Pottery
Pottery - Beginning
Experience the fun of creating usable artistic ceramic forms! We will introduce you to the timeless process of working with your hands and using contemporary equipment to make bowls, cups, plates, vases, and more. Your chance to learn the basic skills and pleasures of working with clay from a well established local professional potter who has over 25 years experience teaching and making pottery for a livelihood. Learn basic techniques of the potter's wheel, the ancient art of coiling/slab construction, and receive an introduction to mask making and application of glazes. We will also demonstrating the key skills of pinching, coiling, slab, glazing and potter’s wheel techniques.
Pottery - Intermediate
Explore projects requiring basic skills in slab work and utilizing the potter's wheel, while learning more pottery techniques. We will introduce you to more complicated forms of crafts such as goblets, pitchers, teapots, platters. Students should have previous experience with the potter's wheel or hand building. Class will focus on the making of traditional pottery forms which are both functional and beautiful. Instruction includes larger forms as well as tile making along with some unusual glazing and firing techniques.
Pottery - Advanced
Put your skills to the test by learning Needs New Image decorative and altered forms in unique firing methods such as soda and raku firing. Exploration of forms and surfaces including a focus on decorative techniques of Lauren Hansen and ceramic wheel form and altered forms of Dane Venaas. This class requires intermediate skills or permission by the instructor.
Pottery Drop In
Drop in and work at your own pace with supervision of studio staff open to all with previous experience. Drop in studio time is not included in other class fees.
Pottery Drop In - Advanced
Drop in and work at your own pace with supervision of studio staff open to all with previous experience. Drop in studio time is not included in other class fees. Previous experience with wheel work and glaze decoration is required. This class is only open for continuing students who have advance skill level.
Weaving
Floor Loom Weaving
Learn the art of hand weaving on a floor loom. Our class project for first time students is creating two scarves available in a beautiful range of colors. Returning students will choose their own projects, such as table runners, placemats, rugs and blankets. We will practice foundation skills together: loom set up, pattern drafting, yarn calculations, and weaving with one and two shuttles. Experience the joy of living with cloth made by your own hand!
Floor Loom Weaving - Lab
This is a session we offer to that provide extra time to complete class projects in the weaving room. Students must be concurrently enrolled in a Floor Loom Weaving class to sign up for Floor Loom Weaving - Lab.
Meet the Instructors
Dane Venaas
Pottery Instructor
Dane Venaas is an artist-craftsman who has been completely involved with ceramics for 30 years. Following studies in engineering and anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he took to ceramic art with a passion. Dan established the Pottery Program with the UCSB Department of Recreation where he continues to instruct, experiment, and grow as an artist. His current work centers on functional vessels for the home, including dinnerware, unique vases and handmade sinks. He exhibits his work throughout California and in private collections across the United States. Dane’s glazes reflect a sense of movement, depth, and color related to abstract expressionism. Each piece is different, yet connected to a common theme.
Julia Ford
Weaving Instructor
Julia studied textile design in her native home, England. She moved to the USA and received her MFA at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. Her work has been widely exhibited and collected in the United States and Europe. Julia is also featured in many Art and Craft books. She has over 35 years experience working in the field as an artist, teacher and antique restorer. She enjoys teaching fiber arts to all ages, and shares her knowledge, skills and love of the textile medium with participants in the Gaucho REC Weaving, Acorn Gathering, and private classes. As a teacher, Julia’s goal is to inspire a lifetime of artistic self-expression through the simplicity of sustainable textile handcrafts.