25-2023 -Elena Wendelyn & Harrison Levenstein – Feast & Flame
June 18 – July 1 2023
Woodfired wares to feast from
Throwing or handbuilding. Woodfiring
Introduction
Feast & Flame is an intensive wood-fire workshop focused on making thoughtful wares to feast from! Elena Wendelyn and Harry Levenstein will team up to nudge forward your technical abilities on the potter’s wheel. In addition, they will push your decorative arsenal to the next level while making all of the necessary pots for a feast finale. Together we will load and fire the La Meridiana train kiln, with a focus on hands-on loading, wadding, and firing techniques. Our aim is to build confidence in the process as a whole, and achieve a beautiful set of woodfired surface effects.
Techniques taught
In Feast & Flame we will explore how to elevate form with the use of minimal and maximal decoration and adornment, with the effects of atmospheric firing in mind. Elena will guide participants through a variety of surface decoration techniques including sgraffito, inlay, water-etching, image transfers, and adding sculptural elements to pots. Harry will cover techniques for throwing larger, making tall, sectional pots, pitchers, handles, altered forms, and brushwork decoration. Please note that due to kiln space considerations, pots over 30cm cannot be fired. However, there is no limit for clay, so students are most welcome to practice.
Teaching method
Mornings will be dedicated to throwing demonstrations and practice on the potter’s wheel. After lunch we will return to the studio for surface treatment demonstrations and discussion. Thoughtful critique will be offered consistently throughout the course to assist with personal aesthetic growth and learning. Feast & Flame will end with a banquet served on our creations.
Logistics
On every classday, a delicious meal will be served and lodging is included in the cost as well. For this workshop, some experience with clay is required, however, it is not necessary to have woodfiring experience. Throwers and handbuilders are equally welcome.
About the Artists
Elena Wendelyn is a US based artist and educator who explores ideas of dialogue and communication through clay. She holds a MA in Fine Art History and a teaching certificate for art history and culture studies from the Ural State University in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Of her inspiration she says: “Ceramics endures eons, revealing facts and stories from visceral clay shaping to narratives captured by various means. My challenge is to create pieces that would carry some of the message about our particular time in history, from mundane to sublime.” Her main focus now is sgraffito surface decoration which she likes to enhance and through wood firing. @clayandcoffee
Harry Levenstein studied ceramics at Humboldt State University, and apprenticed under woodfire potter Simon Levin for 18-months where he began a focused, deep dive into the nuances of wood firing. He spent 6 months as an artist in residence at the Golden Bridge Pottery in Pondicherry in Southern India exploring the unique local materials as they related to his own ideas of firing wood kilns. In 2019-2020 he completed an 8-month residency at the Red Lodge Clay Center where he developed a range of clay bodies for use in wood and soda firing. He is currently based in the Berkshire region of Western Massachusetts. www.hlpottery.com
| Artists: | Elena Wendelyn & Harrison Levenstein |
|---|---|
| Date: | June 18 – July 1 2023 |
| Length of course | 10 working days in the studio |
| Technique: | Surface techniques, Throwing, Wood and/or soda firing |
| Level: | Some experience required |
| Total cost: | Euro 3000,00 |
| Deposit for booking: | Euro 800,00 |
THIS COURSE IS FULL
Payment and Refund Policy
A deposit is required at registration. After submitting the registration form, you may proceed with the payment on-line. If you choose to pay by bank transfer, the registration will be confirmed once the deposit has been accredited in our banking account. The balance must be paid at the beginning of the course.
Cancellations
You may withdraw within 14 days of registration without incurring in any penalties and will have the deposit fully refunded. No refund of deposits past 14 days of registration, pursuant to articles 53 and following of the EU consumer protection legislation.
If La Meridiana cannot hold the course due to unforeseen events beyond our control, La Meridiana reserves the right to offer a voucher for a different course of your choice. The voucher is valid for two years. The deposit will be transferred to the new course.
Info
The workshop fee includes the following:
Tuition of 6 – 8 hours per day;
Studio open 12 hours per day;
All materials and firings;
Lodging in double room; single room on request at additional fee of 230 euros. per week;
Freshly prepared three course lunch with wine on all working days;
Field trips;
Welcome breakfast, Welcome and Final dinner;
Coffee break in the mornings and in the evenings.
Safety
La Meridiana is equipped to comply with the current safety standards regarding Covid-19, including social distancing between people in and outside the studio. The daily maintenance of hygiene measures is guaranteed. Please note that participants will be required to follow the security protocol and to comply with some simple precautions.