SPLENDID SURFACES
September 17-19, 2010
Indianapolis, Indiana
Hosted by AMACO/brent
It’s all in the Details!
The SPLENDID SURFACES conference will bring together an accomplished group of presenters to demonstrate, share ideas and answer any questions you have. Discover how each
presenter uses the clay as their canvas, creating lush surfaces so inspiring you will rush home to your studio with fresh ideas. If you’re looking to add to your repertoire of surface techniques, then this is the conference for you.
Mark Your Calendar and Register Today!
SPACE IS LIMITED
Only 6 Spaces Available
Featured Artists:
Melisa Cadell, Fong Choo, Molly Hatch, Kathy King, Tom Meuninck,
and AMACO® Technical and Professional Ceramic Artist staff.
For more information and to register, click on a link below:
Schedule of Events | Presenters | Host & Sponsors
Hotel and Venue Information
Hands-On Opportunities
Travel & Directions | Visitor Information
Registration Information
Download Registration Packet here
What will you learn?
- Explore in detail the teapot form with reference to the perspective of proportions, and through the creation of the form, participants will develop skills in handling clay, sense of craftsmanship and better visual creative skills by virtue of the form.
- Discussion of glazing through the use of the spray gun and brush layering to achieve jewel tone and other surface effects.
- Demonstration of tool making and how to make a cane handle.
- Discuss networking, pricing and presentational aspects that can lead to an artist being successful.
- You’ll leave the conference with working knowledge of mishima (Japanese slip inlay), sgraffito (slip carving), sprig molds, slip trailing, shellac relief as well as use of underglazes on bisque.
- Learn how to use the clay as canvas by drawing and painting with semi-moist underglaze decorating colors, underglaze decorating pencils and underglaze chalk crayons.
- Gain the inside scoop from the Amaco/Brent team with discussion centering around their materials and tools used in the art of ceramics. They will provide guides for experimentation, troubleshooting and interesting glazing techniques. This will be your chance to ask the experts your burning questions.
- Learn how to carve through slip-covered clay (sgraffito) on both
thrown and handbuilt forms that are then glazed with a series of cone
six, translucent glazes. - Learn how to incorporate print transfer techniques like
water-slide decals, silk-screening and block-printing images onto clay. - Learn multiple surface designs that include
monotype print processes and single firing processes. - Learn how the layering of slips, underglazes, wax and glazes help
create a rich surface in a single firing. - Explore the use
of inlaying metal and fiberglass in the surface of the clay body for
unusual effects.
Saturday and Sunday Presenter Demonstrations
The
schedule is set-up so that attendees can pick and choose which classes
to attend over the two day event. Attendees will sign-up during Friday
and/or Saturday morning registration. Attendees will be asked to choose
one presenter for AM and PM for Saturday and Sunday. Each attendee will
see four of the six presenters.
MELISA CADELL
Surface Design
Melisa will do a head demonstration with multiple surface designs that include monotype print processes and single firing processes. She will also share how the layering of slips, underglazes, wax and glazes help create a rich surface in a single firing. Melisa will explore the use of inlaying metal and fiberglass in the surface of the clay body for unusual effects.
Hands On:
Melisa will demonstrate for about 2 hours and then work with participants on trying some of these techniques on tiles.
Additional Information:
Artist Statement: Images of war… is a body of work that I have been focusing on for several years. These works are about universal loss. I am not offering answers in the work, but observing the devastation of war. It seems like a helpless place. A witness to the atrocities, I can not turn away. I fear I would lose my humanity if I closed my eyes to it.
Many have difficulty understanding this new work. I am not sure that I do. How do I go about my work in which I make frivolous objects while others suffer? The only way I can justify my work is to keep careful records of the stories of real individuals. Their names and their places are less important than their courage to stand in the face of fear. They triumph in the streets where they walk, in the markets where they shop and the refugee camps where they rear their children. I have chosen, not out of valor, but necessity to make work that is a testament to the stories of those who have endured hatred. Their courage to speak out against injustice is something I can only strive toward.
