Workshops
Linked Workshop
'Linked' was the theme of a workshop I gave to five participants over a weekend. The aim was to demonstrate the creation of positive and negative space in a hollow sculpture using the construction of separate components. These were handbuilt using pinch and slab techniques with the additional use of moulds. The students pursued their own designs while incorporating many of the skills and techniques I taught them.
Tee Pee Firing
A fire sculpture event was held on March 15th at the finale of Sculpture on the Edge, Bermagui, New South Wales. With some help from friends in very hot and humid conditions I supervised the creation of a Tee Pee style firing. The kiln contained participants work as well as a totem sculpture made at a workshop I gave for the students from Little Yuin Aboriginal pre-school. The work had been bisqued and decorated with raku glazes and oxides. It was placed in a bed of sawdust, kindling and newspaper around which a contruction of sticks was made as a frame for the slip-coated paper covering. The tee pee was lit on dusk, burning for about 15 minutes and finally covered with seaweed and damp newspapers in order to smoke the work and produce some beautiful reduction effects in the oxides.
Work in Progress
It has been a busy start to the year preparing for exhibitions, as well as facilitating two workshops. I held a weekend workshop in my studio on handbuilt ceramic sculpture that included a presentation about pit-firing using the teepee technique (see future post). The other workshop I had at the Little Yuin Aboriginal Pre-school at Wallaga Lake where the children made textured totems that will be fired in a fire sculpture event on the 13th March at the closing of Sulpture on the Edge which runs from 5th to 14th March 2016.
Animal Workshop
On the 21st and 22nd March I gave a workshop to 5 very enthusiastic adults with the emphasis on animal sculpture. Two people had never worked with clay and it was a thrill to see them so pleased with the work they produced, a lizard on a stump and a possum up a tree. We looked at a variety of contemporary ceramic sculptors ranging from conceptual to realistic. I think the essence of success in teaching is to not be too prescriptive but stimulate ideas and give the student flexibility with the outcome, enabling them to apply the techniques you teach them in the way they feel comfortable.
Aboriginal Pre-school Project
Earth Goddess
The Canberra Potters Society asked me to co-ordinate a community project in 2006. I designed a large totem representing the nurturer of Mother Earth decorated with groups of species of Austalian animals. I made large clay modules (formed around plastic bins) in order for the public to cut out stencils or their own design of animals to be decorated with coloured slips and appliqued onto the surface of the modules. After firing, the sculpture was installed in the grounds of the centre.
'Linked' was the theme of a workshop I gave to five participants over a weekend. The aim was to demonstrate the creation of positive and negative space in a hollow sculpture using the construction of separate components. These were handbuilt using pinch and slab techniques with the additional use of moulds. The students pursued their own designs while incorporating many of the skills and techniques I taught them.
Application of oxides and engobes for once-firing
Using a support for complicated forms
Demonstration piece
Giving a student advice
Working from marcquette
Tee Pee Firing
A fire sculpture event was held on March 15th at the finale of Sculpture on the Edge, Bermagui, New South Wales. With some help from friends in very hot and humid conditions I supervised the creation of a Tee Pee style firing. The kiln contained participants work as well as a totem sculpture made at a workshop I gave for the students from Little Yuin Aboriginal pre-school. The work had been bisqued and decorated with raku glazes and oxides. It was placed in a bed of sawdust, kindling and newspaper around which a contruction of sticks was made as a frame for the slip-coated paper covering. The tee pee was lit on dusk, burning for about 15 minutes and finally covered with seaweed and damp newspapers in order to smoke the work and produce some beautiful reduction effects in the oxides.
Packing the tee pee firing
Building the tee pee kiln
Lighting the kiln
Preparing for smoking
Pre-school student's totem
Work in Progress
It has been a busy start to the year preparing for exhibitions, as well as facilitating two workshops. I held a weekend workshop in my studio on handbuilt ceramic sculpture that included a presentation about pit-firing using the teepee technique (see future post). The other workshop I had at the Little Yuin Aboriginal Pre-school at Wallaga Lake where the children made textured totems that will be fired in a fire sculpture event on the 13th March at the closing of Sulpture on the Edge which runs from 5th to 14th March 2016.
