PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF,

I’M A MAN OF CLAY AND GLAZE

PUSHED MUD AROUND FOR SEVENTY YEARS

OR TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DAYS.

Robin Hopper is a man of many parts, mostly worn out, rusty or dysfunctional, due to a lifetime of excesses! He started working with clay at the age of three and is still doing it over 70 years later. His lengthy, peripatetic career as a mudpusher has included side trips into working as a Professional Actor, Stage Designer, Property Maker, Stage Manager, Stage Carpenter, Grocer, Greengrocer, Jazz Musician, Teapot, Wine and Beer-Bottle, Trumpet, Trombone and Bugle Player, European Travel Guide, Founder of Several Clay/Art/Craft Organizations, Alchemist, Geologist, Primatologist, Linguist, Ornithologist, Botanist, Ceramic Historian, Educator, Author, Garden Designer, Lecturer on Japanese Garden Design, Laborer and Star of Stage, Screen and Potter’s Wheel!

Monday, April 30, 2012

INTRODUCTION TO THE GARDEN - PART THREE

30 April,  2012

INTRODUCTION TO THE GARDEN - PART THREE


THE MEANDERING PATH


GARDEN PLAN
Hi, If you are new to my blog  -  WELCOME. This blog covers a lot of different subject matter and meanders through things that have intrigued me and affected the development of my thinking and art work in many ways. To really follow and understand it all, it would be best to start at the beginning and see where we have come so far. It is basically about the life journey of a senior, almost retired, artist working in clay and the different twists, turns, interests, directions and solutions that have, for me, produced an interesting ride. They have given me a huge assortment of visual images that have greatly influenced my work in ceramics over several decades.


PORCELAIN LIDDED JAR - CLEMATIS SERIES - 55cm Height

If you are a returning reader of this blog, Welcome back. Last week I moved into the inspiring world of Japanese Culture, plants, Tea Ceremony, ceramics and Garden styles. Various parts of my work have been related to things of Japanese origin. They have given me a huge assortment of visual images that have greatly influenced my work in ceramics over several decades.

LARGE PORCELAIN PLATE - CLEMATIS SERIES

CLEMATIS - "Nellie Moser"


PORCELAIN SLAB PLATE - "METCHOSIN MISTS" - 35 X 35cm











Like an actor playing many roles, I have always made it a habit to find out as much as I possibly can about my interest areas. This gives me many options of interpretation. They are my various basic IDEA SOURCES.  Over a lifetime of making things and following my interests, it has led to much diversity in my work. I designed and built the garden for a number of reasons. First, I love Gardens and Plants, particularly Asian Gardens and Asian Plants. Second, it is also part of the draw for people to visit our studio. Third, it is a non-stop, year-round source of ideas and imagery for my clay work and glaze paintings. Fourth, It puts me in significantly beautiful surroundings that continually feed my soul. And Fifth, it fulfills a promise that I made to myself as a child after WWII in London, when London architecture was just a mass of shards, and previously beautiful gardens and park spaces were akin to giant compost piles. I vowed that if I ever had the means to buy property and the understanding to make a garden for beautification and the enjoyment of all, it should be a major part of my life's work. Every Home/Studio/Gallery/Garden environment that I have created in England, Central and Western Canada has been a giant learning curve to achieve my goals. The current one has given particular pleasure in watching it all mature over a period of 35 years. Part of the reason that I chose to develop an Asian style garden was in reaction to the fall colour or lack there of on Vancouver Island. Most indigenous vegetation here is evergreen and doesn't change much throughout the year. I had moved from Ontario where the short, but very sweet, fall has the most amazing array of leaf colour  from the large sugar maples. I became quite depressed by the lack of colour other than various shades of green. I spent much of the first winter researching what plants of all sizes give the best fall colour. Almost invariably, they came from China, Japan and Korea and were relatively easy to find from the nurseries in the area. So the concept was set and the following spring, 1978, it was started. Now, one of the most spectacular periods of the year starts at the end of August and keeps changing until mid-November. I selected plants to give a flowing sequence of colour over an extended period of time, and gives me all that I could possibly want.


