2006 Summer Workshops

 

KEVIN SNIPES
TRUTHS, LIES, OBSESSIONS, AND THE PORCELAIN VESSEL

JUNE 12 - 16

 Kevin’s interest in art began early in life, drawing cartoons for and about his classmates. Even now his representations are based on his relationships with the people around him. In his work, form and surface share equal importance. This workshop will explore the relationship between altered vessels and the drawn surface. How do we rethink and rework pottery forms to best display drawings, and at the same time create images that dynamically interact with the forms that we make? Students should come prepared with an assortment of imagery: drawings, found images, cutouts, books, doodles and sketchbooks to use in everyday personal narratives. We will experiment with a variety of forming methods, both handbuilding and throwing, and surfaces will include carving and incising techniques. Dry work will be bisqued. Basic clay skills are necessary for this class.
Kevin Snipes received his MFA from the University of Florida and his undergraduate degree from The Cleveland Institute of Art. He has completed residencies at the Worcester Center for Crafts, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Louisiana State University and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. He currently works in his studio in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, where he can often be found struggling with his particular demons by creating narrative drawings on hand made ceramic vessels.

 

DAVID CRANE
WORKING THE EDGE: GEOMETRY IN POTS

JUNE 19 - 23

Beginning with a variety of wheel thrown pots, cups, bowls, jars and boxes, participants will cut and alter them to create angular geometric forms. We will use resist techniques to apply colored slips and glazes, and will attempt to create hard-edged surface decoration to enhance the geometry of these pieces. Our goal will be to create pots that feel unified and confident, using contrasting color and surface elements that work in harmony with clay forms. The workshop will begin with a cone 10 glaze firing. Please bring a few bisqued pieces made of cone 10 clay for glaze experimentation. Some throwing experience is necessary.

David Crane is a studio potter and a professor of art at Virginia Tech. He received a BFA from Northern Arizona University and an MFA from Illinois State University. He is the recipient of a Virginia Museum Artists Fellowship and a SECCA-Artist Fellowship Award. He is a juried member of Piedmont Craftsmen, Southern Highlands Crafts Guild and an original member of the “Sixteen Hands” group. He has taught numerous workshops and his work has been included in many national and international exhibitions.

 

CRISTINA CÓRDOVA
THE FIGURE IN CLAY

JUNE 26 - 30

 For Cristina, the figure is often used as a metaphor for communicating complex psychological narratives. In her sculptures, she explores “the connection between the human, the animal and the inanimate”. In this workshop, we will concentrate on developing skills for creating figurative sculpture in clay. Demonstrations will include slab construction of head, torso, arms and legs, as well as detailing techniques for achieving clarity. Students will also work on small models and slab drawings, colored with slips and oxides, which will be fired. There will be an opportunity for some glaze testing and surface experimentation with nonfireable techniques. Basic handbuilding skills required.
Model fee: $10 (please add $10.76 for model fee and tax to your total).
Cristina Córdova is a studio artist living in Penland, NC. Originally from Puerto Rico, she received her BA from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez and went on to earn her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. In 2005 she concluded a three year residency at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. She was the recipient of an American Craft Council Emerging Artists Grant as well as a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship Award. She has taught workshops in Puerto Rico and the US.

 

TIP TOLAND
HUMAN NATURE: BUILDING LIFE-SIZED FIGURES

JULY 3 - 7

 Gesture and nuance say so much about our human nature and can bring a figure to life. Tip will guide participants through all the steps to create a life-sized figurative sculpture from the waist up. Participants will make an armature, flesh out the figure, cut it off the armature to hollow it out, and finally reassemble the finished piece. We will work from a live model to better understand the sensitivity of gesture, in hopes of arriving at a convincing and personal portrayal of the figure from the pelvis up. Roll up your sleeves and be ready for a fast-paced week working on this large scale. All levels are welcome.
Model fee: $30 (please add $32.29 for model fee and tax to your total).
Tip Toland received her BFA from the University of Colorado and her MFA from Montana State University. She has received an NEA Grant and, in 2004, was the first place winner of the Virginia Groot Foundation Grant. She is a full-time studio artist, and she teaches workshops and exhibits extensively. Her work is included in many important collections both private and public, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, Kohler Art Center, and a promised gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