Life has become more dear to me since the birth of our children. I realize that there is something more precious than my own life and I shudder to think what parents in these war torn regions must face. We all have experienced some type of loss in this journey. We all know how that feels. How can we continue to see others who are different from us and not believe in the depths of our being that they too experience life with a passage of faith, conviction, joy and sorrow?
AMACO® Technical and Professional Ceramic Artist Staff
Clay and Glaze Basics (a guide to experimenting)
This presentation is designed to give a simple overview of the materials used in ceramics and provide tools for understanding what processes are happening in the kiln. Guides for experimentation, troubleshooting, and interesting glazes techniques will be discussed. It is also your time to ask specific questions relating to Amaco products.
For more information about AMACO visit: www.amaco.com
FONG CHOO
The Teapot Form: Utilitarian vs. Diminutive
Recognized for his signature miniature teapots, during this workshop Fong will explore and demonstrate in detail the teapot form with reference to the perspective of proportions: from the large to the small and from the whimsical to the utilitarian. Through the creation of the teapot form participants will inevitably develop skills in handling clay, acquire a better sense of craftsmanship and without doubt exercise better visual creative skills by virtue of the form.
In addition, there will be discussions with glazing through the use of the spray gun and brush layering to achieve the jewel tone and other effects. Glazing is an equally significant part of the presentation and so a fair amount of time will be devoted here. There will be lots of testing and exploring of glazes with the use of the extruder. There will be ongoing in-studio discussions, tool making and cane handle making demonstration.
In the process the artist will discuss the issues of networking, pricing and presentational aspects that has been so prevalent in the success of the his work. Examples of the artist’s pieces will be on display for use as visual references.
Additional Information:
Fong Choo of Louisville, Kentucky is well recognized for his diminutive teapots. For more than a decade, he has received over 50 major awards from around the country. In April of 2007, he was the recipient of the Robert Turner Excellence in Ceramics Award at the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington DC. Other selected awards include Best of Show at the American Craft Exposition and The American Craft Council Baltimore Show. In addition he also received The Excellence in Ceramics Award at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Show.
He is currently a resident artist and teacher at Bellarmine University and frequently conducts workshops and sells his work through many art shows, exhibitions and galleries in the country and abroad. Choo has also been a presenter in countries like Israel, Canada and most recently in Singapore where he also had his first inaugural solo exhibition.
Fong can be contacted at fongc@bellarmine.edu.
Ceramic Artist – Fong Choo was featured on the Ceramic Arts Daily Website.
Download and read the FREE gift: 7 Great Pottery Projects.
For more information about Fong visit: www.fongchoo.com
MOLLY HATCH
The Altered Surface
Molly will demonstrate the large range of techniques she uses in her own work for surface decoration on greenware and bisqueware. Through discussion of her process, Molly will provide step-by-step instruction to achieve decorative surfaces. Attendees will leave the workshop with working knowledge of techniques covered: Mishima (Japanese slip inlay), Sgraffito (slip carving), sprig molds, slip trailing, shellac relief as well as use of underglazes on bisque.
Hands On:
During the Hands On section of the presentation, Molly will walk you through the application of her demonstrated techniques on the surface of a greenware tile. Attendees will be able to try some or all of the processes discussed with tips from Molly.
Additional Information:
Molly Hatch graduated with her BFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 2000 and her MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2008. She has taught numerous workshops and courses and has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. In addition to working as a full-time studio potter, Hatch regularly writes for Ceramics Monthly and other publications and is on the Board of Directors at The Studio Potter Magazine. She lives with her husband and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Ceramic Artist – Molly Hatch was featured in Ceramic Arts Daily Newsletter.
Click the link to read: 2-D to 3-D: Using Image Transfer and Mishima Techniques to Make Drawings on Pottery.
For more information about Molly visit: www.mollyhatch.com
KATHY KING
Conversations Between Form and Imagery
Kathy will discuss approaches to building a vocabulary of imagery as well as methods of composition of that imagery onto the ceramic form. Using humor as a tool to create narratives within her own work; she will also explore some non-traditional ideas of function. She will demonstrate carving through slip-covered clay (sgraffito) on both thrown and handbuilt forms that are then glazed with a series of cone six, translucent glazes. The incorporation of print transfer techniques will be demonstrated and participants will be invited to try water-slide decals, silk-screening and block-printing images onto clay.