ENTRANCE GATE DETAIL



THE GARDEN STARTS HERE

MEANDERING "RIVER PATH"
SPRING WOODLAND GARDEN

"RIVER PATH" WITH FIGURES BY ANN LINNEMAN
FAN-SHAPED PANELS IN PATH REPRESENT AUTHORITY
IN JAPANESE SYMBOLISM

"RIVER PATH" - SPRING WOODLAND GARDEN

The 2 hectare property is set among the remnants of an old first growth forest of mixed trees, mainly Douglas Fir up to 50 meters in height and 3 meters diameter at the base of the trunk, Big Leaf Maple and Garry Oak. There is a lot of low level brush shrubs and masses of early spring bulbs. Just under half, 2.5 acres, is the garden, based on the five basic Japanese garden styles. It is an artist's interpretation, and doesn't pretend to be an accurate representation of a specific style or garden.  It shamelessly steals ideas from the best of Japanese Garden Designers, the foremost being Shigemori and Nakane and many other gardenmakers. The basic concept is that of a Stroll garden, with the other four styles incorporated into the large space. The Stroll garden follows the trials and travels in my life, and, for myself, represents my life journey, Nostalgia if you like. The garden is my design throughout and benefits enormously from the team that has made it happen over a lengthy time, Michael Greenwood, Sean Greenwood, David Seager, Doug Robb, Jake James and my patient, tolerant and usually understanding wife, Judi Dyelle. In my estimation, the garden is the largest and best art work that I will ever do.


RIVER PATH - SPRING WOODLAND
Add caption


RHODODENDRON - PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
  SPRING WOODLAND GARDEN
SPRING WOODLAND GARDEN -  RIVER PATH - APRIL 2012

 I plan to take you on that journey with many images, starting with the opening gate. When visiting Japanese style gardens you need to remember that there is much symbolism involved - things that carry different meanings. A meandering pathway is a metaphor for a river, and that is another metaphor for taking a journey. All rivers end up at an Ocean and all oceans flow into each other, allowing for a continual flow of movement around the miniaturized globe.



SPRING WOODLAND GARDEN - RIVER PATH MEETS "OCEAN"- APRIL 1995


CIVILIZATION - APRIL 2012

CIVILIZATION GATE


ASIAN STONE LANTERN

"OCEAN" - LOOKING SOUTH

"EQUATOR ARCH"

GLADIATOR TUNNEL - TONGUE IN CHEEK GRECO-ROMAN PRECINCT

GLADIATOR TUNNEL - TONGUE IN CHEEK GRECO-ROMAN PRECINCT

DAYLILY ORCHARD


"KOREAN GATE"


"KOREAN GATE"


 In today's Blog posting I have guided you around the first half of the garden. In the next posting, on Friday, May 4th, 2012 we will continue the circuitous path. Over the course of a year, I plan to document the sequence of its seasonal changes. Right now it is Mid-Spring. 


INNER OR MEDITATION GARDEN WITH KOI PONDS AND PATIOS- APRIL 27, 2012




























































Tuesday, April 24, 2012

INTRODUCTION TO THE GARDEN - PART ONE+TWO

27 April 2012

MULTIPLE BUT RELATED DISCIPLINES - CONTINUED

THEATER - GARDENS - CERAMICS
PAINTING - GEOLOGY 
MUSEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

LEUCOJUM AESTIVUM FLOWERS IN FRONT OF WATER DRIPPER.


