PWS Shanghai Fall Open House

We hosted a community open house at PWSSH last Friday. This was the official welcoming party to celebrate our new studio on Shaanxi Lu. We first moved in last February but needed the extra time to finish renovations. The new location has been perfect for our growing ceramics community. We have upgraded our kilns, glaze facilities, and studio space as well as added a coffee shop and gallery. I truly believe the "if you build it they will come" mentality. It has been great to see our class sizes grow steadily since we moved in. 

The open house was a chance for us to welcome old friends to the new space and make a few new ones in the process. The support we received was greater than expected. Between 60-80 people participated in the painting and hand building demonstrations. The best part was that they were almost all new to our workshop. Their excitement reminds me of the power that clay has to captivate individuals. I see people's excitement everyday in class but this giddy show of enthusiasm surprised me. It was refreshing to see adults laughing and giggling like school kids as they made their first pot.

In the gallery we held a wood fire exhibition featuring Marc Lancet and Masakazu Kusakabe. Both artists where in attendance for a book signing of the new Chinese translation of their book Japanese Wood Firing. Kusakabe is known as an innovator of smokeless wood kiln designs. (Click here for a Ceramic Arts Daily article on the design). In addition to being an urban friendly design the kiln produces dramatic fired surfaces in relatively short firing cycles. Marc's tea bowl pictured above was one of the nicest in the show. The PWS Jingdezhen is now hosting Marc and Kusakabe for a week long wood firing workshop. 

During the week prior to the open house Marc, Kusakabe, Guo Yuhong and I made a quick trip to Yixing to see teapot makers. Ill write more about that in my next post. For a little teaser check out this bamboo inspired teapot. Amazing detail.

The EPIC ceramic week- Yixing, pitcher decorating and an open house

I try not to use the word epic lightly. It's weighty emphasis is best reserved for Greek poetry and ground breaking skate board tricks. One of my favorite associations with the word is the Aspen Highlands Ski Mountain's "Epic Flag". (Click here to see the flag) This flag is a communal rallying call for locals to hit the slopes for powder that usually breaks above the knee. The winter I lived in Aspen my coworkers spoke of the flag as if it were a mighty deity blessing the mountain with its holy presence. There is no ceramic equivalent to this sacred cloth but if there were I would now be waving it proudly above my head. My last week was truly epic. 

On Monday we welcomed Marc Lancet and Masakazu Kusakabe to the PWSSH for an exhibition of wood fired ceramics. The exhibition coincided with a book signing for the new Chinese translation of their book Japanese Wood Firing. On Wednesday we hopped on a bus for a day trip to Yixing. This area is rich with teapot makers that specialize in highly refined unglazed teapots. What a treat to see one of China's most notable ceramic traditions first hand. After six hours of touring studios we hurried back to prepare for a community open house that marked the official opening of our newly renovated studio/gallery/coffee shop. On Friday the community showed up in force packing our studio while enjoying painting and throwing demonstrations. Squeezed in between all of the week's commotion I finished decorating pitchers and worked on paperwork for the PWS 25th Anniversary show that we will have at NCECA next year. 

I will write more about all of these events in the near future. For now I'm taking a breather as I sort through the pictures and get ready for next week. If it is as eventful as this past one I might have to make our own ceramic EPIC flag to hang outside the studio.

In the studio: New tureen forms

I'm cranking out pots as the deadline for my next show quickly approaches. This week I'm working on tureen forms. These have matching bowls that complete a great set for autumn stews. Its good to make pots now for the meals I want to eat in the near future. My mind and stomach are collaborating on this form.

This version is about 13 inches wide, which makes for a massive lid. Still trying to find the right weight for all the parts. Tureens are a good technical/functional challenge because they have to be thick enough to survive slip dipping but thin enough to pick up when they are full of soup. These are my first proper tureens so I'm in the "working out the kinks" stage. Any suggestions for tureens would be much appreciated. 

I'm really enjoying the side handles. I think I'll make oval servers too so I can start elaborating on the handle itself. Ovals are great for sticking the handles out into open space. So many ideas, so little time.

Emily Reason and WVU stop by for a Xinjiang meal

I spent a great evening this weekend with Emily Reason and a group of West Virginia University ceramic students heading to Jingdezhen. Emily will be one of the guest instructors during the three month study abroad program. WVU has a studio on the campus of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute making it the only American art program with a permanent footprint in China. (Click here for more information on the program and its founder Bob Anderson.)

