education

THROWING KIDS in WNC!

Posted on by pincupottery

Just Scheduled:
Children’s Wheel-Throwing Classes this winter!

Choose Thursday or Friday after school (3:30-5 pm) or Saturday morning (10 am – noon) for a 2-hour per week class. Four weeks will get your kids started in making pottery on the potter’s wheel.
Everything is included – tools, clay, glaze, firing costs….

$11.25 per hour = $90 per 4-week class
Can’t beat that!
Class size is limited to 6 students, so call to register ASAP!
Limited class size = lots of individual attention.

Give your children some fun time to learn a skill/craft that will give them confidence and build strength and hand-eye coordination.

Call 488-0480 to register.

Face Jug Workshop

Posted on by pincupottery

Rob Withrow and Ted Cooley came to visit Southwestern Community College’s Heritage Arts program in Bryson City, North Carolina to show off their face jug style. They did a great job entertaining and teaching us how to make colorful, funny face pots.

Of course, the night started off with a pot luck, which means lots of fabulous food! Then Rob began working on his pots (about 3 feet each). Rob also brought one of his signature piggy bank pigs. When he and Ted were done with their first face, it was time for the students to get to work on their own.

This was a great workshop to share traditional Appalachian style pottery. Perfect for a school located in Western North Carolina! And all of our face pots will end up in our Manabigama kiln! Can’t wait to share those photos!

Enjoy the slideshow of the workshop!

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Throwing Pottery Basics

Posted on by pincupottery

I’m back from my fun holiday vacation and happy to be at Southwestern Community College teaching the Beginner/Intermediate Throwing class.  This, I think, is my favorite class to teach because I can watch the students grow from knowing nothing to making a teapot in 16 weeks.

One of my students recently asked if there were any good sites online to help her learn to throw. Here is a short list of sites that can help anyone learn to make a pot on the wheel:

YouTube is a GREAT start!  Search terms may be: centering pottery, centering clay, wedging clay, pottery wheel basics, etc.  Expert Village has a vast number of videos on Youtube.  I have to say, watch more than one!  Everyone throws a bit different, and not everyone is a good teacher.  The more you see, the better it will translate to you.

Another place to find videos is the Ceramic Arts Daily website.  This site is brought to you by the publisher of several ceramic arts magazines, and so they are interested in selling.  However, beside the selling points, this site offers great tips for the new and initiated potter!  Videos, books, shortened articles from their magazines, etc.

Lakeside Pottery has a pretty extensive site for a small studio in Connecticut.  They posted photos of each step of the throwing process, handbuilding techniques, surface decoration and more.  They really do a GREAT job online, and I am sure they do a mighty fine job in person if you happen to live near them and take a class.

About.com does a great job with both photos and text to help any beginner potter.  I particularly like their tutorial on wedging (preparing) clay for those with hand a wrist strains, called the Cut and Slap method.

These links should keep a beginner occupied online for several hours.  Perhaps in the near future I will post a list of books I recommend for learning about throwing pots on a wheel.

Until then, if you are in Bryson City, North Carolina, check out the classes I offer at Pincu Pottery or consider taking a class at the Heritage Arts Institute!

HAPPY THROWING!

Learning to Throw

Anita learns to throw a pot