You might wonder how these SEVEN seemingly disparate disciplines  could possibly be related, but in my life that reached 73 years yesterday, they have almost always been intertwined. When and how this all happened is part of my convoluted and multi-layered personal history. Starting with my discovery of clay at the age of three, courtesy of ADOLPH HITLER and his bombers over LONDON in WWII, it has been a curious blending of accident and design. Since beginning this BLOG on LAST NEW YEAR'S EVE on December 31st, 2011, I've led you on a journey of my life that has included most of these disciplines. The last and probably the most complex is that of GARDENS and being a GARDEN DESIGNER and GARDENER.



MACHIAI - WAITING HOUSE BEFORE TEAHOUSE

Let me introduce you to that part of my life, a constant interest since the age of 15 or so.

That was the age that I went to art school, straight after high school. The Croydon Art School at the time was in process of being transferred from a dilapidated old building in the center of town to a series of old Victorian buildings, while construction was underway on a new, totally characterless building of a college. The older buildings were all surrounded by old gardens, full of interesting plants and garden architecture such as greenhouses, pergolas and conservatories. My interest was further fueled by my girlfriend Sue's mother (later my first Mother in Law) who was an avid gardener, a skill passed down the family line. As sometimes happens with young couples, Sue and I got married, produced a family, bought simple real estate that needed upkeep and were able to indulge ourselves in garden design.

WAITING BENCH IN THE ROJI, OR WOODLAND GARDEN

The first year at art school was called the foundation year. During this time one learned about the fundamentals of art. These were applicable to any art and gave the new artist the tools of personal expression, no matter what the artistic persuasion, or direction was chosen. The fundamentals allowed and encouraged the artist to work within a framework of proven, successful visualization. My main  choices of medium were Painting and Drawing (that I had done since early childhood), Ceramics (Pottery) and Printmaking. These fundamentals helped greatly when it came do developing gardens for ourselves as well as for occasional friends. I never took photographs way back then, so have no solid portfolio of much that I did. in developing my knowledge and skills in the horticultural arena. All I can say is that the "Art Fundamentals" were just as useful for Garden Design as they were for Ceramics. Studies of Ceramic Art History included information on Japanese Ceramics and the relationship of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (CHA-NO-YU) and the pottery that was used. I became very intrigued by this and started to follow up with more esoteric learning, thus beginning a lifetime love of Japanese gardens in particular and horticulture and garden history in general. Successful Ceramics and Gardens are both dependent on a complementary understanding in both art and science. Without one the other will definitely suffer. In Ceramics, the Science comes in the role played by the Chemistry in glaze and color development, and the Physics of firing. The achievable color in Clays and Glazes is dependent on the relative acidity or alkalinity of the materials. In Horticulture, the relative Acidity or Alkalinity decides on the life or death of the plant as well as, to some extent,  the potential color.

FRITTILLARIA Meleagris, or Checkered Lily,  INDIGENOUS SPRING BULBS
The blend of garden styles that I have used in our home, studio and gallery are English, Japanese and indigenous plants from the Canadian West Coast. I call this Fusion "ANGLOJAPANADIAN". It uses many garden design tricks that go back many hundreds of years in time, as well as contemporary horticultural practice. I like gardens that incorporate a sense of humor and/or a sense of history, like the English "folly" and waterspouts of eighteenth and nineteenth gardens, and the Japanese use of recycled materials in the form of street lanterns, old roof-tiles and historical architectural details in making new/old walls, floors, finials and roofs. During my in-depth research into Japanese gardens, for lectures on the subject, I found one particularly interesting aspect, that is the garden as a story tale. Japanese gardens basically form into five variables. The largest is called the STROLL garden and was designed as a large walking garden made for the Lords of the Samurai. In subtle ways the garden tells the history of the Lord. Within a STROLL garden we might find the other four variables. SCROLL gardens are like a series of painted scrolls that were the Chinese origin of the Japanese garden. The ZEN gardens are basically deceptively simple assemblages of rocks, gravel, few or no plants and water to create a MEDITATIVE SPACE.  ROJI, or TEA gardens are generally bucolic or woodsy trails that lead to the teahouse and waiting house for Cha-No-Yu, The Japanese Tea Ceremony. The fifth  style is called TSUBONIWA, or Courtyard Garden, where the courtyard may be either a pond, or a paved area.  All Japanese gardens are either one or combinations of all five.


