Vince Pitelka - wpitelka@tntech.edu
Office Hrs. Tues., Thurs. 1:30 to 2:30 - Phone: Office - 931/372-3051 Ext. 111
or 615/597-6801 Ext. 111 - Home - 615/597-5376

Art 3511 - Intermediate Handbuilding - Syllabus

Students With Disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). An Accommodation Request (AR) should be completed as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the first week of the course. The ODS is located in the Roaden University Center, Room 112; phone 372-6119.

Course Objectives - To build in the student:

Required Text - Available in the gallery:  Pitelka, Vince. Clay: A Studio Handbook, American Ceramic Society 2001

Course Description
Our focus is an exploration of handbuilt form in both vessels and sculpture, with the goal of achieving intermediate-level ability. Primary emphasis is hands-on studio work, with frequent slide shows and demonstrations. The assigned projects are designed with considerable flexibility to encourage personal creativity and expression.

Materials and Processes
We will explore coil-, pinch-, and slab-constructed vessels and sculpture, press-molded tiles, and carved slab wall-reliefs. We will work with raku and white earthenware claybodies, with the option of using terra cotta on some projects. Firing processes will include bonfire, raku, mid-range electric oxidation, high-fire reduction, salt/soda, and wood.

All projects will involve a continued exploration into surface decoration, including five primary surface-coloring options - colored clays, slips and engobes, terra sigillata, glazes, and oxide stains. We will mix and use colored clays for one assignment, and our stock slips, engobes, terra sigs, glazes, and oxide stains are available for your use. Should you have a particular need, you are welcome to mix up custom slips, glazes, or stains, but always check with me or the artist-in-residence beforehand. Anyone wishing to go beyond our available palette of low-fire and raku slips and glazes is welcome to purchase commercial low-fire underglazes, glazes, lusters, enamels, etc. A limited supply are available from the sales gallery, a larger supply from Mid-South Ceramics in Nashville, and I have mail-order catalogs.

The Question of Scale
Working large is a necessary part of skill development in handbuilding, but in ceramics it is too easy to impress with scale alone, and the work must communicate more than that in order to be successful. Standards of design and craftsmanship must be consistent regardless of size. It is a challenge and a good exercise to make small things which are well resolved and command our attention. With that in mind, and in order to guarantee a smooth-flowing series of projects, we will work on a variety of large and small forms through the semester. This will keep us thinking about scale at all times.

Scale is limited only by kiln size, firing process, and by your ambition and ability. Keep in mind that raku work must be of a size and shape that can be lifted from the kiln at 2000 degrees, and bonfire-work must be fit our bonfire setup. Very large work can be built and fired in sections, and assembled after the final firing.

Creativity and Originality
Ceramics is a wide open field, with unlimited possibilities for innovation and expression in almost any direction imaginable. Traditionally, clay was generally viewed as a medium of functional craft, but by now cultural and aesthetic barriers have diminished, and in contemporary ceramics both sculptural and functional directions are thriving. Whether you are making sculpture, non-functional vessels, or functional pots, the work fits somewhere into the broad spectrum of art and craft. Ultimately, the true worth of your work depends on a combination of technical fluency and creativity. Think about these issues when designing and making your work, and be prepared to talk about them.

In considering design issues remember that all ceramic objects are sculptural forms. In your projects consider the elements of 2-D and 3-D design - the physical nature and visual implications of line, plane, volume, space, color, value, pattern and texture, and the expressive qualities of mass, balance, visual radiation, perceived movement, and gesture. Think about how these qualities affect the viewer/user, and manipulate them to your advantage.

Watch the slide-shows carefully, make appropriate notes in your sketchbook, take from what you see and hear, incorporate the techniques and information discussed and demonstrated in class, but at the same time always try to be original and inventive. Remember the famous maxim from jazzman Clark Terry - "Imitate, assimilate, innovate." There is nothing wrong with imitating work you see, as long as your purpose is to assimilate design and technique with the goal of original innovation. Bring personal influences and ideas into your work, and consider the possibility of using mixed media concepts and materials.

