BIOMORPHICS: Natural Forms in Clay
with Carol Gouthro & Cj Jilek
with Carol Gouthro & Cj Jilek
August 4-17,
2019
The natural environment inspires Carol
Gouthro and Cj Jilek during their world travels informing their
unique biomorphic ceramic sculptures. Their work features animated forms and
signature surfaces.
Join Carol and Cj in creating unusual
and exuberant works in clay inspired by the island paradise of
Bali. Investigate methods and develop concepts to build your
personal visual vocabulary. Explore a layered approach to the ceramic surface
that evolves from wet clay through bone dry to bisque. Techniques will include
hand-building with wooden drape molds, soft slab building, creating
texture slabs, and one part segment molds for three-dimensional
forms. Carol and Cj will also reveal a behind the scenes look at the
engineering necessary to produce elaborate sculptural forms. Surface
practices will include the use of color, pattern making, texturing, carving,
wax resist, stenciling, and sgraffito. A beautiful two weeks of ceramic
practice and island adventure!
First Week
August 4, Sunday
- 6:00 pm
Welcome
dinner at Indus Restaurant with
introductions. Carol and Cj will be sharing an overview of their own work and
adventures. We will have dinner while getting to know one another.
August 5, Monday (Daily
Studio Hours 9:am – 5:00 pm w/ lunch provided)
Studio
orientation: Participants will become acquainted with our beautiful studio home
away from home. The artists begin with an overview of the processes they will
be teaching during this workshop; they will discuss the similarity and
differences between their practices. We will discuss the timetable for the
coming two weeks and gather information about firing options with the Gaya
studio.
(*Not all
large-scale sculpture will be fired. If
participants want large works to be bisque-fired when adequately dry, Gaya does
offer this. Participants will need to
arrange for shipping works home independently: Gaya will put you in direct
contact with their reliable shipping agent to do so. Only small-scale sculpture
will be finished through the glazing process during the two weeks.)
And
away we go….Carol will begin the workshop showing how she uses her Segment Mold
Process to construct her unusual, segmented forms. Through her
straightforward process using one segment mold we can manipulate and alter
component parts to arrive at many variations and different expressions of form.
You can review Carol's process that was published in Ceramics Monthly
Magazine March 2018. http://www.carolgouthro.com/ceramics_monthly_artcle_2018.pdf
In
the afternoon, participants will begin by drawing simple shapes on paper and
cutting paper templates, then proceed to sculpt solid clay into the wooden
forms. (Materials will be provided) Next they will carve, facet the clay form
and add bas-relief if desired. Carol will demonstrate this process step by step.
By the end of this first exciting day participants will be pouring plaster on
their prototypes to create their very own Segment Mold.
August
6, Tuesday
In
the morning we will unmold the forms, clean them up and begin to use them right
away to create your sculptural form. Carol will show how to put the parts
together, in addition to adding slips and texture to enhance form.
In
the afternoon, Carol will demonstrate how she cuts into her leather hard forms to
create interior spaces with textures by creating and using texture slabs
to add bas-relief.
August
7, Wednesday
In
the morning, Cj will demonstrate her hand-building process for creating
her unusual biomorphic forms. Cj’s
process is a hybrid of soft slab / coil building while integrating in pinch
forms. Her forms are encompassed in carved and embossed surfaces, Cj will dive
into her approach for developing the content of her work while getting the
participants started on a form of their own. Participants will be lead in a
maquette building exercise to spark biomorphic inspiration.
In
the afternoon, everyone will take a field trip to visit the Bedugal
Botanical Gardens in order to gain further inspirations for our botanically
inspired forms. Carol and Cj will describe the lens in which each views
botanical specimens in relation to the work they create.
August
8, Thursday
Inspired by our garden excursion, Carol and Cj
will be encouraging the investigation of new surfaces for participants on
small-scale pinch forms and maquettes.
These forms will be used to experiment with a variety of glazing
techniques and discuss surface development.
August
9, Friday
Drape/Drop Mold Friday - Carol and Cj both use
custom-made wooden drape molds (also referred to as a drop molds) in their
practice. They will both be demonstrating side by side showing how they
use these wooden molds in their own work, a wonderful opportunity to see how
two artists utilize the same technique with very different results. These molds
are a fantastic way to make elements for sculptural forms or to create
utilitarian forms. Everyone will have time to utilize the molds to make their
own shapes and forms. Carol and Cj will show how to cut, alter, stack etc.
these molded shapes to make many diverse forms.
August
10, Saturday
In the morning, Carol and Cj will be working with participants
to finish up the work they have made so far including all the techniques you
have learned, plaster segment molds, drape molds, hand-building
techniques, surface techniques included in the small-scale forms.
Early afternoon, Carol and Cj will dive into
color with the goal of having pieces ready to bisque fire by end of day. The artists both use underglazes in their
work and they will demonstrate several underglaze techniques to incorporate
color, and pattern into your work. Adding color at the leather hard and bone
dry stage is an important way to add more depth to your work as it gives you
another opportunity to stain on top of that color on the bisque. Carol and Cj
will share their individual approaches to these methods in their demos using
wax resist, sgraffito, wax inlay, shellac resist and more.
We finish up by loading a bisque kiln
BISQUE
KILN firing begins at midnight (with Gaya CAC staff)
August
11, Sunday FREE DAY
Will be a day off from the studio. Participants
may explore the island, have a spa day, take a cooking class, or just relax and
sketch poolside as they wish. (Participants will plan their own
adventures this day; feel free to ask us for recommendations.)
BISQUE
KILN firing
Second
Week
August
12, Monday
In the Morning, The bisque kiln will be unloaded and
results will be discussed as a group. Carol and Cj will continue to demonstrate
creating surface depth with staining techniques as well as other glazing
techniques to enhance the texture on your work.
In the afternoon, Carol and Cj will be working with
participants to envision the migration of their ideas with the new skills they
have been introduced to during the first week.
Participants will start larger scale forms using a combination of the
various molds, hand-building and surface techniques.
August
13, Tuesday
Everyone will be working side-by-side, enjoying the
each other’s creative energy in the beautiful island studio. Cj will share her engineering
strategies with internal structures for building complex forms that will be stable
through a firing process. Carol and Cj will be working on their techniques
simultaneously, as will all participants: lots to do!!
*Note: These
larger scale sculptures will only be bisque-fired if the participants have made
arrangements with Gaya, otherwise we will enjoy the freedom of working and
experimenting without the demand of a finished product.
August
14, Wednesday
Another blissful studio day concluding with the loading
of a glaze kiln.
GLAZE
KILN firing begins at midnight (with Gaya CAC staff)
August
15, Thursday
Full day of studio work. Concluding projects.
*Note:
participants can work on larger pieces until the very end of the workshop—large
pieces will only be fired when the studio judges them adequately dry (this
could be weeks after the workshop concludes), and when the studio can fit them into their firing schedule.
GLAZE
KILN FIRING
August
16, Friday
Another Adventure Day!
BAMBU
INDAH river pool/jungle exploration
August
17, Saturday
Workshop wrap-up! Unloading of glaze kiln, critical
discussions and conclusion.
We will share a final lunch and depart by 2:00pm.
*All lunches will be served daily noon-1pm
family-style in the studio mezzanine.
**Details listed in this preliminary schedule are
subject to change; a finalized version will be included in participant welcome
package.
v For further information on the artists and their processes you may follow
them on the web or contact them directly with questions?
Carol Gouthro
Facebook: Carol Gouthro
Instagram: gouthrocarol
carolgouthro@comcast.net
Cj Jilek
Facebook & Instagram: Cj Jilek
cjjilekartist@gmail.com
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