Day 5 Haiti

Today is my fifth day in Haiti. I am here with my friend, Nicole Copel. We are joining forces with two other potters to teach throwing to women at the ApParent Project. So far it is a wonderful experience, enriching and educational. Shelley and Corrigan Clay are the directors of ApParent Project www.apparentproject.com

Yesterday was our first day with the women. We have two groups, one in the morning (8am-11am) and one group in the afternoon (12pm-3pm). Each group is comprised of women that are interested in developing a skill so that they can gain employment and be able to care for themselves and their children. They range in age from 18-40 years old.

Yesterday we taught them to wedge clay, and how to center the clay. Today we repeated those two demos and went on to creating a center hole and opening up the clay. Tomorrow (Sunday) they will have a day off then on Monday we will continue with the next step, pulling up walls of a cylinder. We are teaching throwing in a very different than what each of us does in classes we have previously taught. Our goal is to get these women proficient enough with the basics to be able to make small items that they can sell once we are gone. We hope that they can make a tumbler or mug by the time we leave.

Apparent Project Haiti

Just realized that I have not written on my blog in quite awhile. Boy how the time flies. Finished up teaching at Western State Colorado University. I taught the Intro to Ceramics class for Professor Al Caniff while he was on sabbatical last semester. It was truly a great experience. Finished up the semester Dec. 18th then drove to Omaha for two weeks with son, BJ. Spent Christmas and New Years in Omaha. I even ran in a the Doomsday 5K race with BJ. It was at 9pm, in the dark and on snowpacked trails.

Currently, the big news is that I will be traveling to Haiti on January 29th with my friend Nicole Copel, owner of Pinon Hill Pottery in La Veta, Colorado. We are going to teach clay skills at Apparent Project www.apparentproject.com I am hopeful that we will be of assistance to the folks there as they get their clay program underway. They already have several artisan programs including jewelry making and book binding. Take a look at their website to learn more about their mission.

Taking photos of pottery

Spent some time today taking photos of new work. Here are a couple that I just edited.

Photo Images on Clay - fall class

UPCOMING CLASS BEGINS IN 2 WEEKS!!!!!

PHOTO IMAGES ON CLAY

Capture a special work of art, poem, or photograph and turn it into a lasting keepsake. In Photo Images on Clay participants transfer a favorite digital image to a piece of their pottery.  In the first session students create a simple slab form (plate or platter). In the second class students glaze these forms reserving an area for the selected image. During the final class students learn to print digital images onto decal paper and transfer the image to their piece of pottery. The final firing fuses the image to the glaze creating an enduring memento.

Instructor: Donna Rozman

Location: Donna’s studio 3 miles south of Crested Butte

Time:  1:00pm – 3:00pm

Day and Time: Tuesdays, Sept. 11 6-8pm, Sept. 18 6-9pm, Sept. 25 6-8pm    

To register call Western State College office of Extended Studies 970-943-2885 or visit http://www.western.edu/academics/extended-studies

Photo Images on Clay

Last Chance to sign up for Photo Images on Clay

Can’t beat the price -- $45 plus $12 material fee for three 2-hour classes.

Capture a special work of art, poem, or photograph and turn it into a lasting keepsake. In Photo Images on Clay participants transfer a favorite digital image to a piece of their pottery.  In the first session students create a simple slab form (plate or platter). In the second class students glaze these forms reserving an area for the selected image. During the final class students learn to print digital images onto decal paper and transfer the image to their piece of pottery. The final firing fuses the image to the glaze creating an enduring memento.

Saturdays, April 7^th, 14^th, and 21^st -- 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Taught by Donna Rozman at her studio 3 miles south of Crested Butte. Call Extended Studies at 970-943-2885 to sign up.

UPCOMING CLASSES AT GAC

I'll be teaching an upcoming class at GAC. Hands in Clay will begin next week and is sure to be lots of fun. All ability levels are welcome. I will tailor the class to the participants. If you have a project you want to work on I'll help you with it. Each participant can decide what they want to accomplish and I will help you acheive your goal. -- From learning the basics of working with clay to developing your own work -- The goal will be to have a good time in a non-threatening setting while working with clay. Come join the fun!
Hands in Clay
February 9-March 15, 2012
Thursdays 1:00-4:00pm
From never-evers to advanced, participants will work in a relaxed setting creating functional and artistic ceramic pieces. Platters, bowls, mugs and lidded forms are only some of the possibilities!
Open studio time available.   $190
Gunnison Arts Center  http://www.gunnisonartscenter.org/

Alpineer slide show

Tomorrow I will be showing my slides of China at the Alpineer in Crested Butte at 7:30pm. Be sure to bring a chair or cushion to sit on. See you there!