This will be a "results oriented" class on the topic of making and firing Natural Clay Pottery using the "pinch coiled pot "method used by ancient people for thousands of years. The completed pots you will make will be both beautiful to look at as well as fully function  "fired" pottery
 
Friday evening we will focus on a general overview of pottery, the handling and processing of clay, tempering of clay and tool making.

Saturday will be devoted to learning the techniques of making clay that you will find in you area into usable pottery material.  The remained of the day will be a workshop where you will be guided, step by step, making a traditional coiled pot. Saturday evening you will participate in the construction of the Firing "fire", the critical preheating of pottery and the firing of pots*

Sunday will be dedicated to making an additional pot using various tools and other techniques as well as having  workshops on making  "Thumb Spoons", Clay Pipes. Form Pottery and "Pookies"

Topics to be covered will be:

• Talk about clay types, where to find it and how to process it
• Hands on experience of processing "dry" clay
• Tempering of clay discussion and demonstrations and hands on workshop
• How to make "poor" clay usable for pottery

• Tools used in Pottery making / type
  of surface treatments

• Making wood paddles, cord wrapped paddles and gourd ribs
• Instruction and demonstrations on the "pinched coil pot" method
• Workshop making your personal pot using clay and tools you made
• Construction of a campfire "Pot Firing" fire
• Evening Firing of Pot
• Making Clay Pipes, Thumb Spoons, Form Pottery and Pokiest
• Analyzing actual pottery artifacts and learning to distinguish and identify the various tempers used in their making.

You are asked to arrive at the class on Friday at 4 PM.  Please be prompt but avoid arriving before 3:30. Camping facilities at the class will be available so bring your tent but there are a number of motels in the area if you prefer not to camp.. Breakfast and lunches will be provided as well as all materials for all of the workshops. 

The formal instruction will conclude at 5 PM on Saturday with a 2 hour window for dinner (on your own).  At 7PM we will proceed to do the pottery firing process in our class campfire

Your instructors will be Greg High and Tom Laskowski

*Pots used in the Saturday firing process will be pre-made by Greg several weeks before class since newly made pots require a minimum of 7-14 days drying before firing.

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