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Appalachian Center for Craft
Vince Pitelka, 2009
Five-Day Workshop –
Description and Schedule
Developing Ceramic Surface
Skill Level - Previous experience
in handbuilding and/or throwing required
Background
We can make a simple, unembellished ceramic form, dip it in glaze, and
glaze-fire it, and we may end up with an exquisite piece.
In some cases, a simple coat of glaze on a smooth surface can be an
elegant solution, but there are so many other possibilities in ceramic surface
design. Making pottery or sculpture
with only a minimal command of surface decoration methods is like trying to
speak a foreign language with minimal command of the vocabulary and grammar.
In both cases, your chance of communicating effectively is severely
handicapped.
Much of the evolution of ceramics through the millennia
displays the human inclination to experiment, to seek new surface and form – the
desire of artists/artisans to develop their craft and create something original
that stands out from the crowd. As an individual craftsperson, your best shot at
reaching that goal depends on the foundation of design/decoration vocabulary you
draw from. Become fluent in the
“language” of ceramics, and you stand a far better chance of creating original
style and direction and orchestrating the desired outcome in your work.
Workshop Description
This workshop explores decorating techniques employed through the
ceramic process on both thrown and handbuilt work from wet clay to bisque-fired
forms. We will pack a lot of information into five days.
My intention is to keep things entertaining and enjoyable, but if you
want to absorb as much technique and information as possible I recommend a good
sketchbook for drawing and note-taking.
There are numerous workshops that address glazes and
glazing, but few that deal with surface design/decoration in the earlier stages
of the ceramic process, and this will be our focus.
We will make and fire bisque stamps and rollers, explore the use of
various tools and materials in impressing, carving, and abrading clay,
investigate simple slip-decorating techniques such as plain sgraffito, wax
sgraffito, mishima, and slip-layering, and briefly explore the use of engobes
and patinas on bisque-fired forms.
We will have several simple clear and opaque cone 6 glazes to apply over these
effects, and will do a glaze-firing on Thursday night.
We will have a series of slide shows surveying decorating
techniques and effects used in ceramic work past and present.
This will be an informal survey intended to entertain you, but it will
provide good coverage of the range of possibilities.
Some of the most interesting and effective ceramic works
feature multiple surface decoration methods added at the various stages of the
ceramic process, resulting in a richness and depth unavailable through any
single technique. We will have only
minimal opportunity for such layered effects in a five-day workshop, but will
discuss the possibilities and see examples in the slide shows.
Throughout the five days of this workshop we will maintain
an ongoing dialogue about surface design and ways to achieve particular
aesthetic and utilitarian effects and outcomes.
You are encouraged to bring samples or images of your work to share with
the group. This will give us an
added opportunity to talk about surface design in reference to your own work.
You will leave this workshop with a significantly-expanded vocabulary of
surface design possibilities.
Workshop Schedule
This schedule serves as a general guide, but must remain flexible. Every
workshop group is different, and the schedule always evolves to suit the needs
and productivity of the participants.
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First Day Morning –
Introduction to the workshop, general information about the studio and our
work schedule. Discussion/demo of bisque-stamps and rollers. Make
bisque-stamps and rollers. First surface design slide show.
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First Day Afternoon –
Discussion-demo of impressing, texturing, and carving methods. Finish bisque
stamps and rollers, work with modeling tools and other tools/materials,
investigating markmaking on damp clay. Bisque-fire bisque stamps and
rollers.
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Second Day Morning –
Discussion/demo of carving/abrading methods on leather-hard clay. Experiment
with pattern, texture, and other markmaking on damp and leather-hard clay.
Work on projects. Second slide show.
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Second Day Afternoon –
Discussion/demo of handles and feet for slumped trays, plates and bowls.
Work on projects. Make tiles and other small forms with carved/impressed
pattern/texture/marks to be bisque-fired for experimentations with engobes
and oxide patinas.
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Third Day Morning –
Discussion/demo slip-decoration processes including slip painting, regular
sgraffito, wax sgraffito with slip-inlay, mishima, and slip layering. Work
on projects. Third slide show.
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Third Day Afternoon – Work
with slip-decoration processes.
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Fourth Day Morning –
Discussion/demo of use of engobes and oxide patinas on bisque-fired ware.
Work on projects. Slide show about Vince’s work.
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Fourth Day Afternoon -
Continued working on projects, glaze wares. Load glaze-firing.
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Fifth Day Morning – Finish
projects, unload glaze-firing, discuss outcomes, look at samples or images
of work brought by participants.
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Materials Provided On-Site by Host
| Buff or white cone 6 stoneware clay. Have on hand 75 lbs. per
participant and 150 lbs. for presenter. |
| One gallon white vinegar. |
| One gallon of joining slurry made in
advance from the claybody. With a cutoff wire, cut a 25-lb. block
of clay into one-inch slices. Dry the slices completely, slake down
in water overnight. The next morning, remove the extra water, mix
to creamy, lump-free consistency with drill impeller mixer, add a
cup of vinegar, and then add water until it reaches a consistency
where the slurry will not flow when the container is tilted unless
it is shaken. |
| 1/2 gallon each of brown, blue-green, dark
blue, black, white, and tan colored slip using the all-temperature
white slip recipe on the handouts page of my website. Note that a
different base recipe is used for the slips containing large amounts
of iron. |
| Two one-pint bottles each of black, brown,
white, red, and blue Speedball underglaze. |
| Oxide patinas - oxide/water washes, one
quart each of iron, rutile, copper, cobalt, and black oxide mix. |
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Facilities, Equipment, Tools, and Supplies Provided On-Site by Host
Please note: the quality and content of this workshop depends on
having all of these supplies. I will bring my own hand tools, and
in some cases I may bring some of these supplies. Before ordering
or purchasing extensive amounts of supplies please check with me to see
what I am planning to bring with me.
