Form, Surface & Woodfire
7 days, April 27 - May 3
 
A collaborative Workshop with special guest Lisa Barry of Homestead Pottery.
 
We make, we decorate & we fire! 
Wheel work & hand builders welcome. 
 
With a combined 40+ years in clay, Lisa and April are committed to sharing skills and igniting passion throughout this 7 day workshop.
 
You’ll spend time making, decorating and firing with 2 diverse markers, between 2 unique rural studios, firing cone 10 and cone 6, with multiple clay bodies, and surface explorations. 
 
The week starts off at Blackbird Pottery’s fully equipped teaching studio for making!
 
With Lisa’s expertise, we spend day 1 & 2 working in fresh clay, crafting pieces in cone 10 stoneware, with the nuances of wood firing in mind. Raw surfaces, slip decoration and glaze options will be considered. 
 
By day 3, we transition to an in depth exploration of surface techniques with April. We discuss slip casting, and decorating at various stages from greenware through bisque, cone 10 porcelain & cone 6 options. Exercises in resist, image transfer & layering stretch our decorating potential.
 
Day 4, armed with wares, we switch locations to Homestead Pottery, where Lisa guides us through preparing and glazing our work for a choreographed loading & bricking of her custom built wood kiln. 
 
Day 5, we team up and stoke the wood kiln into the evening while learning the intricacies of atmospheric firing and heat work over time. A kiln side potluck punctuates the experience ~ food, firing & connection is well earned this week!
 
Day 6, while the wood kiln is cooling, we return to April’s studio to add final touches, prep and glaze our cone 6 explorations in surface.
 
On day 7, we meet at Lisa’s to un-brick & unload the wood kiln with a celebratory critique of the week’s work. 
Though it is a full week, we’ve built in a bit of flex time for exploring the area or for r&r. 
 
Fees: $1460.00 + hst include the following:
Cone 10 stoneware
Cone 10 decorative slips & glazes
Cone 10 porcelain casting slip
Cone 6 casting slips
Cone 10 & 6 bisque forms for exploring cone 6 surface (1-2)
Cone 6 decorating supplies for image transfer and resist applications, underglazes, mediums, glazes
Full use of studio, tools & equipment
Instruction, demos and guidance from 2 artists, 2 studios, 2 kilns and 2 firing ranges
Firings: 4 x bisque, 1 cone 6 electric glaze, and 1 cone 10 Woodfire
First day welcome lunch
Light refreshments throughout
 
On average, participants go home with 10-16 pieces depending on personal skill levels, interests and details.
 
Participants are responsible for their own accommodation, meals and transportation. Helpful resources for area accommodations can be forwarded upon request. We've included a map of the area, the distance between our 2 studios is approximately 20 minutes by car.
 
A full itinerary will be provided 4 weeks prior to the workshop.
 
Registration is first come, first serve and is a 2 part process, please follow the instructions at checkout. Payment secures your seat.
 
In the event of severe weather, changes to our program may be required. Please review our cancellation policy and protocols prior to registration.