SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Gallery at the VAULT is excited to offer a raku pottery workshop with Andrew Berends on two consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 5 and 12, from 1-5 p.m. each day. Register by Saturday, Sept. 28.
Berends will be teaching the exciting Japanese firing technique known as raku. Raku is a 16th-century technique developed in Japan for making tea ceremony ware. It has been developed in this country to produce really interesting pottery. The firings take about an hour, and you get a finished piece at the end. Raku is a fun, exciting technique, where pots are fired to 1,840 degrees, pulled out of the hot kiln, and manipulated with sawdust and water to change the look of the glazes. The glazes can be metallic, and/or have a crackle effect, making each piece truly unique and one-of-a-kind. We will also fire pots with an exciting new technique known as “horsehair” raku, which creates interesting designs on the clay. The raku firings can be done indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather.
The class will include wheel throwing, slab making, as well as extruding instruction. The first day will include making all types of clay work, and the second day will be glazing and firing all the pots in the raku tradition. Emphasis will be on being creative, and learning the basics of pottery, including making the work, glazing, as well as firing. The class is geared towards teens through adults, and limited to five students.
Berends has been a master potter for over 30 years, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from Montana State University. He worked with a Spanish folk potter for a year, and was also a guest artist-in-residence at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colo. Upon moving to Vermont in 1988, he became a professional production/art potter, and has exhibited internationally, as well as being represented by over 180 galleries nationally.
The cost of the workshop is discounted for gallery members, and includes 25 pounds of clay, glazes, and firing costs in a gas-fired kiln. Wear old clothing, and bring pottery tools if you have them. Directions to Andrew’s studio in Springfield will be given at registration.
Gallery at the VAULT is located at 68 Main Street in Springfield, and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; and Fridays. from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. For more information, call 802-885-7111, email galleryvault@vermontel.net, visit www.galleryvault.org, or stop by the gallery. Gallery at the VAULT is handicap accessible.