The 2nd Taiwan International Chawan Festival
Northern Miaoli Art Center
September 8-17, 2023
The theme of the 2nd Taiwan International Chawan Festival, which will begin on September 8, 2023, is the "Circulation of Goodness". We hope that the essence of what is conveyed and that meeting to everyone again brings a circulating energy of goodness. We also hope that every one of us can be that driving force in the circulation of goodness.
I am motivated to express myself and communicate through my work. I speak the language of clay and Raku is my dialect. Vessels have a volume and an inward pressure that defines the shape. Pots are formed from the inside out and the bottom up with the interior negative space defining the outward appearance. I see the surface of my pots as a skin that defines and communicates the volume and presence of what is underneath. My surfaces define the shape with textures that expand and grow during the forming process.
I am influenced by the visual elements of the environment; rock faces, cracks in the sidewalk, tree bark, colors of the earth and sand, moss, river beds, waterfalls, sunsets, the undulating path of a mountain range. By the tactile nature of the air and natural and man-made surfaces. By the smells and tastes of the cuisine that we welcome.
Emergence: Has The Last Three Years Changed Me?
February 13 - March 9
Reception: March 9, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Karen and Ted Koskores Gallery
Thayer Academy • 745 Washington Street • Braintree MA• 02184
Exhibitions 2018
Thayer Academy Art Faculty Exhibition
Thayer Academy Gallery 745 Washington Street, Braintree MA 02184
Presentations/Workshops 2013-2014
- January 21: Guest Critique, Wellesley (MA) High School Intensive Ceramics Program
- April 6: Raku Workshop at The Potters Shop for Wellesley High School
- April 10: Raku Workshop at The Potters Shop for Lexington High School
- May 1: Raku Workshop at The Potters Shop for St Sebastian's School
- May 29-31: Raku Workshop, Mudpie Potters (See below for details)
- June 14-15: Raku Workshop, Purple Sage Pottery (See below for details)
Mudpie Potters Presents
Weekend Raku Workshop with Steve Branfman
May 29-31, 2015
We have invited Steve Branfman, Raku Master and founder and
director of The Potter’s Shop, to run
a Raku workshop at Mudpie. This is a great chance to take a workshop with
an internationally recognized master of the craft. Fee is $150 for
Mudpie members, $200 for non members, with a limit of 10-12 participants.
It will include a Friday night slide show, wheel work and demo on Sat., and
firing on Sunday. Participants would bring 2 or 3 bisqued items of their
own to fire, if desired.
Go to http://mudpiepotters.org/?page_id=4 for more information and registration
Mudpie Potters is located at the Leverett Crafts and Arts,
13 Montague Road, Leverett, Massachusetts 413/548 3939
Purple Sage Pottery presents:
Raku Glazing and
Firing
with Steven Branfman
June 14, 10 am - 5 pm, or June 15, 10 am - 5 pm
Fee: $110 for one day or $200 for both
In early
summer we will be hosting a workshop with renowned master Raku potter
Steven Branfman. Steven has been making Raku pottery for several decades. He
has written 4 books on the subject and his work is in private, corporate and
museum collections in the US and abroad.
The Raku firing
process is very immediate and dramatic. You will be pulling red-hot pots out of
the kiln and performing a variety of post firing processes including immersing
them in metal barrels with combustibles such as newspaper and sawdust. The
barrels are quickly covered, and the smoldering flames turn bare clay a satiny
black, and can produce glaze results with metallic lusters, black crackle
patterns and unique flashes of color.
The workshop will start
with a one hour slide presentation covering the history of Raku and a
contemporary Raku pottery survey, Steven's own history and work, as well as
selections from his wide ranging personal clay collection. Come to the
workshop with several bisque fired pots to be glazed and fired during the
workshop. Steven will demonstrate some of the glazing, decorating and firing
techniques he has developed for Raku. He will also cover information about
clays, glazes, kiln construction and operation, combustion, necessary
equipment, safety and firing techniques.
Go to http://www.purplesagepottery.com/classes.php For more information and registration
Purple Sage Pottery is located at 3 Mechanic St, Merrimac MA. 978-346-9978 978-457-9502
