Penland Fall 2013 8-Week Concentrations

Classes are open to serious students of all levels unless specified in course description; beginners welcome.

Margot Ecke, After Your Death (detail), letterpress,

relief, silkscreen, stencil, ink, handmade abaca

paper, 10 x 15 inches

Creating an artist book can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This workshop will teach you to create sophisticated, finely considered artist books from beginning to end. We’ll start with brainstorming exercises and move on to technical explorations on the Vandercook press, linocut techniques, polymer plates, case binding construction, book design, leather application, and material choice. Each student will create an edition of books. All levels are welcome, although good hand skills and some experience with bookbinding and/or letterpress printing will be helpful. Code F00L

Director of Smokey Road Press (GA), Tamarind Institute (NM) printmaking certificate, diploma in bookbinding from North Bennet School (Boston); former professor of print and book arts at University of Georgia.

We’ll explore techniques for making pots by pushing the limits of clay on and off the wheel. The foundation of the workshop will be wheelthrown pots and experimentation in ways to alter thrown forms and to assemble and construct pots. Decoration will focus on sgraffito, carving, sprigging, and slips, and we’ll discuss the integration and balance of form and decoration. Glazing will also be an important part of this workshop. We’ll work with mid- and high-temperature stoneware and porcelain with atmospheric firings in the salt and wood kilns. All levels. Code F00CA

Karen: studio artist; instructor at Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts (NC); Penland Core Fellowship; exhibitions: Mudfire Gallery (Atlanta), Santa Fe Clay (NM), 18 Hands Gallery (TX).

Liz: studio artist; Penland Core Fellowship, Energy Xchange residency (NC); teaching: Earlham College (IN), Ghost Ranch (NM), Montana State University.

Karen Newgard, Iris, Bug,

and Bird Jar, porcelain, terra

sigillata, sgrafitto, 18 x 10 inches

Liz Sparks, Green Star, Montana clay, colored

slips, ash glaze, 2 x 7 x 4 inches

Matthew Szosz, untitled(inflatable)

no.39, fused and inflated window

glass, 12 x 9 x 7-1/2 inches

This workshop is for students interested in combining the skills and work ethic of the craft tradition with an open-minded and innovative approach to the act of making. We’ll invent, experiment, learn, and experiment again to arrive at a destination not visible from the starting point. Students will use the hot shop, cold shop, kilns, and moldmaking facilities. Glass will be our primary material, but we’ll define “material” as broadly as possible. Sheet and tube glass, found objects, and manufactured multiples are all fair game, and students may choose to focus on intangible themes, such as optics, light, or fragility. All levels. Code F00GA

Studio artist; residencies in U.S., Australia, Japan, Denmark; Jutta Cuny-Franz and Tiffany Foundation awards; 40 under 40 exhibition at Renwick Gallery (DC); founder of Hyperopia Projects for the promotion of experimental and cross-genre work.

Jay Burnham-Kidwell, Chef’s Knife, damascus steel,

mokume-gane, acacia, 1 x 11-1/2 x 10 inches

This workshop will be an intensive exploration of forging iron and steel. We’ll use traditional and contemporary techniques including forging, bending, splitting, punching, joinery, and forge and modern welding to create exciting utilitarian and sculptural objects. The workshop will include tool making, Damascus steel, finishing, and presentation along with demonstrations, field trips, and guest artists. We’ll take raw materials and make them come alive through concentrated individual and team efforts. All levels. Code F00i

Studio artist: professor emeritus from Mohave Community College (AZ); collections: National Ornamental Metal Museum (TN), university of Georgia, West Dean College (UK); teaches and demonstrates nationally.

Adam Whitney, Grind Belt Buckle, brass, chased

and repoussed, 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches

Students in this workshop will make jewelry or small-scale metal objects as they acquire fundamental metal-working knowledge including basic processes, understanding metal, and studio/equipment awareness. We’ll discuss basic design principles, and as each technique is introduced, we’ll explore its specific design attributes. As students progress, we’ll move into intermediate metalworking skills such as casting, chasing and repoussé, and combining metals with other materials through unique connections and settings. Beginning/intermediate level. Code F00MA

Lecturer in jewelry design at Raffles College of Higher Education, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); former Penland metals studio coordinator.

Keith Johnson, Disturbed Air, archival inkjet print, 15 x 67 inches

This workshop is about storytelling through photography—about taking an idea and extending it into a body of work. We’ll cover narratives, typologies, topologies, grids, and time-based work. We’ll spend at least one week creating a print-on-demand (Blurb) book, and we’ll have assignments, field trips, critiques, and final presentations. Students may work digitally or in the black and white darkroom. The workshop will cover camera functions, exposure, composition, film processing and printing (if needed), plus basic Photoshop and Lightrooom (but it is not a software class). The goal is to make a ton of pictures, delve into new ideas, and have a lot of fun. All levels. Code F00P

Studio artist; teaching: Maine Media Workshops, Visual Studies Workshop (NY); residencies: Light Work (NY), Visual Studies Workshop (NY); collections: George Eastman House (NY), Center for Creative Photography (AZ).

John Clark, Hall Table, oak, western red cedar,

poplar bark, 36 x 60 x 15 inches

Along with a thorough exploration of traditional furniture making methods, the secrets of using a vacuum press for curved laminations and veneering will be demystified. We will also rely on both traditional and contemporary methods of joinery, shaping, and surface decoration in the construction of pieces that emphasize superior craftsmanship. We will apply simple design principals to translate our imaginations into real world furniture. All levels, but good dexterity and basic tool skills will be helpful. Code F00W

Studio furniture maker and public artist; teaching: Penland, Arrowmont (TN); collections: Harvard University (MA), Bank of America (NC); former Penland resident artist and studio coordinator.