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Appropriately dark room for
slide shows, with large screen or large white wall.
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Large sturdy work tables for
handbuilding and decorating. Heavy plywood-covered tables are best,
but sturdy 3'x6' folding tables will work, with no more
than two participants per table.
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Selection of rigid foamboard
slump molds for making small plates and bowls.
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Several pottery wheels for
those who choose to work with thrown form.
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24" (plus or minus an inch
or so) stool for presenter to use. This is important.
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Slab roller with appropriate
canvas sheets for rolling slabs (presenter and participants will
transfer slabs onto their own canvas sheets).
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Heavy-duty rolling pin with
approximately 15" by 3" barrel and bearing-mounted handles (Google
"Vic Firth Maple Rolling Pin").
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Several sturdy banding
wheels - CSI "lazy-susan" turntables are okay, but cast-iron or
aluminum ball-bearing banding wheels are better.
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Bench grinder -
this one from Grizzly Industrial is perfect, and will
serve many purposes if you do not have a bench grinder.
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Small bench vise - this
clamp-on vise from Grizzly Industrial is
appropriate.
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Two clear plastic storage
bins with lids (approx. 12" by 24" by 12" deep, for me to use as
damp boxes).
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Six 24" by 36" sheets of 10
oz. canvas duck.
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At least six 24" by 24"
pieces of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood for handling and flipping slabs (more
if possible - if you have 24" by 24" pieces, they will work, but 24"
by 36" are preferable).
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One plastic spray-bottle for
vinegar water.
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Two propane canisters, as
used on standard propane torches - available from any hardware store
or home improvement center. I will bring a torch body. It would be
helpful if someone could bring at least one additional propane
torch. If you want to purchase one, get the Bernzomatic TS-4000 if
possible. This is the best torch for clay studio use, with
one-handed ignition and operation. It's available from any Lowe's,
Home Depot, or online.
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A supply of transparent
plastic sheeting to cover work - dry-cleaner bags or similar clear
plastic is preferable.
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Supplies for Participants to Bring
Depending on the particular venue, clay may be covered by workshop cost, or
may be available for purchase on-site. Joining slurry, vinegar, colored
slips, and a limited range of commercial underglazes will be provided. The following is a
considerable list of supplies for a workshop, but these are the things you will need
in order to continue doing this work on your own, and we will be able to make
better use of the available time if you bring all of these supplies.
Some of these supplies may be
available on-site, but only if specified by workshop venue.
Note: The Kemper tools and CSI banding wheels are available at www.bigceramicstore.com.
The Stanley Surform tools are available at www.amazon.com
- enter "Stanley Surform" in the search box.
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Two square yards of 10 oz.
canvas duck, cut into several 24" by 36" pieces - "10-ounce" is a
trade reference to the weight per yard, and that's how canvas is
sold in art supply stores. If you buy from an awning, sail, or house
painting supply business they might not use the ounce per yard
reference, in which case you just need to look for fairly sturdy
canvas, while avoiding stuff that is excessively heavy - it should
still be very flexible.
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Standard clay tools (the
packaged Kemper kit contains a wood rib, stainless-steel
scraper-rib, wood knife, needle tool, cutoff wire, small sponge, and
trimming tools).Kemper S-10 flexible stainless steel serrated rib
(no substitutes).
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Kemper RB-4 or RB-6 wood
rib.
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Four Kemper RB-7 ribs. We
will use files and a bench grinder to make profile ribs, using these
as blanks.
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Metal fork.
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X-Acto knife - pencil-thin
model with 1" tapered blade - no substitutions.
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Several old Bic-type
ball-point pens - no substitutions - buy new ones if you have to.
This is an excellent tool for sgrafitto and for general incising
tasks.
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Wood rolling pin.
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Stanley "Surform Shaver"
(short curved blade) and Stanley "Surform Pocket Plane" (5" flat
blade). Get both types - these are made to be woodworking tools, but
are excellent for shaving clay - they are available from any
hardware store or home improvement center or online from
www.amazon.com - enter "Stanley Surform" in the amazon search box.
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Small, sturdy turntable or
banding wheel. The 8" CSI turntable available from most ceramics
suppliers for around $15 is acceptable, but a heavy aluminum or cast
iron ball-bearing banding wheel is even better. Light-duty plastic
kitchen turntables will NOT work.
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Spray bottle for vinegar
water.
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Small bucket for water.
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Small snap-lid container for
slurry.
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A collection of bisque
stamps and any other textured objects or materials for impressing
patterns and textures into the clay.
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Several dry-cleaner bags or
large plastic trash bags to cover your work.
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Small towel or other sturdy
rag.
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Apron (optional).
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If you are driving, bring a
large clear plastic storage bin with lid, approximately 12" by 24"
by 12" deep, to serve as a personal damp box. Transport your
supplies in a separate box so that this plastic storage bin will be
available for its intended use.
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