The group came for a studio visit before we headed across town for a Xinjiang meal. This style of food comes from the mountainous far western province that shares borders with Russia, Mongolia, India and the Stans ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan). The food is similar to the middle east both in flavor and texture. My favorite dishes of the night were the roasted lamb and the lightly fried chick peas. The peppered flavors were spicy but not so much that they overwhelm the combination of cumin, ginger, and garlic.


The second picture from the top shows our dessert of candied yams. For this dish boiled yams are soaked in a hot sugar sauce. As the yams cool the sauce hardens into a thin sweet coating. You must quickly dip the pieces in water before the mixture hardens into one solid mountain of candy. The sweetness and soft texture of this dish complement the robust spice of the meat and vegetables. 


Here is a recipe for making the spice powder that is frequently used on grilled meat and veggies. Enjoy!

1/4 cup cumin seed

2 tablespoons dried szechuan chile flakes

2 tablespoons black pepper

1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns

1 tablespoon ground ginger powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1. 1. Toast Sichuan peppercorns til fragrant. Toast cumin until lightly browned.
2. 2. Grind Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, chili flakes and black pepper in a spice grinder.
3. 3. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/xinjiang-spice-mix-348504#ixzz1Xhlgj1p0

A few days in Xi'an pt.3 Tang sculpture from the Shaanxi History Museum

As a vessel maker I am interested in defining spaces that would otherwise be formless. By manipulating the line between internal volume and external silhouette, vessels can catch the deep in-breath of life just before the exhalation of decay. Nature provides examples of this bulging state of fullness in the forms of ripe fruit and blooms. It was a bit of a surprise that my favorite objects to display this fullness where not the vessels. In a museum full of pots I couldn't take my eyes off the Tang Dynasty sculptures. Their smoothly modeled forms and bright colors kept drawing my attention.

The sculptures pictured in this post represent areas of power within Tang society. The camel is a symbol of financial power that came from trade. The court women are symbols of social power derived from beauty and status. The figure of the heavenly god is a symbol of spiritual power gained through ritual. The horse is a symbol for military power. (The Tang were experts in horse breeding and were the first to intermix the Arabian breed to create a stronger faster war horse. This was a major leap in technology that created military success. Click here for an article about the importance of horses in Chinese culture.) In a little less than three hundred years the Tang dynasty made major strides in many areas of cultural development included these areas of power.

Beyond their cultural importance these sculptures are great examples of skill. From a technical standpoint it is impressive to see the mass of the horse's body elevated over four thin ceramic legs. It must have been a huge challenge to get this four foot tall sculpture into a kiln. Looking at surface treatments the figure of the heavenly god is an excellent example of texture and color complementing an active form. On the other end of the spectrum the smooth facial features of the court woman show a more restrained approach to surface. The curve and the light red blush of the court woman's cheeks softens the ceramic surface in a subtle stylization of feminine beauty. The variety of surfaces and modeling quality of these sculptures shows the commanding range of skill that the Tang sculptors possessed.

If your in Xi'an the history museum is well worth an afternoon visit. Two to three hours will be enough to look through the main collection. Tickets are handed out in the morning and mid afternoon so come prepared and don't get stuck waiting in line. I will be posting more images of pots and sculpture from the museum on my Facebook page in the next few weeks. (Please click here to visit.)

This is the last installment of a travel series on the Northern Chinese City of Xi'an. The first two installments can be viewed by clicking the following links 

A few days in Xi'an pt.1 The City Wall and the Muslim Quarter

A few days in Xi'an pt. 2 The Terracotta Warriors

Craft for Clunkers at Black Mountain Studios

My good friends Austin and Maud Boleman of Black Mountain Studios are teaming up with Asheville area potters to host Craft for Clunkers. As of today you can bring in any commercially made mug (you know the one with a cat on it that you reluctantly bought to support your neighbor's kids field trip last year) and receive a hand made mug of your choice in return. A $10-$20 donation is encouraged and all proceeds go to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. Each participant will have a "mug shot" taken and they will be posted online. This is a great way to support American craft and CERF.

Many great artists have donated mugs including Kyle Carpenter, John Britt, and Betsy Grey. I donated a mug (circa 2008) that looks similar to the one pictured above. The fundraiser will continue until October 16th. The mugs are chosen on a first-come first-serve basis so go for a visit as soon as you can. For more information on Craft for Clunkers please visit Black Mountain Studios Facebook fan page by clicking here.


For more on the Craft Emergency Relief Fund please visit their site at craftemergency.org.

"CERF+ accomplishes its mission through direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance. CERF+ develops, promotes, and maintains resources for emergency readiness and recovery that benefit all artists. CERF+ also advocates, engages in research, and backs policy that supports craft artists' careers."