RICHARD NOTKIN
PLASTER MOLD AND CASTING TECHNIQUES

JULY 10 - 14

Whether you wish to mass produce functional dinnerware or create one-of-a-kind sculptural pieces, this intense, one week workshop will cover everything you ever wanted to know about plaster molds and casting. Richard will assist participants as they design relief tiles, pottery and/or sculptural forms and create prototype models out of clay. Then we will fabricate plaster molds for these prototypes, from simple one-piece through complex multiple-piece molds. Students will explore various casting methods using deflocculated casting slips and plastic clays. Instruction will be tailored to the individual goals of each student. This workshop is open to anyone with prior clay experience. No previous experience in plaster or mold-making is necessary.
A studio artist in Helena, Montana, Richard Notkin exhibits internationally and his work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park, Japan. Richard’s awards include three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and fellowships from the Guggenheim and the Tiffany Foundations. Richard has taught over 200 workshops worldwide.

 

ANDY NASISSE
FIGURE - FORM -
SURFACE - VESSEL

July 17 - 21

I have been using the figure, the vessel, and the landscape as primary images through which I can express my thoughts about the human condition. I am interested in the tension between opposites: between light and dark, male and female, good and evil, organic and geometric... between our conscious lives and the subconscious self...” Using various forming techniques, including paper armatures, wheel throwing, coiling, modeling, and slab construction, participants will create a number of figurative works in clay. Emphasis will be on developing rich surface possibilities including textural stamps, press molding, and over-glazing. Participants should expect to have at least one piece finished and glaze fired by the end of the week. All levels are welcome.
A Colorado native, Andy Nasisse received his MFA from Colorado University. He recently retired from teaching at the University of Georgia, where he taught for twenty-eight years. Andy is known for his edgy, whimsical, figurative ceramics, both functional and sculptural. He has had numerous solo exhibitions and his work has been included in many important museum shows. He has lectured and taught workshops across the US.

 

JAMES LAWTON
LINE TO VOLUME: DEVELOPING VESSEL FORM

July 24 - 28

 Throughout his career James has followed the premise of “original intent”, asking what came before the pottery archetypes we take for granted today, and what prompted early potters to arrive at these classic forms. During the process of building a variety of vessel forms both handbuilt and thrown, we will consider pots as three dimensional drawings. We will explore, for example, the fluidity of the pot’s contour, the linear consequence of darting, and the negative volume between handle and body. Like a tailor or an architect, James constructs pieces from thrown and handbuilt segments to create unique vessels that reference functional forms. Throwing or handbuilding experience is necessary.
James Lawton received a degree in Constructive Design at Florida State University and MFA in Ceramics at Louisiana State University. James is Associate Professor in the Artisanry Department at theUniversity of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Prior appointments include the Art Institute of Chicago, Alfred University, and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Awards include National Endowment Visual Arts Fellowships and a South Carolina Artist Fellowship. James has exhibited extensively and his work has been included in major museum collections in the US, Korea and Europe.

 

BONNIE SEEMAN
FUNCTION AND BEAUTY

JULY 31 - AUGUST 4

 Bonnie’s elegant pots are known for their ornate forms and lavishly embellished surfaces. This workshop will focus on altering and combining thrown forms to create complex functional vessels. Using basic wheel thrown parts, participants will experiment with a variety of handbuilding techniques for combining multiple elements. Porcelain will be used to demonstrate, however these techniques are applicable to any temperature range. We will also explore a variety of surface treatments from drawing into wet clay, carving, stamping, and applying slip. Surface decoration and firing techniques will be discussed. Work that is dry will be bisqued. Some throwing experience necessary.
Bonnie Seeman received her BFA from the University of Miami and her MFA from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. She is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. Her work has been exhibited in numerous international and national shows and is included in many public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design. She has demonstrated and lectured on her work throughout the US.

 

GEOFFREY WHEELER
PORCELAIN: COLOR And FORM

August 7 - 11

 This workshop will concentrate on developing a colorful glaze palette for cone six porcelain. “Color, which is so psychologically charged, can be used to express a sense of joyful exuberance and playful sensuality.” In discussing the relationships between color and form, the focus will be on how to use glazes to extend ideas, not merely to decorate the surface. Participants will be exploring simple, soft manipulations with thrown porcelain, mixing color tests, and firing finished work with the new glaze palette. This workshop is about exploration and adventure. Expect to have fun, and to take home a few small finished pieces and lots of ideas. Some throwing experience necessary.
Geoffrey Wheeler received a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, and an MFA from University of Minnesota. He has been a full-time studio potter for twenty years, and has been teaching ceramics at the University of Wisconsin-Stout since 1999. He exhibits extensively and his work is included in many public and private collections.

