20-2019 – Marcia Selsor – Soluble salts in low fire saggar

In this hands-on workshop Marcia Selsor will share her vast experience of alternative firing processes. We will experiment with saggar and firing in combination with terra sigillata and the use of sulphates, salts and soaking organic materials as colorants, obtaining beautiful designs and colours in delicate hues.
Participants will make at least 2-4 pieces for the saggar firing, 2-4 pieces for the foil saggars. This will provide each person with the opportunity to experiment with each process. Participants may choose to either hand build or work on the wheel.
The ceramic pieces we will create will be appropriate for picking up the fumed patterns on the surfaces and be of a size to fit into the saggars. When they dry we will apply Terra sig, burnish and bisque. We will use collected organic material, copper wire and sawdust to be smoked and fumed inside with the pieces. These pieces will be fired in a raku kiln.
The workshop will be taught to a small group of maximum 10 students in the Nature Studio in the gardens of La Meridiana, to be reached climbing a set of steps.

Marcia Selsor is a Professor Emerita at Montana State University-Billings where she taught for twenty-five years. Selsor has received two Fulbright Scholars’ Awards: Spain 1985-86 and Uzbekistan 1994. She has had 12 studio residencies including: The Banff Center for Creative Arts, Canada; La Meridiana in Italy, The Philadelphia Clay Studio, US; Archie Bray Foundation, US;, AIR Vallauris, France,; and CRETA -Roma, Italy. Her work is in public collections in 11 countries on three continents. Her work has been featured in numerous books and magazine and won numerous awards. She has taught workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, Spain, France, Scotland and Italy; served on the Boards of the National Council of Education of Ceramic Art (NCECA) and the Potters Council (now ICAN) of the American Ceramics Society. She lives in Red Lodge, Montana.
www.marciaselsorstudio.com