Work Study Oppportunity

We routinely offer a work-study position to interested students. We give preferrence to those who have taken at least one class at PNW and have a schedule that meshes with ours. We also make sure that it is a chance to get behind the scenes of kiln loading and firing, the mechanics of glazes and even some insight into the larger field of ceramics and its processes. You work in exchange for a class and materials and you also get some personalized instruction in the exchange. If you are a serous student of ceramics this is an opportunity to expand your knowledge base beyond the class curriculum. It is a serious time committment with real rewards. Contact the office via e-mail to set up an interview info@potterynorthwest.org. 

WELCOME TO THE WHEEL WORLD

JNoah comes to us from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where, as a core member of the Franklin Street Arts Collective, he worked actively to promote both local and national artists. Before starting his own pottery business, Biloya, he trained as an apprentice for two years under master potter, Mark Hewitt. In 2007, he traveled to Denmark to take part in the Nordic Woodfire Marathon. He likes to read and he likes to make pots, not always in that order.

Adam graduated with an art degree in ceramics at the end of 2008 from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He has been living in Seattle and working at Pottery Northwest since moving to the city in the fall of 2009.

If you have always wanted to try throwing on the wheel, or you did it some time ago and can’t wait to get back, this is the class for you. You will be introduced to the fundamentals of working with clay, centering, throwing cylinders and bowls, making handles and attachments, as well as glazing and decorating.

Clay is an ancient and sensual material ideal for self expression. This class for beginners and returning beginners is the perfect vehicle for learning the basics and more.

Warning: you will like this class and the instructors here are wonderful.

Intended for beginners and returning beginners

Mold-making/Slip-casting for Ceramics

FEE:  $370 FULL

INSTRUCTOR: Akiko Jackson

DAY: Mondays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 9 ENDS: Mar 12

Akiko Jackson is from Kahuku, a rural North Shore community on the island of O’ahu, Hawai'i. She earned two masters degrees: an MA from California State University, Northridge and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Akiko lives in Seattle, Washington as an Artist in Residence at Pottery Northwest.
 
Akiko has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, Los Angeles, CA, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA, the 4th World Ceramic Biennale Korea, Republic of Korea, and the Australian International Ceramics Triennale, Sydney Australia.

Molds! Molds! Molds! This class is an introduction to mold-making and slip-casting ceramics! Mold-making is an important tool in contemporary ceramics and a wonderful technique to have under your belt. We will explore all the different possibilities of making a mold off functional pottery you've created on the wheel or finding ways to make a mold off a handbuilt sculpture. We can cast found objects as well, possibilities are endless! Use these castings to pop-out multiples to create a complex one of a kind sculpture or cast your objects as replication, reproduction, and mass-production! One-part, two-part, and three-part molds will be covered. We will learn how to cast functional pottery, found objects, and sculptural forms.

All levels are welcome.

Form First! The wheel is a tool for making art.

Artist/mechanic Larry Naylor is a former PNW resident and a northwest native whose ceramic work is influenced by Scandinavian minimalism. Larry also owns a bicycle shop specializing in the custom and handmade. This interaction with the mechanical world has influenced his sculptural works which are made from ceramic, wood and steel components. His sculptural work has been shown in various venues around the northwest, including Foster White and Pottery Northwest Gallery.

FEE:  $360

INSTRUCTOR: Larry Naylor

DAY: Tuesdays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 10 ENDS: Mar 13

In traditional ceramics, technique often dictates form. In this class, we will investigate form first while using intermediate throwing skills to build large scale, complex sculptural objects.The class begins with an exercise exploring the subtleties of form though repetition, followed by throwing, trimming and building strategies for creating unique sculptural forms. We will review the work of several pioneering ceramicists who used the wheel as a platform for their sculptural work. In addition we will learn glazing and stilting techniques that allow the firing of non-traditional shapes.

For intermediate and advanced students who wish to expand their wheelwork into the sculptural realm.

Paper Clay the Sequel

FEE:  $360

INSTRUCTOR: Dane Youngren

DAY: Tuesdays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 10 ENDS: Mar 13

Dane Youngren grew up just north of Seattle on his family’s dairy farm. He spent much of his time working on the farm and gathering scrap lumber, building structures of his own influenced by the rural buildings. The sculptures he creates today aren’t far removed from this early influence. He most recently completed his BFA at Washington State University in the spring of 2011 after earning a BS in Agricultural Economics the preceding year. Dane is enjoying his time as a resident artist at PNW and still spends some of his time on the farm where he tends to the dairy cows and his four miniature donkeys.

