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Watson Arts Centre is an ACT Government facility managed by Canberra Potters' Society Inc. CPS is supported by the ACT Government

     

skip to: Workshop report - Rick Beviss October 2009

Workshop report - Kaye Pemberton July 2009

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Do you suffer from pottery withdrawal during the long summer break? If so, this workshop could be just what you need.

Altering Thrown Forms with Maryke Henderson

 Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th January 2010

9.30am to 4.30pm

$80 (CPS members) $95 (non-members) includes morning & afternoon teas; bring your own lunch

This course is aimed at participants who already have some wheel throwing skills and wish to improve upon these. In this hands-on workshop Maryke will show various techniques of altering thrown forms, from quirky sculptural forms to controlled cut-and-paste functional ware. During the workshop Maryke will show examples of her work and talk about the development of ideas and inspiration.

Participants will be encouraged to experiment with new techniques and create their own style whilst developing confidence and skills on the potter’s wheel. There will be demonstrations and discussion related to throwing and altering various forms, spout making, (including the long spouted pouring vessels for which Maryke is known) and joining techniques.

The emphasis for the workshop is on skills development, not finished works. We will concentrate on having fun, experimentation and looking at ideas for further development.

Materials list:

  • 1 bag clay suitable for throwing, preferably a clay body that you are familiar with. (Clay will be available for sale at the workshop)

  • Throwing tools

  • 2-3 bats

  • Towel

  • Plastic to cover work

  • Heat gun if you have one

  • Notebook

  • Camera

To book your place on this great workshop call (02) 6241 1670 or download the flyer and booking form for other booking methods.

 


Workshop report - Tool-making with Rick Beviss

workshop report and photos (on right) by Bridget Anderson

Sunday October 18th

When is the next tool making workshop? If you missed out on this popular workshop those of us who were enrolled have asked that this workshop be repeated a.s.a.p.

We were greeted on the morning with an array of amazing tools piled over 2 bench tops. There were paddles, roulettes, ribs, turning tools… it was an incredible, inspiring display.

The hardest part was choosing where to start our introduction to making tools!

The roulettes became our first task – Rick was both generous with tools, materials and information. We all jumped in headlong with intense enthusiasm, Rick worked his way around all of us making sure we kept to task and our first roulettes were successful. There were many joyful cries of success and showing off of ‘perfect’ drill holes.

Other tools we tackled on the day were paddles – these were decorated with skewers, carved with grinders – the ideas were flowing, the only thing we didn’t have enough of was time, and yet Rick stayed with us well into the afternoon, well past the workshop time. We really didn’t want to leave.

Thank you, Rick, for a really fantastic workshop. 

 

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Workshop report - TERRIFIC TEAPOTS & CONSUMMATE CASSEROLES with Kaye Pemberton

workshop report by Andrea Wise

18th & 19th July 2009

It was with some trepidation that I began the two day teapot workshop with Kaye Pemberton. Participants were greeted with a bustle of activity and an array of teapots by both Kaye and other potters in the CPA studio. The ice was broken with an invitation to choose a teapot and a mug and put them to use. Kaye set the tone for the workshop with encouragement to voice our views on the teapots – what did we think about how they looked, how they felt; did they function properly? How did they sit in relation to the cups we had chosen? These shared thoughts and discussion actively continued throughout the two days with the 12 participants who were drawn from a variety of backgrounds.

Teapots, as anyone who has tried to make one knows, challenge even an experienced potter, both technically and aesthetically. As a beginner, or as a beginner, beginning again after a 20 year break from clay, it is a daunting task to consider all the components, make them sufficiently well and then assemble them in a manner that is pleasing to the eye. Within an hour of the workshop commencing, Kaye had us working on the wheel, completely absorbed, throwing ‘off the hump’ - the Japanese technique where only the top portion of a large ball of clay is centred - a new experience for most. 

Galleries, the top edge of the pot where the lid sits, were the first to be considered. Each style was discussed, drawn and expertly demonstrated by Kaye, with practical sessions generously peppered with handy hints. Kaye used this ‘explain and demonstrate’ format for each successive portion of the workshop, briskly moving through lids (again thrown ‘off the hump’), knobs and spouts. The first day passed quickly in a hum of productive concentration as Kaye moved from student to student, answering questions, offering advice and, more importantly, encouragement.

The following morning started out grey and cold, but fortuitously the clouds parted and the sun shone on the components and teapot bodies we had begun making that day. Placed amongst the garden beds to dry, everything was sufficiently firm to allow turning and finishing in the early afternoon. Kaye’s technical approach to the teapot making process is meticulous. Her attention to detail and the careful handling and finishing result in pots that appear relaxed, gentle, almost soft to the touch in their asymmetry, but that are in reality cleanly made, tight and understated. Kaye emphasised the need for minimal handling during the assembly process to avoid making a pot that looked tired or over-worked. Knowing when to stop seems to be a key factor.

The workshop concluded with a discussion session where, with characteristic generosity, Kaye shared tips on materials and techniques to assist with drying, decorating and glazing the assembled pots successfully. While it might take many more years of practice to produce an elegant, fully functional teapot, after two days with Kaye’s enthusiasm, I will be approaching the task with renewed confidence.


more workshop reports


Workshop cancellation policy: workshop fees in full are required to secure a place on a workshop. Fees will be refunded, less 10%, if cancellation is notified more than 2 working days before a workshop. If less than 2 working days notice is given then a refund, less 10%, will only be given if the place can be taken by another participant otherwise the full fee is forfeited.

 

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This information last updated 20/11/09