Posted on November 2, 2017 by Penland

Penland at SOFA CHICAGO 2017

aerial view of SOFA Chicago exhibit hall

We’re eagerly anticipating another year of incredible art, fascinating lectures and demonstrations, good friends, and more at this weekend’s SOFA CHICAGO 2017. The expo opens tonight and runs through November 5 at Navy Pier. It will feature work by hundreds of artists across a range of media from glass and metal to painting and textiles. Penland’s director Jean McLaughlin will be there, and we’ll have a table staffed by some wonderful Penland volunteers all weekend—please stop by and say hi!

If you’re in the Chicago area, a day at SOFA CHICAGO is a unique opportunity to see some of the best in sculpture, craft, design, and more all under one roof. It’s also a great way to see the recent work of many Penland instructors who are represented at the event. A few will be presenting as part of the SOFA lecture series, including jewelers Kat Cole and Janis Kerman, curator and glass artist Susie Silbert, and ceramic sculptor Esther Shimazu.

And for all of us who can’t be there in person, the lush photographs of this year’s art on the SOFA website are well worth a look. Take a peek and be inspired!

Images: SOFA CHICAGO

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Posted on October 24, 2017January 14, 2018 by Penland

Spring with Sunshine Cobb

Sunshine Cobb’s mugs, jars, and bowls have the sort of effortless personality that can only come through great skill, a highly refined process, and, yes, a good deal of effort. Their soft, matte surfaces play up the textured forms and rich, red clay underneath. They’re quirky, bright, and inviting—much like Sunshine herself. It’s hard to mistake this work for anyone else’s, which is a large portion of its brilliance.

This spring, Sunshine will be returning to Penland to teach our 8-week spring clay concentration March 11 – May 4, 2018. Israel Davis was originally scheduled to teach in the slot, but Sunshine graciously stepped in when he had to cancel. The workshop will be an intensive look at building forms on and off the potter’s wheel and the wide range of surface options to complement them. For beginning students, it will be a guided jump-start into the world of clay. For those with more experience, it will be a valuable opportunity to develop new ideas and refine personal style, as well as get practical advice on the business side of making a living as an artist.

Registration is currently open on a first-come, first-served basis for spring workshops. Scholarships are available for all spring concentrations—apply by November 28!

ceramic trays by Sunshine Cobb

Wheelthrowing and Handbuilding Techniques

Sunshine Cobb, March 11 – May 4, 2018
This intensive workshop will be explore form and content through functional ceramics by diving deep into a combination of both handbuilding and wheelthrowing techniques. And we will cover a broad range of surface solutions. Participants can also expect creative exercises and critical discussions relative to form, surface, and the balance of both. We’ll also have sessions on developing online and social media content and discussions of business models that working artists are using today. You will delve into your makers’ mind and develop new approaches and ideas to your work. All levels. Studio fee: $245. Code S00CA

Studio artist; teaching: Red Clay Lodge (MT), Santa Fe Clay (NM), Anderson Ranch (CO), Penland; Archie Bray Foundation (MT) long-term residency; named 2013 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly and NCECA; author of the forthcoming Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coil, and More (Voyageur Press, 2018).

sunshinecobb.com

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Posted on October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 by Penland

Photo of the Week: Dovetails

Christina Boy at Penland

Instructor Christina Boy demonstrating hand-cut dovetail joints. During the demo we learned that there were dovetail joints in furniture entombed with mummies during the first Egyptian dynasty and also in the tombs of Chinese emperors. Thanks, Wikipedia.