Looking back at the final four weeks of Penland's Spring Concentration, I made some great friends. I realize that working in a craft, in which you spend a large amount of time alone in the studio, this experience is essential for improving your game. At one point during this time Cynthia said to us, "You all know what to look for, ask each other for help." In retrospect, this opened a flood gate for us in regards to form and creative influences. People not only asked for help, but they moved around the studio more freely and commented on pieces people were making and offered advice and encouragement. How often does this happen in your studio at home?
During the fifth week we began throwing lidded forms, bottles, bottles with stoppers, and goblets. Followed by large bowls. Cynthia encouraged us to continue to edit our work, but also pushed us to make pieces in the kilns to get results. Obviously, I took this as a sign to be productive. It is a pattern of mine to get in the zone and work towards results, make many mistakes, and start over and grind through the process. The final three weeks of the concentration Cynthia had us focus on a goal. Mine was the bottle form, something I struggled with at home, having only taken one wheel throwing class last year, I was stuck at a learning plateau. I needed to get past this point. Cynthia encouraged me to throw dry and breath as I was pulling. In a stealthy move she would be next to my wheel while I was pulling a 5 pound clay bottle, and say, "Breathe Jeff." The bottle form improved, and as they dried I started to dabble more in carving.
When I first worked with clay I loved to carve into the leather hard pieces. Though, it was very random and I lacked intent. Interestingly, while doodling in my studio this past winter I came up with a pattern that intrigued me. While throwing some of the bigger bottles, more an exercise to throw taller pieces, I realized that the form reminded me of large bottles used for milk. My Grandfather had a dairy farm and I vaguely remember that period of time when I was child and visited the farm. That time period and the doodles brought to mind art-deco images. I pursued this carving on several items. Experimenting and taking risks to obtain results are what the Penland experience was about.
Finally, I started to play with the fish form. My love for fish and fly-fishing are always near at hand in my art. Here are several pieces which I used for stoppers or carved images on mugs and goblets. Another aspect I toyed with was surface texture using rope and faceting, using wrapped wire. I can only guess at how many of these pieces were recycled before they were finally glazed. If I made 200 items while at Penland, at least 200 were recycled.
The last firing at Penland was done in a kiln named Julia Two. Previously we fired three firings in the final days of Julia One. After 150 firings salt kilns insides become corroded and the arch ceiling tends to collapse and needs replacing. The kiln is named for a former studio assistant who died in a automobile accident. Her husband created a fund to continue Julia's passion for the pottery and love for Penland.
Will Baker was hired by Penland to build Julia Two. It was a great experience to watch, and occasionally help Will in this process. I also met Julia's husband, who helped Will during the first few days of construction.
I am curious about what will take place in the studio when I get back home. Presently, Nicky and I are traveling back from North Carolina, visiting family along the way and enjoying time together camping and hiking. I leave for Homer tomorrow. I hope to be back in the studio by the middle of the week. However, as summer approaches I have taken on several jobs and will be teaching ceramics for two weeks as well, so my studio time will be cut short. My short term goals are to continue with art-deco carving and fish motifs. My long term goal is to build a soda kiln on our property. This means I will, slowly, be constructing a kiln shed with a concrete pad to accommodate the kiln. I am also looking into doing another Kickstarter Campaign next year to purchase the kiln materials.
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