Good things just keep getting better. Hone your ceramic skills in this class as we work with this magic clay body—paper clay—to take on unimaginable projects. Intended for paper clay addicts and newcomers alike, this class will help you push your work and give you the chance to gain some finesse in the world of glazing too. Emphasis will be placed on construction and surface techniques with ample opportunity for glaze testing and development of your personal color palette.

Intended for intermediate and advanced students.

Large-scale COIL FORMS

FEE:  $350

INSTRUCTOR: Akiko Jackson

DAY: Wednesdays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 11 ENDS: Mar 14

Akiko Jackson is from Kahuku, a rural North Shore community on the island of O’ahu, Hawai'i. She earned two masters degrees: an MA from California State University, Northridge and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Akiko lives in Seattle, Washington as an Artist in Residence at Pottery Northwest.
 
Akiko has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach, VA, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, Los Angeles, CA, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA, the 4th World Ceramic Biennale Korea, Republic of Korea, and the Australian International Ceramics Triennale, Sydney Australia.

Coil-building is one of the earliest techniques introduced in ceramics, from ancient Japanese Jomon to contemporary Ghana coil pots. The potential to create organic forms that serve as vessel, or closed form as sculpture, and geometric shapes that reference industrial design are all examples of the endless possibilities through coil-building. We will learn how to coil build with banding wheels and lazy-susans. Extrusions and hand-rolled coils will be covered, including rough pinching technique to speed up height and repairs

All levels are welcome.

When it rains, it POURS.

FEE:  $360 FULL

INSTRUCTOR: Adam Helenske

DAY: Thursdays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 12 ENDS: Mar 15

Adam graduated with an art degree in ceramics at the end of 2008 from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He has been living in Seattle and working at Pottery Northwest since moving to the city in the fall of 2009.

Come spend your winter at the pottery, staying dry and refining your pottery skills. Any one can add a spout to a form, but it takes practice and insight to really craft a vessel that will be comfortable and pour well. We will look at pouring vessels of all types; pitchers, teapots, cruets, citrus juicers....bring your own thoughts and we'll dive in. We will be working on the potter's wheel.

For intermediate level students.

Marbling Clay (“Nerikomi / Neriage”)

FEE:  $350

INSTRUCTOR: Yoshinaga Kawamura

DAY: Thursdays

TIME: 6 -9 pm

BEGINS: Jan 12 ENDS: Mar 15

Yoshinaga Kawamura is originally from Japan. He received his BFA from Alfred University and MFA in Ceramics from The Ohio State University in 2011. He has worked as a resident artist in Denmark and Japan. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in the collections in China, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Hungary.

The marbling of clay technique known as “Nerikomi” & “Neriage” originated in China and has a long history. However, it is not a well known technique in the contemporary ceramic world. Let’s change that! This class will introduce the basic/traditional knowledge of marbling clay through focus on both hand-building and wheel throwing process while using clays of a variety of colors, including clays with added stains for an extended palette. We will explore the relationship between pattern (created with the colored clays), and form working to enhance our visual expression.

Intermediate skill level, some clay experience.

SOGETSU IKEBANA     |     Nobuko Relnick     |     Thursdays, 5pm

Nobuko Relnick received the first teacher's certificate from the Sogetsu Ikebana Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan in 1966, continuing on to receive the highest teacher's certificate, "Riji rank," from Sogestsu Headquarters in Japan thirty years later in 1996. She was a member of the Ikebana International Tokyo Founding Chapter from 1988 to 1998, when she moved to Woodinville, WA from Tokyo, Japan. She was president of Ikebana International's Seattle Chapter from 2001 to 2003.

Taught by Nobuko Relnick, a master teacher and student of the Sogetsu school for over forty years. Summarized as the Japanese method of arranging flowers and plants, it is that and more. Ikebana is a living art using living materials and strives to create an aesthetic awareness. Ceramics and Ikebana are great companions and complement one another well. Please contact Nobuko for more information and the chance to work with beautiful materials in a fulfilling class.