Drawn to Surfaces: Illustrative Handbuilding

Past Event

Drawn to Surfaces: Illustrative Handbuilding

18+

Instructor: Milo Berezin

Create lively characters, patterns, and narratives on hand-built pottery! This workshop will introduce various soft slab building techniques including slab coils and press molds. Students will then explore illustrative decorating techniques on greenware using slip, underglaze, and customizable carving tools.

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Overview

Let clay be your canvas in this hand-building and surface design workshop!

In the first portion of the workshop, students will use red stoneware to explore alternative slab-building techniques such as slab coils and press molds to create a variety of forms, including cups, bowls, and bottles. We’ll embrace the marks of the hand: the pinched walls, wrinkles, and subtle irregularities that give each piece character and interest.

After building our forms, we’ll dive into surface decoration, learning how to layer underglaze and translucent slip to build up colorful, dynamic illustrations. Together we’ll explore ways to build a versatile image library and practice simple methods for transferring drawings onto greenware. We’ll also consider how images wrap across three-dimensional forms — carrying narratives onto backs, bottoms, handles, and interiors so every surface of the pot becomes part of the story.

Finally, we’ll explore how to customize simple, affordable sgraffito tools, allowing you to carve a wide range of expressive marks, lines, and handwritten text into the surface.

You’ll end the week with bisqued pottery and a variety of new approaches to create rich illustrated ceramic surfaces. This class will use midrange red stoneware, but these techniques can be adapted to various clay bodies and firing temperatures.

Additional Information

Raised in the woods of rural Alaska, Milo Berezin moved to Pittsburgh in 2004 to study sculpture and printmaking at Carnegie Mellon University, later earning a MAT at Chatham University. The son of a production potter, he rediscovered the joy of clay while working as an arts administrator and teaching artist at a community ceramics nonprofit. He has shown work with numerous galleries, including Charlie Cummings Gallery, Companion Gallery, Northern Clay Center, and Lillstreet Gallery; presented at NCECA; and been published in Ceramics Monthly.

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50 lbs Smooth Red WC443 Laguna clay, firings, and consumable supplies including slip, AMACO underglaze, graphite pencil, and a pin vise tool.

The program will begin Sunday morning, with a brief orientation at 8:30 am. Workshops will start at 9 am.

Sunday night will feature a program mixer, where you will have an opportunity to meet with your classmates outside of the studio, as well as meet other students in our adult programs for the week.

Monday nights feature an opening reception at the Parks Exhibition Gallery, featuring work from our very own summer faculty!

Daily instruction occurs from 9am-12 pm, with a break for lunch in the campus dining hall (included in tuition), and followed with more instruction from 1pm-4 pm.

Artist Talks will be held in the evenings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. This is a wonderful opportunity to listen to our Metals J.A.M. and H.O.T. Clay instructors speak on their art.

On Saturday morning at 10 am, join your fellow workshop participants for an exciting kiln unveiling and celebration!

Generous donors have made scholarships and fellowships for adult workshops available on a limited basis for these specific groups:

1) Native American Community Members, Leaders, Artists, and Teachers

For adults 18 and older with current tribal affiliation, the scholarship brings community leaders, artists, members, and teachers to workshops at ��ֱ�� to benefit both the scholarship recipients and those in their schools or tribal communities. Applicants with financial needs may receive priority. We also offer scholarships for Native American Teens for both the ��ֱ�� Program and the Academy.

2) Inland Empire Teachers, Professors, and Graduate Students

For adults 18 and older who are current teachers in lower and higher education who will benefit from learning about Native American Arts and Culture to take back into the classroom as well as currently enrolled Graduate students. The scholarship is designed to provide professional development for those in education to share with their learning communities.

Scholarships include tuition, dorm housing, and all meals provided by the campus dining service. Transportation to and from campus is not provided, and the $50 registration fee is not included.

Click for more information about adult scholarships.