Hands On:
During the Hands On section of the presentation, each participant will be invited to try screening onto leather-hard tiles with underglaze “ink, try sgraffito on same tile, and place a laser-decal onto one glazed tile.
Additional Information:
Kathy has been both a studio artist and educator at universities, colleges and craft centers across the country for over 12 years. Her work combines the use of ceramic vessels, tiled furniture and printmaking, either separately or combined in installations, to express narratives as well as her point of view. Kathy currently runs her studio in the Boston area and works and teaches at the Ceramics Program at Harvard University in Allston, Massachusetts and sits on the Board of Directors for The Studio Potter.
For more information about Kathy visit: www.kathykingart.com
TOM MEUNINCK
Fantasy and Circumstance a Visual Parity of Observations
Tom an artist with more than 45 years experience in the studio and classroom will share a combination of techniques on porcelain clay. He studied drawing and printmaking in college, and it continues to influence his work today in ceramics. Tom will share how to use his favorite underglaze decorating colors, pencils and chalk. He will also share carving and how to incorporate inlay clay into his drawings. Tom truly is a master at using clay surfaces as canvas.
Hands On:
During his three-hour presentation Tom will demonstrate his techniques as well as focusing on the following to allow attendees the opportunity to experiment on tiles with the following underglaze products:
- Drawing and painting with AMACO Semi-moist Underglaze Decorating Colors that are concentrated, intense, and opaque and are suitable for many types of ceramic painting. They are especially good for water color effects and painting of fine detail.
- How to use AMACO Underglaze Decorating Pencils that are ideal for shading, fine line drawing or identification, and how to apply the underglaze pencil to porcelain bisque ware to create a variety of unique decorative designs.
- From intense hues to pastel tones, Amaco Underglaze Chalk Crayons can be used as is, sharpened for fine detail or dissolved in water for painting or spraying.
Additional Information:
Artist Statement: The intersection of “fantasy and circumstance” could best describe the theme of my work. Porcelain, stoneware, and mealy clays embellished sometimes with brushed engobes, sgrafitto, inlaid porcelain, and pencil allow opportunities to exaggerate the images. The visual parody of many of the pieces are based on observations, personal experiences, and reflections treated with artistic satire.
MELISA CADELL
Surface Design
Melisa
will do a head demonstration with multiple surface designs that include
monotype print processes and single firing processes. She will also
share how the layering of slips, underglazes, wax and glazes help
create a rich surface in a single firing. Melisa will explore the use
of inlaying metal and fiberglass in the surface of the clay body for
unusual effects.
Hands On:
Melisa will demonstrate for about 2 hours and then work with participants on trying some of these techniques on tiles.
MOLLY HATCH
The Altered Surface
Molly
will demonstrate the large range of techniques she uses in her own work
for surface decoration on greenware and bisqueware. Through discussion
of her process, Molly will provide step-by-step instruction to achieve
decorative surfaces. Attendees will leave the workshop with working
knowledge of techniques covered: Mishima (Japanese slip inlay),
Sgraffito (slip carving), sprig molds, slip trailing, shellac relief as
well as use of underglazes on bisque.
Hands On:
During
the Hands On section of the presentation, Molly will walk you through
the application of her demonstrated techniques on the surface of a
greenware tile. Attendees will be able to try some or all of the
processes discussed with tips from Molly.
KATHY KING
Conversations Between Form and Imagery
Kathy
will discuss approaches to building a vocabulary of imagery as well as
methods of composition of that imagery onto the ceramic form. Using
humor as a tool to create narratives within her own work; she will also
explore some non-traditional ideas of function. She will demonstrate
carving through slip-covered clay (sgraffito) on both thrown and
handbuilt forms that are then glazed with a series of cone six,
translucent glazes. The incorporation of print transfer techniques will
be demonstrated and participants will be invited to try water-slide
decals, silk-screening and block-printing images onto clay.
Hands On:
During
the Hands On section of the presentation, each participant will be
invited to try screening onto leather-hard tiles with underglaze “ink,
try sgraffito on same tile, and place a laser-decal onto one glazed
tile.