MEDITATION GARDEN - WROUGHT IRON HANDRAIL BY JAKE JAMES

Since growing up in bomb-blasted London with its incredible destruction always in my mind, from my teens I have wanted to make a garden of healing from memories of the evils of war and  replacing it with beauty. I have done many gardens before, but never stayed in one place long enough to see them mature. I have now been where I am for 35 years, almost half my lifetime. The garden is just under half of a six acre property and includes all five Japanese garden styles  as an artist's impression from the Orient. I am fortunate in having been to Japan, China and Korea to both teach and study.  Much of what one finds in Asian gardens involves SYMBOLISM or METAPHOR, where one thing is suggested by something else.  Over a few blog postings I plan to outline the thoughts and meanings behind the garden, the concepts of space and the attention to details found in, or made for the garden. We hope you will enjoy your visit to The Stroll Garden at 'Chosin Pottery.


JAPANESE LANTERN - ELECTRIFIED - ROJI PATHWAY
WITH ANEMONE Blanda (WINDFLOWER) AND SCILLA Hispanicus (BLUEBELL)


We live on Vancouver Island, just off the West Coast of Canada. The climate here is similar to the South of France and referred to as Maritime Mediterranean, with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. The garden is open to the public as part of a visit to our Gallery by chance or appointment - entrance by DONATION.                    


DRYOPTERIS Wallichiana - Emerging Wallich's Fern Fronds



THE NEXT POSTING WILL BE ON MONDAY, 30 APRIL 2012

























Friday, April 20, 2012

MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES

APRIL 20, 2012


MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES


IN JAPAN, THE TWO MOST HIGHLY VALUED AND RESPECTED FORMS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION ARE FIRSTLY : GARDEN DESIGNER, AND SECONDLY : A POTTER


IN NORTH AMERICA, THE TWO LEAST VALUED AND RESPECTED FORMS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION ARE FIRSTLY: A GARDEN DESIGNER AND SECONDLY: POTTER.


I HAVE KNOWN THIS FOR ABOUT HALF A CENTURY.  I HAVE DONE BOTH FOR ALL OF THAT TIME, AND MORE.  I WILL CONTINUE DO MORE FOR AS LONG AS I AM ABLE.


RECOGNITION IN BOTH AS ART FORMS HAS BEEN SLOW IN COMING. JUST ABOUT ALL OF MY WORKING LIFE HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO THESE TWO DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RECOGNITION AS BONOFIDE ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS.


I HAVE MISSED A COUPLE OF POSTINGS  IN FAVOR OF THE GARDEN.  I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE GARDEN AS AN ART FORM FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS AND IT HAS OFTEN BEEN FEATURED IN BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND TV PROGRAMS.  ANY ART FORM TAKES MUCH CARE AND ATTENTION TO LOOK AT ITS BEST. THERE IS A WELL KNOWN CANADIAN GARDEN WRITER WHO IS USING 0UR GARDEN AS PART OF THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE GARDEN AS ART. THE AMOUNT OF GARDEN LABOR HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE TO GET IT UP TO SNUFF. I HAVE  A LITTLE FURTHER TO GO FOR A MAJOR GARDEN RELATED POSTING OR SERIES OF POSTINGS WHICH SHOULD START  ON MONDAY NEXT WEEK.  


THE GARDEN IS 2.5 ACRES IN SIZE AND HAS A BASIC JAPANESE THEME OF AN ARTIST'S IMPRESSION COMPRISING FIVE STYLES OF JAPANESE GARDEN. THE STYLES ARE STROLL, SCROLL, TEA, ZEN, AND COURTYARD GARDENS. ALTHOUGH I DESIGNED IT TO BE AN EASY MAINTENANCE GARDEN IT STILL TAKES CONSIDERABLE WORK. TO LOOK AT ITS BEST.