Work in progress in the studio February 2016
Little Yuin Pre-school workshop February 2016
Weekend workshop, Beauty Point February 2016
Animal Workshop
On the 21st and 22nd March I gave a workshop to 5 very enthusiastic adults with the emphasis on animal sculpture. Two people had never worked with clay and it was a thrill to see them so pleased with the work they produced, a lizard on a stump and a possum up a tree. We looked at a variety of contemporary ceramic sculptors ranging from conceptual to realistic. I think the essence of success in teaching is to not be too prescriptive but stimulate ideas and give the student flexibility with the outcome, enabling them to apply the techniques you teach them in the way they feel comfortable.
Joy Georgeson and student
Student work
Aboriginal Pre-school Project
In
2008 I worked with children from the Little Yuin Aboriginal Pre-school
at Wallaga Lake on the Far South Coast of New South Wales to create
stepping stones for a dry creek bed in the school grounds. I designed
the native animals and drew the image in the slabs of clay while the
children aged between 2 and 5 years old used natural objects to press
into the clay to indicate surface texture of the animal and the
surrounding environment. The steps were decorated with oxides and
engobes and fired to 1200 degrees celcius.
Goomara the Ringtail Possum 2008
Gurrie the Snake 2008
Janan-Gabatch the Echidna 2008
Koogoonyaroo the Kookaburra 2008
Raku Revived
After a long period of absence from raku activity, I was involved in
facilitating raku workshops at the Old Bega Hospital on behalf of the
Bega Valley Potters and Spiral Gallery, Bega, New South Wales. The
first session involved making wood-fired raku kilns made from steel
rubbish bins according to a Stefan Jacobs (Australia) design. The second
workshop included various techniques on making objects suitable for
raku firing including functional and sculptural items using Feeney's
White Raku clay. The last event saw the firing of 4 wood-fired raku
kilns and my gas raku kiln. I was impressed with the efficiency of the
wood kilns that reached temperature quickly using very little wood. Many
of the participants were 'hooked' on the process and my passion for the
art was revived!
Joy Georgeson Bandicoot Blues H 8cm raku 2014
Joy Georgeson Kangaroo Territory H 13cm naked raku 2014
Joy Georgeson Royal Wombat H 6cm raku 2014
Gas-fired fibre raku kiln
Wood-fired fibre raku kiln
Totem Workshop
On the 26th and 27th July 2014, I gave a workshop to a group of 9
people at the Eden Pottery Club in New South Wales. The aim was to teach
the participants a range of techniques so that they could make a hollow
handbuilt once-fired sculpture made up of sections that could be
installed outdoors. The techniques are based on cutting slabs from a
block of clay which are compressed by hand and cut to shape to determine
the direction of the work and modelled by overlapping and blending the
pieces. As well I demonstrated the use of found objects to drape slabs
to create forms incorporating texture and cut-outs. The sculptures were
decorated with oxides and coloured slips to be fired to Cone 4.
The
theme was based on totems in order to create a sculpture that was a
personal reflection of images and shapes that were important to the
participants. The artworks were extremely varied ( abstract figures,
organic tree forms and a horse's head ) but generally very successful
with many positive comments expressing the fact that the techniques they
learnt would allow them to work in new directions.
I
will give a workshop with a figurative theme in late October at my
studio in Beauty Point, New South Wales, using similar techniques to
those described above. Enquiries about this or future events can be made
by email: jobgeorgeson@gmail.com
Joy Georgeson demonstration piece, Eden Potters Group 2014
Earth Goddess
The Canberra Potters Society asked me to co-ordinate a community project in 2006. I designed a large totem representing the nurturer of Mother Earth decorated with groups of species of Austalian animals. I made large clay modules (formed around plastic bins) in order for the public to cut out stencils or their own design of animals to be decorated with coloured slips and appliqued onto the surface of the modules. After firing, the sculpture was installed in the grounds of the centre.
Earth Goddess project in progress.
Joy Georgeson and community of Australian Capital Territory
Earth Goddess ceramic H 2.3 metres 2006