| WORKSHOPS |
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| Where There's Smoke There's Fire - A Two Day Workshop
April 19 & 20, 2008 |
| We had a great time in the Nyeste's studio with a sawdust fire smoking away outside, and Bruce and Laura stoking the fires of creativity inside. |
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Bruce | Day 1 - Creating the Wares |
 | Bruce lead the way in this workshop, demonstrating techniques and accumulated knowledge from thirty years experience at the wheel. The focus was to cover the basics from centering to finishing, and as much ground as possible along the way. |
 | One of the most engaging aspects was the variety of wares that were created. Over the course of the weekend Bruce was able to demonstrate a lot of methods as he threw in abundance; pitchers, bowls, platters, lidded vessels, teapots and the like accumulated on the shelves beside the wheel. |
 | Throwing off the hump was one of the first demonstrations, giving Bruce an opportunity to use the the famous Bull's Tongue, a Japanese tools introduce to the guild by Paul Davis in 2005. The Bull's Tongue allows the potter to create compression in the base of the pot, which can sometimes prove challenging. It also appeared later in the workshop in the shaping of bowls, and Bruce uses it often for this purpose. |
 | Other ribs were used as well when the vessels got bigger, or changed in shape. In this photo Bruce is using a heavily grogged clay body to make a set of large plates and bowls. You'll notice his wheel guard is a modified wheel barrel pan. His tools are close by. |
 | Altered Vessel 1 - With more shaping exercises Bruce illustrated the limits to which clay can be pushed. Here he shapes from the inside out. In the background is a similar pot that has been textured with lines that slant against the direction of the wheel. |
 | Altered Vessel 2 - Assistant Sheryl helps dry the vessel in preparation for the next stage. She uses a paint stripping gun while Bruce applies the serious heat with a blow torch. Lines are then impressed into the clay with a 'cigar' tool, carefully creating random lines and without breaking the surface of the vessel. |  |
 | Altered Vessel 3 - As the carving progressed the lines deepened. Bruce is now kicking the flywheel at a workable speed to keep a consistent sense of motion in the line work. Fortunately there were no mishaps, and this piece worked out. |
 | Click on this picture to see how Bruce practically does it in his sleep! These platters were made by a hucking technique Bruce has perfected. It involves creating a disc on the wheel and hucking the disc into a oblong platter shape. Handles are attached and the rims are shaped before the drying process. Notice the support pieces beneath the rim of the platters. These are foam insulation cut in half and placed where needed. |
Bruce | Day 2 - Turning and Assembly |
 | Bruce is quick to adopt useful techniques into his pottery making practice. In this picture he has set up a finished pot in his Giffin Grip, which then holds the piece he will trim, a vase turned upside down. His motto seems to be, 'if it works, do it'.
Not pictured are his chucks. These are bisqued and kept in water until ready to be used. A clay pad is added to the top of the chuck and the vessel to be trimmed sits on the pad. |
 | Also useful is a foam covered cone. Pictured is a honey pot, one of the 4,000 Bruce throws each year. The blue material is a nylon which holds the foam in place and creates a non-textured surface for the pot sit on. Again, the Giffin Grip holds the whole thing on the wheel. |
 | There was a fair amount of assembly on day two, and one thing stands out as essential; Magic Water. |
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 | Lastly, Bruce showed us his gas kiln which he designed himself, and had built at Seattle Pottery Supplies. One unique aspect is the placement of the burners. The flame comes up through the bottom corners of the floor and are shielded by the bottom kiln shelves. |
| Laura | Day 2 - Handbuilding |
 | Laura's part of the studio is a riot of forms, textures and tools she has developed in her approach to handbuilding. She works directly with her clay slumping over plaster moulds, moving through a variety of shapes on any given day. |
 | In this picture she creates a form by pushing down into foam. The mould is in her hands, the clay is under the mould, on top of the foam. She creates the shape in the clay as she pushes it into the foam, releasing it to reveal a tray. Sometimes texture is added to the piece before it is pressed. She has a variety of combs, texture pads and unusual objects she has collected. In this case the clay shape was cut first, but often she cuts after, as in the next photo. |
 | Laura uses various cutting devices to determine the width of her rims. On the left a specific piece of wood creates a wider rim. On the right she uses a found object which is flexible and hugs the shape to create a thinner rim. |  |
| One of the pleasures of watching Laura's process is that she works quickly and confidently. She works loosely but her forms are strong. |
| Saturday Eve | The Crystal Draw |
 | The Bruins have scored, and so have Jan and Rhona. They each hold a crystal vase that Bruce generously gifted to the participants. We drew and traded to find our favourites. |  |
| As always it was a pleasure to attend a workshop at the Nyeste's. Bruce and Laura have hosted many workshops in the past, so it was good to experience their approach to demonstration of pottery making. Thank You Bruce and Laura. |
| top of page Updated - July 09, 2010 |
