BEDE CLARKE WOOD FIRE AND HANDS ON WORKSHOP July 16-22, 2020
Thursday: Students will arrive with bisqued pots ready for loading and firing (with perhaps a little time for some glazing).
Friday: load, candle (preheat), fire.
Saturday: Fire
Sunday: Fire
Monday, Tuesday: workshop while kiln cools.
Wednesday: kiln unloading, shelf cleaning, kiln tidying., saying so long
MON-TUES : we will explore throwing various forms based on cylinder/bowl/plate, lids, handles, spouts and trimming. In addition we will explore enhanced throwing, handbuilding skills, and concepts such as altered forms, inverted throwing, gesture and "skin" of the pot as well as strategies for creating sets or groupings of pots.
Through demonstrations, slide lectures, studio work and group discussion we will seek to improve student throwing skills, but more, we will seek to clarify strategies for creating articulate individual pottery forms.
The course will be suitable for beginning - advanced levels. We will explore the basics of wood firing in a modest sized catenary arch kiln designed for frequent firing and gaining an understanding of basic wood firing techniques.
We will seek to increase wheel throwing and handbuilding skills at whatever level individuals are working.
All work made during the workshop is the property of the participant. Bisque firing and shipping are available at an extra cost: $50/ 16" box plus shipping.
Bede Clarke has been a Professor of Art at MU since 1992. He received his Master of Fine Arts from The University of Iowa (1990) and a BFA from Eckerd College (1982). He has been working in ceramics for 40 years.
Bede's work is found in collections in the U.S. and abroad, such as: Taipei County Yingke Ceramics Museum, Taiwan, Ichon World Ceramic Center, South Korea, Bermuda National Gallery and Martin Museum of Art, Baylor University.
Bede maintains a studio in Columbia, Missouri where he produces his ceramic art work and continues to exhibit worldwide, recently at: Aspen Gallery, Kuwait City, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky, Shepparton Gallery Sydney Myer International Ceramics Award, Victoria, Australia, Baltimore County Center for Art and Visual Culture, Baltimore, Maryland.
Statement
My goal in making this work has been to create quiet, simple pots, which like a good meal leave a healthy, full feeling. Pots like these have been my constant companions for forty years. They are forms and surfaces that I never grow tired of. They are rooted in ceramic history; yet, I hope they reflect a personal and individual quality of feeling. Above all, these pots are intended to be good to live with and interact with on a daily basis. They are made with others in mind. For me, good pots spring from compassion. My working method amounts to simply wishing the work well at each stage of creation. Always, I return to the clay trying to bring as much sincerity as I can muster to bear on the work. This two-part hands-on workshop will focus on firing a small noborigama catenary arch wood fire kiln and exploring wheel forming skills as well as hand building.
To learn more about Bede: www.bedeclarkestudio.com
Cancellation Policy
If you need to cancel your workshop more than 30 days from the start date, you will receive a refund, less a $75 cancellation fee. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds less than 30 days from the start of the class for cancellations, a missed class, late arrival or early departure for any reason. If the class does not meet the minimum enrollment to run, we reserve the right to cancel. In that case, students will receive a full refund. If your travel plans include airfare or other non-refundable expenses, please check with us about the status of your workshop before you make your purchase. We do our best to alert students to enrollment status one month prior to the start of the workshop.
If you need to cancel your workshop more than 30 days from the start date, you will receive a refund, less a $75 cancellation fee. Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds less than 30 days from the start of the class for cancellations, a missed class, late arrival or early departure for any reason. If the class does not meet the minimum enrollment to run, we reserve the right to cancel. In that case, students will receive a full refund. If your travel plans include airfare or other non-refundable expenses, please check with us about the status of your workshop before you make your purchase. We do our best to alert students to enrollment status one month prior to the start of the workshop.