SINCE I NEED TO BE IN THE GARDEN FOR MORE MAINTENANCE TIME AS THE SEASONS CHANGE, I WILL HAVE TO CUT THE POSTINGS DOWN TO TWO PER WEEK ON MONDAY AND FRIDAY. I PLAN TO PHOTOGRAPH IT WEEKLY TO DOCUMENT THE CHANGES AND GIVE A SENSE OF THE CHANGING SEASONS.


I WILL SEE YOU NEXT MONDAY, WHICH, COINCIDENTALLY. IS ALSO MY 73RD BIRTHDAY. I SHARE   THE DATE ALONG WITH OTHER SUCH NOTABLES AS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, ST GEORGE, AND SHIRLEY TEMPLE. SEE YOU SOON.











Monday, April 16, 2012

MONDAY, APRIL 16TH


HORTICULTURAL DILEMMA


SPRING  HAS ARRIVED IN OUR GARDEN AND I JUST CAN'T KEEP UP WITH IT! I WILL EXPLAIN TOMORROW 

Friday, April 13, 2012

NCECA FOR NEWBIES!

FRIDAY, 13TH APRIL 2012

NCECA FOR NEWBIES!

For those who are going to THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION FOR THE CERAMIC ARTS for the first time, any time, this group of observations, gleaned and compiled over many years might just help in a practical approach to gaining the most from  NCECA CONFERENCES  in the future. I have been meaning to write this for years for my own benefit as memory gets shorter and needs a jog from time to time. As we have just come through a very good one in SEATTLE, I thought this would be an ideal time to put this together, while recent impressions are fresh in mind.

 I try to arrive at the host city on the Monday of conference week to give some relaxation and orientation time before the inevitable chaos starts to unwind.  I check into the hotel and try to prepare with a good night's sleep. You will need much preparatory rest to take the ensuing confusion. From noon on the Tuesday afternoon, the registration booths are open, usually until 5pm, they re-open at 8am each morning.  You get your complete program package at registration along with special tickets for entry into lectures and galleries and your most important personal label that gets you into all the activities. There are a massive number of exhibitions to see so the sooner that you start gallery tours, the better. Seattle had 190 to choose from.  It is normally best to visit the ones closest to the main hotel first. for some weeks ahead of the conference, a number of the ceramic magazines include details of the whole program with gallery shows, lectures, workshops and bus tours that may be taken for a fee. If you have a car available it helps to get to outer galleries as the bus tours generally include considerable frustrating wait-times.  There are many gallery openings throughout the week. You will never manage to get to all the shows so prioritize the ones that sound most interesting to you and whomever you may be with. Evening openings often come with refreshments so you can gaze and graze at the same time. Wednesday is the primary day for gallery hopping. It is also the first day of the associated trade shows, where you can find an amazing array of the latest and greatest gadgets for the potter who has to have the everything from kilns that can be controlled from your cell phone to the latest clays, substrates,  glazes, books, tools, CD's and DVD's to hit the market. It is advisable to get breakfast early as the bulk of people are coming in by this time and the hotels seldom have enough space or staff. For several years now I have kept a "dance card" with people I want to spend some extra over a meal.  This normally starts with Breakfast on Wednesday with Barbara at 7am Wednesday and on Thursday with Linda.  My mealtime dance card is normally completely filled by January. If you want to be sure of meeting people you want to see, this is an excellent way to do it. Wednesday is also the start of the meat market aspect where university programs from around the world can be compared for those looking for tertiary educational opportunities


Whenever I think of NCECA Conferences I always think of a big Three Ring Circus or Cirque de Soleil, all that goes on in them and the amazing diversity of activity. The actual conference program begins on Wednesday Evening with the Opening Ceremonies so try and save enough energy for that.
The Opening Ceremonies  generally are the formalities of the conferences and usually include a very interesting Keynote Lecture of given by someone of note who may or may not be directly involved with the ceramic medium.   
                 
