tape around the edges. A canvas covered board works well too.
• Hand building tools –  a variety of wooden and metal tools in different sizes as well as rubber ribs, a spray bottle for water and plastic wrap to keep things from drying out.
• Clay – my preferred clay is Tuckers Thompson Raku Clay which can be fired up to ^10 and has 20% grog. It fires to a buff colour.

You’ll need at least one bag of clay (provided by the Guild) and more will be available for sale. Diane is encouraging us to work fairly large and not to be restricted by too little clay.

Preparation

Diane encourages us to come with some sketches of what we would like to work on.You can bring pencil sketches or a clay maquette.

The class will run from 8:30– 4 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Bring your lunch!

Back by popular demand, Kingston Potters’ Guild members will share their surface decoration techniques in two different Saturday workshops. There will be demonstrations with lots of opportunity for hands-on practice. We have room for twelve participants in each session so register early.
Extravaganza #2 – Delvalle, Tracy and Wendy

Saturday, May 27, from 9 am to about 4:15 pm (including two breaks for refreshment between presenters)

Delvalle will demonstrate how working with coloured slip is a fun way to add vibrant colour to your work.

For Delvalle’s section you will need to bring:

• white clay, rolled into a wet slab if possible, to save time
• flat brushes, Japanese hake brushes, cheap (dollar store) flat brushes, foam brushes
• newspaper
• plastic to keep slabs moist
• images that you would like to use as an outline (silhouette)

Wendy will demonstrate carving through applied slip to achieve a crisp outline for your design.

For Wendy’s section you will need:

• A couple of leather hard items such as cylinders, tiles or plates
• various brushes (I like the cheap Chinese ones that are round)for slip optionally
• some watercolours (like an old watercolour box set or gouache)
• Carving tools you like (I use one tool almost exclusively – the triangle one with a metal handle like the pin tool handle, but it’s worth trying different types, we can share!)
• Any simple design you like, can be linear, organic.

Tracy will present a technique inspired by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, whose paintings gave the illusion of mass produced graphic art. We will use underglazes to paint ‘pop art’ portrait using dots, solids, and stripes onto a leather hard panel. Captions and thought bubbles are optional! Wendy will demonstrate carving through applied slip to achieve a crisp outline for your design.

For Tracy’s section you will need:

• An 8X10 (or the size you prefer) black and white photocopy of a portrait
• one or more leather hard clay panel to fit your photo
• brushes for underglazes

Marga will present water etching using shellac as a resist Marney will demonstrate the use of underglaze and pottery wax to put images on clay

• Shelagh will show how she does her brush work with underglazes
• Shellac, wax, stencils, and a limited palette of underglazes will be provided.

Each presenter will work with you for about 2 hours in a combination of demonstrations and hands-on practice.

You will need to bring:

• For Marney’s section:  a few brushes to use with underglaze, pencil, photographs of objects you’d like to trace, bone dry slabs or cylinders to use as tests, some clay that will be used to make soft slabs, exacto knife ($3 from Staples), wax paper (the kind you have in your kitchen drawer).

• several bone-dry tiles or small pots for each of Shelagh’s and Marga’s sessions.
• If you have one, a small bisque tile or pot to try an extra quick technique with Shelagh.
• Japanese/Chinese brushwork style brush for Shelagh’s technique.
• Whatever brushes you have for the other techniques, a craft store type sponge brush, and sponge.
• Bring your own underglazes if you want particular colours.

This interactive clay workshop celebrates Canada’s 150th birthday at the Kingston Potter’s Guild – almost 70 people from the Kingston area will participate – registration is closed.

Populace is a significant ceramic art installation that will mark the 150^th year of Canada as a nation, recognizing Canada’s founders at the time of Confederation. In June 2017, thousands of ceramic roses, lilies and feathers are to be installed in a park adjacent to the Canadian Museum of Nature, transforming the grounds into a bold but sublime art garden.

Over the past few months, the Ottawa-based Populace team (Kirstin Davidson, Hilde Lambrechts and Kim Lulashnyk) have been teaching other potters and members of the public how to make the installation pieces.

On January 22^nd the Kingston Potter’s Guild had the good fortune of participating in this amazing project!

You can see live video of Populace at work at their blog http://www.populace2017.com/blog/

Join us for a two day demonstration workshop with Martha Grover, well known clay artist from Maine, USA, and discover the idiosyncrasies of working with porcelain on and off the wheel as Martha Grover demonstrates how to make her signature undulating functional forms.

In this two-day workshop, Martha will share her special throwing and altering techniques that exploit this elegant and sensuous material’s best qualities. Working with a variety of bottomless wheel- thrown forms and slabs in both the soft and leather hard stages, Martha will demonstrate various altering techniques and addition of slabs, handles, and spouts to create an assortment of functional forms. Forms will include cups, bowls, vases, pitchers, lidded forms and baskets. Crack repair and mending techniques will be addressed, as well as the use of a spray gun for glaze application.

Martha will also talk about her sources of inspiration, philosophy of making and studio practices. Visit her website: http://marthagrover.squarespace.com/

The secrets of making great teapots will be revealed in a Saturday workshop presented by Patty Petkovich and Ineke Quartel, KPG members of long standing who are accomplished throwers and renowned teapot makers. This will be a demonstration workshop (no hands-on component).

The Kingston Potters’ Guild is partnering with Fusion by hosting this workshop and providing volunteer labour. Fusion, The Ontario Clay and Glass Association, is sponsoring the workshop and will be handling all the administration.

Date: Saturday and Sunday; March 14 and 15, 2015
Location: The Kingston Potters’ Guild Studio, The Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning,

Timing: Saturday we will will start at 9:00am with hands-on participation from about 2:30pm to 4:00 pm. Sunday we will start at 10:00am with hands-on from about 1:30pm to 4:00pm.

For more about Richard Gill please go to his website: www.burnstown.ca

When: Saturday,  May 31 and  June 1, 2014            10:00am – 4:00pm
Where: Kingston Potter’s Guild, Portsmouth Village, 42 Church St.

Day One: Richard will show slides and talk about his work and do demos 

Day Two:  With Richard’s help we will work on our own sculptures

Coffee, tea & muffins will be available from 9:30am.  Clay will be provided.  Please bring an assortment of your tools for hand-building. You should bring a picture or photos or items for still life of something you would like to use for your sculpture. Bring a lunch & whatever you would like to drink during the day.