Steven Hill Workshop, Adamah Art Studios, July 16-21, 2023
Atmospheric-Like Effects for Electric Firing
This workshop is structured as a natural follow up to “Throwing Relaxed, Gestural Forms – With an Emphasis on Design,” July 9-14, for those that would like to spend 2 weeks at Adamah!
Students that do not sign up for Steven’s workshop the week before should plan on bringing approximately 18 bone dry or bisque fired pots for glazing. ^6 or ^10 porcelain is the first choice, but white stoneware will also work. See below for specific size suggestions. You should also bring a few vertical test tiles for experimentation.
Steven will address ways to achieve the kind of richness and surface variation in electric kilns that potters have come to associate with reduction firing. The goal is not to imitate reduction, but to set the stage so that multiple layered glazes can interact with each other in the firing. The basic techniques of spraying and the more advanced theories of layering and blending glazes will be addressed. Although glaze formulation is beyond the scope of this workshop, further experimentation with a wide range of glazes will be discussed. We will fire at ^8 oxidation, but the information is also applicable at ^6 or ^10. Firing schedules and how they affect glaze surfaces will be included in the discussion. Steven’s glazes will be available to use, but students are encouraged to also bring small containers of familiar glazes for experimentation.
We will glaze and load our first firing on Monday. After analyzing the results, we will do a second firing.
Preparing for the workshop – Items to bring with you.
1. 14 vertically oriented pots, approximately 6-8” made from ^6-10 porcelain or white stoneware.
2. 4 horizontally oriented pots, approximately 6-8” in diameter.
3. If you make work with textured surfaces or carving, you should bring some to experiment.
4. If you have spray guns you want to experiment with, you are welcome to bring them.
5. A cup / pint of a familiar glaze or 2 you would like to experiment with.
6. Bring a few vertical test tiles to experiment with.