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John Donovan - Jul 12-16, 2019 - FIGURATIVE MYTH(OLOGY) - $606.50 $606.50 Workshop Description: Figurative Myth(ology) will be an exploration of hand-building techniques in clay with the intent of creating abstracted or fragmented figurative forms imbued with personal narrative content. Bring your sketchbook and favorite marking-stick, as drawing will be used as a tool for idea generation and later for planning and problem solving. The core concepts at play will be combining slab and coil building processes and working on multiple forms simultaneously to gain and maintain creative inertia. A working knowledge of basic/introductory building techniques (wedging, coil & slab building, pinch and modeling of clay) is required, but advanced clay experience is not. REGISTER HERE ALL LEVELS. INTRODUCTORY HAND BUILDING SKILLS ARE HANDY. Session runs July 12-16, 2019 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily, open studio hours on select days. Fee includes tuition + materials fee + studio fee. Students may be asked to bring some additional items. Materials include 50 lbs. of clay and 2 firings. Additional clay will be available for purchase. Artist Bio: John Donovan is a Nashville-based ceramic artist striving to maintain an active exhibition, academic and studio production career. John earned his BFA from Loyola University, New Orleans, in 1994 and MA & MFA degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas in 1996 & 1997, and presently teaches ceramics and 3-D design at Belmont University. John is represented by LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans and Zeitgeist Art Gallery in Nashville, with work regularly appearing in nationally and internationally juried and invitational shows. Noteworthy exhibits include the 2005 World Ceramic Biennale International Competition (3rd edition) in Icheon, South Korea, the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2008, and a major “mid-career” solo exhibition at the Huntsville Museum of Art in 2013. John received the 2011-12 Individual Artist Fellowship in Craft Media from the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 2016 John branched out from his sculptural career and established Tenure Ceramics LLC, focusing on the design and production of custom ceramic tableware for both restaurant and home. www.tenureceramics.com

Having trouble drying handbuilt slabs of porcelain They are rather thin ( approx 1 & 1.5cm ) Have put them to dry sandwiched between two pieces of drywall And 80% have cracked in various places Any input would be GREATLY appreciated As is rather frustrating After so much trial and effort Luv Nicky

Looking for some suggestions for the quickest/easiest way to make slabs for the jigger. At the moment we're slab rolling each one and then polishing the top with a rib, before flipping into the mould (shiny side down for a smooth bottom). This is working fine but is slow, recently I visited the Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke and there the jigger jolly team had what I believe is a hydraulic mini jigger jolley with a flat blade and automatic water sprayer to make the slabs. The operator worked the two simultaneously, making a slab, replacing with new clay and transferring the slab to the jolley machine - this seemed to work well and was very quick. One option I have is to make a flat tool for my jigger machine with a plaster bat and make a batch of slabs before beginning jiggering, but my two worries are: a) how to keep the smooth surface as if it gets marked, it shows up on the plate's bottom and ruins the piece, and b) how to stop them drying out (if too dry they're very tricky to work with on the jigger and creases begin to form)? If anyone has any suggestions or knows of a place where I could get an automatic hydraulic jigger/jolley with an automatic water sprayer I would very much appreciate any suggestions.

A customer is asking for a pizza stone.This is a large slab tile used in an oven to bake a pizza. The question; Is a bisque tile good enough or do you have to fire it to stoneware? Should it be porous, or should it be vitrified? Anyone make these babies? Not to be confused with the Rossetta stone, which is another animal altogether. TJR.

I've always been a fan of texture when working with slabs, and I started hand-building to create more of an "organic" feel to my work. With slab rollers, the clay gets a canvas texture imprinted, and most people smooth it out. For me, sometimes I leave it, or I remove it and add a different texture, such as burlap or something non-organic. I was reading this (old) article today about Elephant Ceramics, and notice some of the comments from potters who said that her work looks "unfinished" because of the texture, and also that the edges of her work looks too sharp. I've always loved her work, and was curious what other serious potters thought of the texture (whether or not it was from a slab-roller, which I'm not sure if it was), and also of her style of work in general. Here's the link to the article: http://www.designsponge.com/2011/09/whats-in-your-toolbox-michele-michael.html