The full slate of lectures and demonstrations continues throughout Thursday and Friday usually starting at 8.30am, and going on until 5pm. If you want to see somebody specific, get there early to make sure of a space. Very interesting special presentations, usually musical, take place on Thursday evenings.  If you want or need to eat, it is best to fill up at breakfast with buffet.  For the last three years there has been a Potters' Jam Session by musically inclined members of NCECA who bring and play their own instruments.


Saturday morning is normally comprised of the emerging talent show lectures and is always very interesting.  Unfortunately many people choose to fly out that morning and need to get to the airport early. In doing so they miss one of the most interesting sessions.  It is followed by the closing keynote lecture and final business meeting and elections of changing directors and other board meetings.
                           
Altogether the phenomenon titled the NCECA Conference is, is an extremely energizing, informative and educational experience. They are always different from one another but never a let down.  One of the great benefits is the opportunity to rub shoulders with many of the best ceramic artists in the world in one place at one time. For those looking for any of the above opportunities, this conference is the place to find it.

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POTS FROM ECHIZEN


One small, but choice, exhibition that I did manage to see in the Design Center was of contemporary masters' work from one of the most famous seven Japanese wood-fired kiln sites known as Echizen. Unfortunately, by the time I found it, I was really tired and didn't get the names of the artists and had no time to return.  I hope this brief over-view of the conference and some of its contents gives you some idea of the riches that you will find at an NCECA conference, and my approach on what to expect, and when and how you can manoeuvre through the maze of it all. The answer is to read up on it and be prepared for a most exhausting educational and cultural experience. Charge your camera up,  get spare batteriesGo flat out and sleep the following week!
















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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A TINY GLIMPSE OF NCECA

WEDNESDAY, 11THAPRIL 11TH 2012

A TINY GLIMPSE OF NCECA - 2012 - SEATTLE 


  HEAD BY TIP TOLLAND

SINCE GOING TO MY FIRST ANNUAL NCECA CONFERENCE IN TORONTO. CANADA AT THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FORMATION, I HAVE PROBABLY ATTENDED UPWARDS OF HALF OF THE ENSUING YEARS' CONFERENCES.
THIS YEAR IT WAS ONLYA 3 HOUR FERRY RIDE FROM HOME JUST OUTSIDE VICTORIA BC., CANADA. ALTHOUGH I HAD BEEN SICK SINCE THE PREVIOUS CONFERENCE IN TAMPA, FLORIDA WITH SOME STILL UNKNOWN BUG, I DECIDED THAT I HAD TO MAKE THE SEATTLE SESSION AS IT WAS SO CLOSE. I MADE GETTING THERE A GOAL AND FELT THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE THE HUSTLE. A LONG TIME STUDENT AND FRIEND OF MINE, CYNDI, WAS RENTING A VAN TO GET AROUND EASILY WITH A FEW OTHER FRIENDS IN ORDER TO SEE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE 190 EXHIBITIONS THAT WERE ON.  WE STARTED ON THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND BY MID - AFTERNOON I WAS ALREADY MORE TIRED THAN I EXPECTED TO BE AT THE END OF THE WEEK. FURTHERMORE, AND PARTICULARLY ANNOYING AND FRUSTRATING, A SIDE-EFFECT OF THE "BUG" IS SPORADIC TREMORS IN THE HANDS AND FEET. TAKING PHOTOS WITH SHAKING HANDS  DOESN'T PRODUCE GOOD IMAGES! UNFORTUNATELY I FORGOT TO WRITE DOWN THE NAMES OF MOST OF THE ARTISTS CONCERNED.








