Artworks is offering once monthly adult hand-building workshops on Sunday afternoons, 1-4pm, at its Clay Studio at Still Pond Station. From functional pots to decorative pieces, hand-building in clay has a lot to offer. There is so much room for self-expression. A piece can be functional or decorative, symmetrical or asymmetrical…whatever suits your fancy. These workshops are suitable for beginners on up.
Five individual workshops will be offered in which students will make something new and different each time using different techniques; slab, coil and pinch methods. The student can take any number of workshops.
The workshop schedule will include: February 19, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (make a mug, plate and napkin ring); March 18, Jump Into Spring with Balloon Pots (make planters); April 15, Almost Berry Picking Time! (make berry bowls); May 20, Is This a Weed? (make weed pots and wall hangers); June 10, Proudly Displayed! (make a small casserole). Workshops are limited to 6-8 adults. Expect to come back to the studio after each workshop for about one hour for a lesson in glazing your bisqued pieces and then coming back to pick the pieces up after the glaze firing. The fee for each class is $35; tools and clay will be supplied.
The instructor for these classes is Karen Douglas, a retiree new to the Chestertown area. Karen has loved working in clay since she was a teenager; she was mesmerized when she first saw someone working on a potter’s wheel. She received a degree in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University where she took courses in wheel throwing. After college she studied with two internationally-known potters who insisted she start with hand-building and at the same time was also introduced to raku. Karen became an administrator for Earthworks, a company that sold clay equipment in Richmond, VA. She also got involved with the Hand Workshop, a non-profit craft organization that specialized in clay. There she taught classes to adults and children and helped organize their juried shows. Karen still loves hand-building in clay as well as raku. Her new interest is in exploring how to print monotypes on clay.
To register email Artworks at [email protected] or phone the office at 410-778-6300. Office hours for registration by phone or in person are Wednesday to Friday, noon-3 and Satruday 9am -3pm. The Clay Studio is just a ten minute drive from Kent County High School. For directions , go to www.artworkschestertown.org.
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