Barring catastrophic forces, fired clay objects can survive into eternity. Art conservators can reassemble any broken ceramic piece. Don't let this realization weigh you down, but consider the possibility that someone may unearth and examine your work thousands of years from now. Above all, do work which is important to you.

Access to Information
Efficient learning depends on access to information. New information can spark your creativity and help you along during completion of assigned projects. I will supply information to get you started on projects and to help you along the way, and I am always available for consultation, but you have an excellent resource available in the Craft Center library. We have a good collection of books, and we subscribe to all the major clay magazines. I expect you to visit the library every week or two in order to peruse the books and to keep up with what is being reported in the ceramics magazines. It will please me greatly if you are able to discuss your work and the work of others within the context of historical and contemporary clay.

Expectations and Grading
Attendance and Additional Studio Time
Regular on-time attendance is required. Slide shows and demonstrations will often take place in the first part of the class period - try not to miss any of them, and always have your sketchbook with you. Make the most of the three-hour class period and take breaks when you need. If circumstances force you to miss some class meetings, get in touch with me right away so that we may work around it. I am flexible in such situations but in general I expect you to be here for every class meeting. At least 60% of class time will be devoted to working on assigned projects. It is up to you to put in at least six hours per week of additional studio time to develop skills and complete your projects in a timely fashion. By official ACC policy the studios are open until 11:00 every night, but if you are here when they lock up you can stay as long as you like.

The Sketchbook
Purchase a good sketchbook, and always bring it to class with you. Many of our assignments will require preliminary drawings as part of the assignment, and you also need a place to take notes and to keep track of specific forming and decorating techniques you use. When we are glazing work, record the glazes you use so that you can build upon your successes, accelerating the learning curve. Bring your sketchbook to all slide shows so that you can do quick sketches of things that interest you.

Contacting You Via Email
I will occasionally send you messages via the TTU email distribution list for this class.  This has become a preferred means of getting class information to students, and it is your responsibility to check your email daily.  If you use another email address, then set your TTU email address to forward to your preferred address.  You will be responsible for any information sent to you via the TTU email distribution list for this class. 

Determining Your Grade
Up to 80% of the grade depends on enthusiastic involvement in your studio projects (including the sketchbook), incorporating information discussed and demonstrated in class. You are strongly encouraged to bring personal and external influences and ideas into your work. Creativity and innovation will be generously rewarded. At least 20% depends on attendance and class participation, including studio cleanup and the loading, firing, unloading and cleaning of kilns. The above percentages are flexible, at my discretion, in that excessive absences will seriously affect your grade, regardless of the quantity and quality of your work. I will not take roll in a traditional sense, but I will make note when you miss classes, and after four unexcused absences each additional unexcused absence will result in one letter grade reduction in your final grade.

Individual and Group Reviews
At midterm and finals we will schedule group and individual reviews to evaluate your progress. We will also have occasional informal group reviews to discuss what everyone is doing. I believe in structuring reviews around constructive dialogue and information exchange, without confrontation or embarrassment. The end result is that negative criticism is often made by omission, which can be confusing. If no one says anything about your work in a group review it may be because they are not in a talkative mood. It may be because they cannot see anything to talk about. It may be because they are so impressed that they do not feel up to commenting about the work, or do not know where to begin. Often, the only way for you to get the information you need is to ask specific questions of the rest of us. It is your responsibility to contribute to every review, and when we are discussing your work to seek comments and suggestions. If you all participate equally in sustaining the momentum, then each review will be a productive experience. Keep in mind that faculty and/or artists-in-residence are available at any time for individual or group critique.

Required and Recommended Materials
Stock slips, glazes, and oxide stains (or the materials to mix your own) and firing costs are provided. Clay materials, pre-mixed clay, course handbook and textbook, and a good variety of tools, brushes, and other supplies are available through the sales gallery. The gallery also carries a limited supply of commercial low-fire glazes and underglazes. Purchase, find, or make the following items immediately, as you will be unable to proceed without them. We will be mixing clay right away, and you must have a proper dust mask to mix yours.

Class Projects in Sequence
These projects are designed for intermediate to advanced competency in handbuilding.

Course Schedule
This schedule is approximate. We may decide on changes during the semester.

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