What Would You (Potters and Bonsai Practitioners) Include In a 2 Hour Kusamono Ceramics Workshop

[mrcasey]

Club members have zero experience with ceramics. I was thinking of throwing wall rings, foot rings, rolling out slabs,
and providing some slump molds, and templates. I'll also let them do pinch pots. I'll let them pick glazes, but I'll do the glazing and firing. I think it would be fun if they could do as much of their own work as possible, but I also don't want people to get frustrated.

Any ideas about content, time management, technique, short lecture topics would be appreciated.

 

[JoeR]

Club members have zero experience with ceramics. I was thinking of throwing wall rings, foot rings, rolling out slabs,
and providing some slump molds, and templates. I'll also let them do pinch pots. I'll let them pick glazes, but I'll do the glazing and firing. I think it would be fun if they could do as much of their own work as possible, but I also don't want people to get frustrated.

Any ideas about content, time management, technique, short lecture topics would be appreciated.

Dont have much to add, but why would you do the glazing and not them? Time constraint?

 

[Pitoon]

Club members have zero experience with ceramics. I was thinking of throwing wall rings, foot rings, rolling out slabs,
and providing some slump molds, and templates. I'll also let them do pinch pots. I'll let them pick glazes, but I'll do the glazing and firing. I think it would be fun if they could do as much of their own work as possible, but I also don't want people to get frustrated.

Any ideas about content, time management, technique, short lecture topics would be appreciated.

@ABCarve what's your thoughts?

 

[Pitoon]

Dont have much to add, but why would you do the glazing and not them? Time constraint?

Pots would need to be either bone dry or bisque.

 

[AZbonsai]

Can you provide a picture of a wall ring and a foot ring?

 

[ABCarve]

I teach a kusamono pot class for the Rochester club. I roll out two big slabs, one red stoneware, one white stoneware and bring a bag of each for pinch pots. We spend about half hour or so explaining how to cut darts in a slab to form a container, how to compress a joint and how to coil build. The class is three hours and most make 2-3 pots in that time. I spend most of my time going around the room giving encouragement like "it kusamono....you can't screw it up" and "the crazier the better". Most problems happen when they try to use water to smooth with and not getting joints compress. I'm always amazed at what they make. Most students are a blank slate to ceramics and that ingnorance allows for them to be very creative. The second part of the class happens after I bisque their pots. I offer about 6 choices of glazes that can be combined if need be and compatible with either clay body. I bring them back after firing, each wrapped in newspaper in a large box. Each piece is individually unwrapped for the class to Oooo and ahhh at each of their classmates creations. A fun time is had by all.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Pots would need to be either bone dry or bisque.

Dang! I thought ONLY bisque!

Groovy!

 

[sorce]

I would let them know that anything thicker than their thumb needs to be poked through with a needle tool at least, to keep things from steam exploding in the kiln.

I been experimenting with glazing wet greenware. It has the same levels of "ups and downs" as any other way I reckon. It's possible.

Sorce

 

[Pitoon]

Dang! I thought ONLY bisque!

Groovy!

A lot of underglazes are compatible with greenware.

 

[HorseloverFat]

A lot of underglazes are compatible with greenware.

Adding it to the archives.. beep!

*robotic voice* “Thank... (boop!) You!“

 

[Millard B.]

I'm glad that I read this thread as I am giving a 3 hr presentation on simple pinch pots and making some small slabbed pots for about 25 people at the Lighthouse Bonsai club in Boca Raton. As stated above most people have absolutely no idea what they are doing, sometimes it is better that way I was thinking that to keep the mess contained I will hit a thrift shop and buy a couple bed sheets or curtains and cut them into 18" squares to put on the tables to keep the clay from sticking and keep the mess to a minimum. I need to keep things real simple so I will take the class's pots home, let them dry for 3 weeks, fire them and bring them back next month to be glazed if they want to do so, then fire them to cone 10, and bring them back the month after.
I go to the South Florida Fair this month just to see the artwork of the 1st thru 6th graders creations, a lot of kids are really talented! Pablo Picasso said "Every child is an Artist. The problem is how to remain an Artist once we grow up! Any ideas will be greatly appreciated

 

[ForrestW]

Awesome ideas-- the only thing to add, is I would bring a variety of textures you can use on the pots, and maybe some things like a cheese slicer or pen springs for some fun with facets.
Good luck!