 

WESLEY ANDEREGG
MODEL CITIZEN

August 14 - 18

 Wesley uses the figure to convey universal truths and to make wry observations about relationships and the human condition. In this workshop, participants will model small figures or parts of figures out of earthenware clay. Participants will be encouraged to model objects with a personal or a universal narrative. Projects will focus on creating a vocabulary of personal imagery. Pinching, coiling, solid construction and slab building will be used, and underglazes and slips will be available for surface exploration. Students can expect to have some bisque pieces to take home. All levels are welcome, including beginners.
Wesley received his BS from Arizona State University, and has been a studio artist for more than twenty years. He has taught numerous workshops, and has exhibited extensively. His work is included in the collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, and the Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI, among others.


Tuition for all Workshops $400
Lab Fee for all Workshops $50
Non-refundable registration fee $50

Important Information

REGISTRATION
Enrollments for our workshops are limited and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. We require full tuition, lab fee, and a $50 non-refundable registration fee for enrollment. We accept personal checks, money orders, traveler’s checks and Visa or Mastercard. Registration is non-transferrable. There will be a $50 fee to switch from one workshop to another, space permitting, within 30 days of the original workshop.Multiple workshops will receive a 10% discount on each tuition ($40 each), pay a lab fee for each workshop, and a single registration fee.

REFUNDS
Because of our obligations to our instructors, no refund of any payment will be made for notification of withdrawal within 30 days of the start of the workshop. Prior to that time, we will refund your tuition minus the $50 non-refundable registration fee and a $100 cancellation fee.

WORKSHOP CANCELLATIONS
We reserve the right to cancel a workshop if minimum enrollments are not met, in which case all tuitions and fees will be refunded. Notification of cancellation will be made by phone at least 30 days prior to the start of the workshop, at which time students will be offered the option of another workshop, space permitting, or a full refund. Sorry, but we cannot be responsible for non-refundable travel tickets.

ACCEPTANCE/WAITING LISTS
You must be at least 18 to participate in our workshops, or have permission in advance from the teacher before registering. When we receive your registration we will send confirmation and specific workshop information. If the workshop is full, you will be notified that you have been placed on a waiting list.

SKILL LEVELS
Our workshops are designed for serious ceramic students of varying ability levels. Please note these requirements in the workshop descriptions. If you have any questions about your placement, please contact us.

LAB FEES
Each workshop lab fee includes the costs of clays, glazes and firings as specified by the instructor.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Motel rooms are available at The Santa Fe Sage Inn (formerly the Budget Inn). Located only two blocks from our studio, and right next door to Whole Foods Market, this is an affordable housing option that many participants have found convenient. The Santa Fe Sage Inn is a pleasant Southwest-style motel, with upgraded amenities, air-conditioned rooms, cable TV and a small outdoor pool. Our rates: single rooms $55/night, double rooms $59/night. Please call 1-866-433-0335 to make arrangements and reservations. You must mention that you will be taking a workshop at Santa Fe Clay to receive these rates.

If you would prefer to arrange your own accommodations, you may call Santa Fe Detours 1-800-338-6877, Santa Fe Accommodations 1-800-745-9910, or Santa Fe Stay 1-800-995-2272.

TRAVEL AND CLIMATE
Santa Fe is one of the few state capitols without a commercial airport. However, many major airlines serve Albuquerque International Sunport, 65 miles south, and shuttle bus transportation is available from the airport to downtown Santa Fe. In this high desert climate, at 7,000 feet, our summer days are usually sunny and warm with daytime temperatures rarely exceeding 85 degrees. During July and August, we look forward to brief and dramatic thunderstorms and evening temperatures dropping to below 60 degrees. Our facility is within walking distance of many excellent restaurants and the major museums and galleries for which this town is famous.


Tel: (505) 984-1122, Email: sfc@santafeclay.com