2019
Wednesday,
July 10, 2019 |
We say goodbye to Casper and head home. We have so many fond memories of our adventures and have made even more friends here. Plans are already in the works to do it again next year, so until then....
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Tuesday,
July 9, 2019 |
Day 2 of workshops, and the moment we have all been waiting for - unloading the kiln!
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We had a surprise for Mike - we each made a plate and presented them to him. He was so surprised and pleased!
Monday,
July 8, 2019 |
The gang from Las Vegas are taking a two-day workshop with Mike Olson, while the Casper folks learn how to make marionettes with Thom Bumblauskas.
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Sunday,
July 7, 2019 |
Today was a little bit of a "day off" for everyone. Some people joined Mike Olson's family on Lake Alcova, while others golfed, went out shooting, or just relaxed. In the evening, many of of us gathered, along with some of the locals, for an amazing tapas dinner at Backwards Distilling Company Tasting Room. Chef Z prepared 5 courses of some of the most amazing food we have ever tasted. Amber created astounding drinks to compliment each course. It was an awesome event, and we were so glad to be part of it.
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Wyoming Clay Festival Tapas and Cocktails Pairing
Saturday,
July 6, 2019 |
Today was the big Clay Festival! There was a great turnout at Art 321, with lots of wonderful pottery available for purchase. Volunteers took turns helping children and their parents make seed bombs (soil, clay, and wild flower seeds combined and then dried and thrown into a field or garden to germinate the seeds); others took turns doing wheel-throwing demos; various ceramic artists gave talks and demonstrations; all while multiple bands played throughout the day. Afterwards a bunch of us went to Wood Fire Steak House for a delicious meal, and then visited our favorite watering hole - Backwards Distillery. All-in-all it was an amazing day.
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Friday,
July 5, 2019 |
Busy Day! After working in shifts around the clock for 42 hours, the firing was finished at 9:42 a.m. and we shut down the kiln. Now comes the really hard part - waiting for the kiln to cool. At 10 o'clock in the morning, Peter taught a piggy bank hand-building class at Art 321, with assistance from Brandy. Fourteen participants made the cutest little piggies! That night, Andi and Brandy did bowl-making throwing demos at Sanctuary Studio.
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Thursday, July 4, 2019
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All of us took turns working the kiln. It will be in full swing tonight, and should be ready to shut down sometime tomorrow morning. It is hot, sweaty work, which is made easier by the fun camaraderie. We all got together at the kiln for a cookout and to watch the fireworks from the hill. Happy 4th!
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Wednesday, July 3, 2019
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Finished loading the kiln in the morning and started the firing shortly after 4pm. All of us hit different coffee houses, breweries, and bars doing "muggings" throughout the day. We would offer a hand-made mug or tumbler (that we made and brought with us) to a patron, and they could get it filled with a house special made for the occasion, and keep the vessel. It was a great way to check out some of the local digs, and a chance to meet the wonderful people of Casper. So many of them had connections to pottery, and/or to other people we are working with this week. Such fun!
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June, 2019
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We had so much fun last year, that we are doing it again! Preparations are underway at Clay Arts Vegas and participants are busy making work for the wood fire and for the Clay Festival. We are busy planning classes, special meals, and even some "muggings" that will be happening during the trip. To find out more, stay tuned......
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2018
July 11
Leaving Casper |
Now is the time for us to take the long road home. Some of us are driving the full 12-13 hours straight home, while others are making a few stops along the way. All of us have a tiny bit of sadness in our hearts about leaving the wonderful, caring, gracious new friends that we have made.
All I can say is, with all of the wonderful times we had here in Casper, it won't be the last time that Clay Arts Vegas invades this small town. Watch out, Casper! |
July 10
Unloading the Wood Kiln |
At long last we get to unload the wood kiln. We have to wait until the evening, as it is still too hot in the afternoon to handle the pots or for someone to climb inside. We set up a fire brigade line, and pass each object along so that everyone can see every piece. You can hear "oohs" and "aahs" traveling down the line as some particularly beautiful piece moves from person to person.
Overall, we were very pleased with our haul. A few pieces got knocked around, so we had a few conjoined pots, but some were able to be separated. There were only two or three pieces that broke, and a couple that got dumped into the ash pile so that they look like burnt firewood, but our success rate was very high. Not bad for a bunch of rookies. |
July 9
Soda Firing |
We unload the soda kiln. Some pieces, that didn't fit in the wood fire kiln, were treated to a soda firing. This process includes introducing soda ash into the kiln. The ash melts onto the glazes and creates a unique effect. It has similar looks to a wood fire, but not as deep in coloring.
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July 7
Backwards Distilling Co. Cocktail Class |
Our friends, Amber and Mallory, gave all of us a private class about making cocktails at Backwards Distilling Company. It was fun to taste the recipes they shared with us. We also got a tour of the facilities, where Chad told us more about their stills and the distilling process for the various spirits. Peter challenged Amber to come up with drinks on the spot using some exotic ingredients: prickly pear syrup, date molasses, pomegranate molasses, and homemade mesquite syrup. She, of course, did a great job, and we all got to taste her concoctions.