TUMBLERS BY JULIA GALLOWAY

TRIO GROUPINGS

ARCHITECTURAL FORMS BY SEQUOIA MILLER







TEAPOT BY PETE PINNELL


INSTALLATIONS BY YING YUEH CHUANG

THE ABOVE IMAGES WERE TAKEN IN VARIOUS EXHIBITS IN THE DESIGN CENTER. I DID GO TO A FEW OTHER EXHIBITS, BUT I WAS EITHER TOO TIRED OR TOO FRUSTRATED TO DO MUCH FURTHER PHOTOGRAPHY.  I SPENT MOST OF THE TIME IN THE TRADE SHOW IN THE CONVENTION CENTER, UNTIL I HAD TO CRASH FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND BUILD ENOUGH ENERGY TO DO JUSTICE TO THE GREAT RESTAURANTS THAT SEATTLE HAS TO OFFER.  THANK GOODNESS THE MAIN HOTEL, THE SHERATON, WAS JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER.

ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T SEE OR HEAR AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO,  I DID FEEL THAT THIS PARTICULAR CONFERENCE WAS ONE OF THE BEST THAT I'VE ATTENDED.


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MY NEXT POSTING WILL BE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012. ITS THEME WILL BE "NCECA FOR NEWBIES! - OR HOW TO GET THE MOST FOR YOUR TIME AND MONEY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A FEW IMAGES FROM THE ECHIZEN WOODFIRED EXHIBIT AT THE DESIGN CENTER.

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Monday, April 9, 2012

K - 12 at NCECA in SEATTLE #2

MONDAY,  9TH APRIL 2012


K-12 - STORY AND MORE IMAGES
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Nancy Margana - Grade 12
"The Day The Music Died"


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The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation, Inc.

I think I have seen all but two of the exhibitions mounted by the organization named above. For me, these exhibitions have always one of the first stops on the tour of exhibitions that accompany the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts conferences. I have never been disappointed by their content, which have been juried by many of the top names in contemporary studio ceramics and ceramic education.The concept behind the exhibitions was initiated by Leah Schlief-Freese in 1998 and later Dr Bob Feder and many other strong believers in ceramic education from kindergarten to Grade 12, throughout the United States of America. The work of these young artists makes one feel confident in a continued exciting future for the field of ceramic arts. Many dedicated teachers are the strength in encouraging the development of this new wave

This year's exhibition is the fifteenth in a row which gets stronger and more popular with each passing year.  Most of the images shown are of work from students between grade ten and twelve. The Exhibition Catalog has several images from earlier grades, but, unfortunately, there are few from the younger grades in the CD of the show, so I am unable to show them.  There were over 1,130 entries for this year's juror, Louis Katz of Corpus Christi, Texas, to select from.  Further information may be had online from:   www.k12clay.org    Congratulations to the many people who are involved in bringing this exhibition together, always a highlight of NCECA.  It has been a privilege to show some of my favorite K-12 pieces from this year's show                           



Jordan Pieper - Grade 12
"Shino Teapot Set"


Casey Kamery - Grade 12
"Faceted Cup Set"


Angel Lam - Grade 12
"Brought Up on Different grounds"


Victoria Montes - Grade 12
"They all look somewhat like Dad!"


Forrest Delorie - Grade 12 
"Black Bird"


GEORGIA HELLER - GRADE 12
"WOOD LEAF"


MEGAN CHO - GRADE 11
"BANANA MILK"



JAMES ROSSBACH - GRADE 12
"RAKU JAR"


JANE CAPPOCK - GRADE 11
"DECONSTRUCTED TEAPOT"


Kalon Morgan - Grade 12
"Whimsey Bottle Set"


Kate Breffeihl - Grade 11
"Tools of My Father"


Katie Fitzgerald - Grade 12
"Braided Bowl"


Dani Bohnsack - Grade 12
"Blasting Cup with Contextual Saucer"


Sam Mattern - Grade 12
"Dotted Vessel"


Matthew Luminais - Grade 12
"Covered Jar"

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Next posting will be a tiny taste of NCECA on Wednesday, 11 April, 2012