QotW: What was your first exposure to Ceramics at more than a primary level

[Pres]

Hi folks, as all of you know, I was a HS art teacher for 36 years, taught a lot of Ceramics classes over the years, and saw a lot of students.  Just thinking back I remember my first experience with clay out of HS, as most of those were the standard pinch pot or coil piece and in Elementary school.  My HS experiences had all been flatwork, and one of the reasons I believed that an Art Education major should have a variety of media in their training, at not just an exposure level, but some level of proficiency. Looking back, I remember the first exposure I had to 3D media, and ceramics. . . it was an exploratory course of 3D media including ceramic. I made a ceramic box that ended up being a door stop. The teacher in the class was Stanley Zuchowski, who taught Ceramics at the little State College in northern PA.

QotW: What was your first exposure to Ceramics at more than a primary level, and who was the teacher that introduced you to Ceramics as a viable art medium?

I know this is a broad question, but I'm really looking for your best memories of Ceramics and of those people that influenced, motivated, and inspired you!

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I was fortunate enough in high school to have a class that used the weilding/ ceramics lab in a city collage setting. They had a few wheels and a electric kiln that was not being used so a few of us learned from the teacher what he know of low fire pottery (he was the weilding guy mostly). That went into a private night class in Seal Beach Cal. two nights a week using 5 wheels all different in rotation . I bought a brent wheel during this operiod in later high school days toi work at home. I was taking flying lessons at that same time and got my instrument hood training behind me and was solo and decieded mid flight school that taking my friends flying was really not a goal I wanted . At that time what I wanted to do was fly a glider at places like torry pines off the cliffs into the pacific but then you had to have a motor pilots license (now you can get just a glider license ) back then you need a full blown motor pilot license . I had about 18 hoiurs in behind the wheel at the point when I just thought for wanting to fly a glider it felt ridiculous as an outcome to have to get a 40 hour power pilots license . I just dove into clay instead never looked back. I have sence been is gliders as a passenger and feel I made the right choice. I never wanted to fly passengers  in power planes. From that last year in high school where I was exposed to clay I transferred to the other end of this state (cal) and took Juior collage classes in clay and 4 quarters later tarnfered to Houmboldt state and took another 4 years worth of clay classes. I knew how to thro from High school so building kiln s and galze calc and all the rest is what I sponged up from recent Alfred  grads who where new hires at collage and my instructors. Right trime right place is my story and also dumb luck

[Denice]

I was also pretty lucky with my high school's art program.  My clay work was all slab and coil,  we only had one wheel and the teacher would pick one boy to use it in each class.   The  other art classes worked with acrylic for jewelry,  yarn for large hanging rugs, weaving and  metal  enameling.   We also made large wood sculptures.  The school also had a drawing and painting classes.  When I  was 18,  I worked as a dental lab technician,  everyone who made teeth were artistic.   If you looked in the lab during the lunch hour you would find half of the lab workers  making rings and pendants.   Had all of the  waxing, casting and grinding equipment all you had to supply was the silver or gold.  College had larger equipment and space,  you could create larger sculptural work.   I learned to weld in sculpture class,  my teacher said I laid a good weld line but I never really liked welding.  I would peel off to different arts for a while but always came back to clay,  it made me  feel good.     Denice

[neilestrick]

A little ceramics in 7th grade and 9th grade, like one or two projects, but then I didn't touch clay until my junior year of college. I jumped headfirst into it though, and made up for lost time. I was a math major before going into art, so it was a difficult transition in some ways. From my bio on my web page:

I was very concerned about my future, as there aren't a lot of jobs for potters (shocking, I know), and was even more troubled about the mental health of my parents, who were already reeling from my decision to abandon my actuarial ambitions. After several long conversations with my ceramics professor during which he tried to ease my fears about earning potential and financial stability, he finally said the words that would seal the deal:

"If you are passionate about it, you'll make it work. Boom."

Okay, he didn't say 'Boom',  but I definitely heard it in my head and felt it in my soul.

And here we are now. He was right. His name was Dick Luster, and he was one of the most influential people I've ever had in my life. He died a couple of years ago, and I was surprised at how hard it hit me, considering that we hand't talked for a number of years (cause life and distance and all those excuses). I hadn't really given him enough credit for the path my life has taken.

[JohnnyK]

I learned how much I really liked working with clay when I took a Learning Exchange class at my local ceramics supplier/studio at the behest of one of my remodeling clients who was still doing slip-casting classes for young 4-H members at the fine old age of 87. In that wheel-throwing class, which ran one night a week for 6 weeks plus all the studio time you could fit in when the store was open, we were only expected to produce 4 pieces of pottery. I made 20. I guess I liked it so much that I went on to take Ceramics I, II, and Raku at a local junior college. My professor was a young 30 or 40 something with fiery red hair that fit her personality. Her name was Ianna Frisby (toss that one around) and she was encouraging enough to prompt me to open my own little studio where I'm happy to produce all kinds of functional ware that I sell to help pay for the habit!

[Kaylahamyng]

Your journey into ceramics and the impact of teachers like Stanley Zuchowski is truly inspiring. My first exposure to ceramics was in a high school art class with Mrs. Anderson. Her guidance sparked my love for the medium, and I'll always be grateful for those early creative experiences.

[Pres]

@Kaylahamyng Welcome to the forum, and may your experiences here be enlightening and enjoyable.

 

best,

Pres