Peter, Dennis, and Brandy dropped off the cups they have made for the CAV / Backwards holiday collaboration. Amber and Mallory were so excited! |
July 7
Wyoming Clay Festival |
The big day arrives
16 Clay artists set up their booths behind the Art 321 building to participate in the first Wyoming Clay Festival. Artists from around the state of Wyoming, and neighboring states, have been gathered together for the first time ever. In addition to booths filled with all sorts of amazing pottery, Backwards Distilling Company is on hand with some delicious cocktails, there is a silent auction of some pottery items that were donated by Thomas Bumblauskas, Peter Jakubowski, and Mike Olson, and throughout the day various potters provide wheel throwing demonstrations outside on the patio. Inside, Wesley Smith, Shana Salaff, and Elaine Henry share their philosophies and histories with the crowd. Click HERE for a link to an article in the local paper about the event.
It was a very hot, but very successful day. Every single person I talked to is already planning for this event next year (even though it doesn't officially exist yet). Hats off to Peter Jakubowski who conceived of this idea and coordinated the efforts of folks from Casper College, Art 321, Backwards Distilling Company, and Clay Arts Vegas to make this event happen. We appreciate Lulu B Art & Design for creating an amazing poster, and Andi Goodman for making t-shirts for the occasion. |
July 6
Dandee Pattee Class |
Dandee Pattee graciously opened up her Artisan Alley studio to a dozen of us for a wheel-throwing demo and mug-making class. She has interesting bowls and creamers with these enormous bulbous handles, that made us all giddy. We then got to create our own Wyoming license plate keepsake mugs.
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July 6
TV Coverage |
The local news channel came to Art 321 and took some footage during the rhyton class. They also interviewed Thom, and got a private throwing lesson with Andi.
The same day, in Las Vegas, our own Connie Stotzer and Allee Etheridge (CAV's summer Resident Artist) were on Channel 13 doing a wheel demo. How cool is that? Click on the picture of Allee for a link to the video of the second part of their appearance. |
July 6
Rhyton Class |
On Friday morning, Peter and Brandy taught a class at Art 321, which is the Casper Artists' Guild gallery. This beautiful space is used to display and sell member's work that represents a variety of media - painting, sculpture, soft goods, jewelry, pottery, wood carving, etc.
Rhytons, which are ancient Greek animal head-shaped drinking vessels, were made by 16 students that attended the class, which included children and adults alike. Everyone had so much fun creating their little creatures, which are also functional cups. |
July 5 - 7
Firing the Kiln |
Everyone helps to fire the kiln. We work in groups of 3 or 4 in three-hour shifts around the clock. It is impossible to describe the heat that comes out of the kiln when you have to open the doors to stoke the fire with more wood, but let's just say it feels like your face is getting burned off, and you check the mirror to see if you still have eyebrows.
The kiln was lit around 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday, and was done around 3 in the morning on Saturday. It will have to cool for four days before we can see the results. |
July 5
Raku Firing |
Dandee Pattee invited us to her raku firing at Artisan Alley. She has a great little setup that she can put together in the back parking lot and take down pretty easily. A bunch of us girls (Andi, Brandy, Betty, Amy, Cynthia, Beth) participated and enjoyed each other's company, as well as getting to meet some of the locals. By the way, if Andi asks you to play Othello, say, "No." She is a brutal champ.
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July 5
Loading the kiln |
All hands are on deck to load pots into the kiln. It is a tight space inside, especially for a guy as big as Mike, but he is an old pro. Thom and Mike do most of the loading, with some help from Amy and Delaney. The rest of the crew helps to find the right size pots to maximize the space in the kiln and to help direct the fire through the space correctly.
The kiln is called "The Armadillo" and was hand-built by Mike and his students in 2003. Although it holds a lot, we have more pots than can fit. These leftovers will go into another kiln for a soda firing. |
July 4
Wadding Party |
Everyone gathers at Casper College to start wadding the pieces in preparation for loading the kiln. Wadding is a refractory clay mixture that keeps the pottery from sticking to the kiln shelves while being fired. Three or more pieces of wadding are glued onto the bottom of each piece.
Afterwards, we all went out onto the lawn area just outside the building, to watch the fireworks show. The cool evening air felt so wonderful compared to the hot nights in Vegas. |
June 14 - 23Getting Ready
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Those of us going on this amazing adventure are glazing our cone 10 pieces for the wood firing and soda firing. We are using glazes and flashing slips to decorate our work. Thom has been giving us all advice on how to apply the glazes and slips and prepare the pieces for shipping. Each person is bringing 8-12 pieces for loading in the kiln on Thursday, July 5.
We all have reservations for hotels or rental houses lined up and are finalizing traveling schedules. Most of us are driving up, which is about a 12 hour trip. Some people are taking a few days to enjoy the scenery on the way, while others are planning to drive straight through in one day. The plan is for all of us to meet at the college to wad our pieces and load the kiln starting on Wednesday afternoon. |