TOM MEUNINCK
Fantasy and Circumstance a Visual Parity of Observations
Tom
an artist with more than 45 years experience in the studio and
classroom will share a combination of techniques on porcelain clay. He
studied drawing and printmaking in college, and it continues to
influence his work today in ceramics. Tom will share how to use his
favorite underglaze decorating colors, pencils and chalk. He will also
share carving and how to incorporate inlay clay into his drawings. Tom
truly is a master at using clay surfaces as canvas.
Hands On:
During
his three-hour presentation Tom will demonstrate his techniques as well
as focusing on the following to allow attendees the opportunity to
experiment on tiles with the following underglaze products:
- Drawing
and painting with AMACO Semi-moist Underglaze Decorating Colors that
are concentrated, intense, and opaque and are suitable for many types
of ceramic painting. They are especially good for water color effects
and painting of fine detail. - How
to use AMACO Underglaze Decorating Pencils that are ideal for shading,
fine line drawing or identification, and how to apply the underglaze
pencil to porcelain bisque ware to create a variety of unique
decorative designs. - From
intense hues to pastel tones, Amaco Underglaze Chalk Crayons can be
used as is, sharpened for fine detail or dissolved in water for
painting or spraying.
Host & Venue Information  |
|
 |
AMACO/brent – Host and Facility AMACO/brent Website: www.amaco.com AMACO/brent® is the leader in safe formulation of glazes and clays worldwide Family owned and operated, AMACO also makes AMACO was the first maker of lead free glazes starting in the 50’s with almost 600 lead free colors including AMACO Velvet Underglazes and Potter’s Choice Cone 5-6 glazes. |
| Hotel Information |
|
 |
HILTON GARDEN INN INDIANAPOLIS NORTHWEST $89 per night for Standard King or Double Queen. A discount coupon for 50% off your breakfast in the Great American Grill will be provided upon your arrival A*Rates are subject to a 17% tax currently. Tax rates are subject to change. NOTE: The hotel does NOT provide transportation to and from airport and to and from the conference site. Our well appointed guest rooms feature one king or two queen beds with a spacious work desk, complimentary hi-speed internet access, two telephones with dataport/voicemail, 32″ Flat screen Television. Hospitality Center with coffee maker, microwave and mini-fridge, hair dryer, iron and board are also standard amenities, ergonomic MIRRA chair by Herman Miller. Ask for Potters Council meeting block to get preferred rates. Room block will be held until Wednesday, August 17, 2010. |
| Travel & Directions |
Airport:
Indianapolis International Airport
7800 Col. H. Weir Cook Memorial Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46241
Website: http://www.indianapolisairport.com/
Distance between Airport and AMACO is about a 19 mile drive.
Ground Transportation:
General Ground Transportation Information
Website: http://www.indianapolisairport.com/parking_transportation/
Car Rental from airport:
Website: http://www.indianapolisairport.com/parking_transportation/rentalCar.aspx
Taxi from airport: http://www.indianapolisairport.com/parking_transportation/taxiService.aspx
| Visitor Information |
There is much to see in do around Indianapolis. This is a great opportunity to bring your family or friends and extend your visit.
For things to do in and around Indianapolis: http://visitindy.com/indianapolis/web/jsp/index.jsp?p=1
| Registration |
You are invited to register online, by mail or fax, or by telephone.
- To register online, click on the “Register Now!” button:
- To register by mail or fax, click on the Registration Form link below to download a PDF of the registration form that you can mail or fax to us at Potters Council, PO Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-9145; fax 818-487-4550.
- To register by telephone, call toll free at 800-424-8698 or international 818-487-2054.
- Student Discounts (Valid Student ID) and Day Passes available. Call 800-424-8698 for more information.
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Only 6 Spaces Available
| After August 30, 2010 |
||
| Potters Council Member | $345.00 | |
| Non-Member | 390.00 | |
| Registration fee includes the reception on Friday, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Make checks payable to Potters Council in U.S. Dollars, drawn on a U.S. Bank. Cancellation Policy: Full refund less $50 if canceled on or before August 17, 2010; 50% refund if canceled between August 18 and September 17, 2010; no refunds after the start of the conference. | ||
