barbara@aoi.ultranet.com on wed 21 jan 98
Well, I'm back. Exhausted but excited. I've got a thousand stories to
tell but I've got to settle down before I start writing them out. The
workshop was exactly as Eric had promised. We worked in a village populated
by people not corrupted by modernism. One water source outside the house,
cooking over wood fires, working on the ground, pigs, goats, etc.
It was great! The people were really wonderful. I just wish that I could
speak Spanish, it would have made this experience so much better.
Eric did a wonderful job on putting together this workshop. Kept us busy
all the time, kept to his schedule, fed us well, and kept it cheap. What
more could we ask?
In our group of seven, there was one man, aged 78 and very agile and active.
A woman of 62 that moved at about my speed, and the others in their late
30's to early 40's, all women. All potters. One production potter, the
rest of us, something else in the daytime.
We learned to make marvelous round bowls, and I do mean round, they even
look wheel thown, they're so symmetrical. Dug the clay, processed it,
fired it - the whole thing, start to finish.
We also travelled to other villages to see other potters. Eric had
arranged in each place we visited a full fledged demonstration by the
potter.
I will try to write out a complete description of the Oaxaca Workshop and
post it as soon as possible. Everyone must know about this exciting and
awesome destination...
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