NEW AT CLAYMAKERS!

THE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM KLATSCH

Date: Friday, May 23

Time: 7:00-9:00pm
Cost: $5 per participant

Claymakers provides the wine and cheese, you provide a willingness to discuss your own work and that of others in a supportive environment. Bring 2-3 items of your own creation and be prepared to talk about what you like or dislike about them, ask questions of the group, or offer other commentary for discussion. We'll consider productive ways to critique art and offer constructive responses. Students of all experience levels are welcome.

BARBARA MCKENZIE:
OPEN RAKU FIRING

Sept 27, 2008, 9 to 5
Oct 25, 2008, 9 to 5
Nov 22, 2008, 9 to 5

These firing dates are open to those who have raku firing experience. Students will make work on their own and can use open studio the day prior to the firing for glazing their pots. We'll have a grill and a cooler for turning the day into an edible cook-out as well (bring your own favorite food and drink)! Limited to 6 participants.

Cost: $60.00 per firing

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Adrian Arleo:
Technique and Content:
Coil-Building Large Figurative Ceramic Sculpture
A Hands-On Workshop

January 5th-9th, 2008
9:00 to 5:00 each day

Cost of this workshop is $400 plus a non-refundable registration fee of $75. Full tuition is due by December 10, 2007. Fifty pounds of clay and bisque firing are included. Space is limited, so register early if you want to attend. You may call Claymakers at (919) 530-8355 to register by phone, with Visa or Mastercard.

You have in your mind a ceramic sculpture of a female figure; it has a feeling of lightness, and whimsy. But how do you convey this feeling, let alone build the form out of clay? This five day hands-on workshop will cover coil building and problem solving techiques used to create large figurative sculpture. The focus will not be on anatomical correctness, but rather how gesture, metaphor and textures can be used to develop content and meaning in the human form. Demonstrations will cover coil building, the use of a base and rod for tall pieces, and internal supports for structural strength, along with texture techniques. Slides of contemporary figurative ceramic work will be shown, as well as discussions on where ideas come from, and how to cultivate the expression of particular themes through your own individual perspective and sensibility.

Adrian Arleo is a studio artist living in Lolo, Montana. She studied Art and Anthropology at Pitzer College (B.A. in 1979) and received her MFA in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 1986. Her sculpture is exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in numerous public and private collections. In 1991 and 1992, Adrian received 2nd place and recognition awards from the Virginia A. Groot Foundation, and in 1995, was awarded a Montana Arts Council Individual Fellowship. Most recently, her work has been featured in American Craft magazine, Dec.'06/Jan.'07, 500 Animals in Clay, and The Figure in Clay; Contemporary Sculpting Techniques by Master Artists, published by Lark Books, and Ceramics; Art and Perception, magazine issue #62, 2005.

For over fifteen years, I've been creating sculpture that combines human and animal imagery in a variety of ways. Some of these works elude to a relationship of understanding or connection between the human and animal realms. In others, the human figures possess animal faces, limbs, or other features in a way that reveals something hidden about the character or primal nature of the person.

Because these themes have been integral to my work for a long time, I was stunned when, about eight years ago, I first encountered "Ba" at an exhibit of Ancient Egyptian Art in Phoenix, Arizona. Though there was no information about the meaning or significance of the piece, the 2000 year old wooden sculpture of a bird with a human face and arms was immediately familiar. The image stuck in my mind. Last year, at the Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas (of all places), I came upon another Ba, was again struck by its familiarity, and this time felt compelled to find out what the figure signified to the Egyptians. Though scholars and Egyptologists have differing opinions on the exact meaning, the Ba figure, generally speaking, represents the non-physical aspect of a human being, as in the soul or personality. Ba seems to be the hidden part of a person with the ability to leave and return to the body.

This interpretation of human/bird imagery was surprisingly consistent with my own work. Ba seems to be one of those images that does not belong to a particular culture or place: it crops up from time to time throughout history, and my studio seems to have become another "portal" for it. Many people have responded to the Ba pieces by saying that the image is oddly familiar to them as well.

The Honey Comb sculptures are another variation on blending the human form with elements from nature. What appeals to me about the quality of this material is its appearance of simultaneously growing and deteriorating. I also like the way the wax approximates the material created by bees, enabling the work to be visual, tactile, and appealing to the sense of smell, like fresh honeycomb. On the flip side, the work might suggest the swarming, stinging insects that create this beautiful material. As with many things in life, beauty and the grotesque can cohabitate.

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Susan Filley:
Form and Finish:
A Demonstration Workshop with Susan Filley

February 23-24, 2008
9:00 to 5:00 each day

Slides and reception on Friday, February 22nd at 7:00 pm

This two day workshop will be oriented toward demonstrating techniques, improving skills and developing betterform. Susan is a nationally known potter and her work is recognized for strong design and elegant forms. She will demonstrate throwing and altering techniques with attention to form, proportion, and details. Susan shares great technical information, helpful 'tricks,' and welcomes discussion about the challenge of making better pots. She will include issues of surface detail and finish a pot with a demonstration of glazing techniques.

Cost for the workshop is $140 and includes a continental breakfast for both days. Cost for slides and reception only is $6.00. Refunds on cancellation will be made, less a non-refundable registration fee of $15.00 prior to February 14th. Call Claymakers at 919-530-8355 to register with Visa or Mastercard, or mail your registration with your name, address, phone, email, and check or charge information to:

Claymakers
705 Foster Street
Durham, NC 27701

Susan Filley received her MFA in Ceramics from LSU and has since worked as a studio artist and potter. Known for her elegant procelain pots, her work has been exhibited internationally and has received numerous awards. Susan served as President for the National Council for the Ceramic Arts and has taught many craft programs and workshops. Awarded a grant by the Arts Commission, Susan established an innovative coop studio/gallery in Charleston, SC. Susan now has her home in Chapel Hill, NC.

I like a pot that asks to be touched, or tells me to treasure it, a pot whose presence, be it simple or extraordinary, is well defined.