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marta's workshop at lacrosse

updated sat 1 nov 03

 

Bacia Edelman on fri 31 oct 03


Greetings: Even throwers would be converted to hand-builders, at least
for a while, after watching marta form her clay in ways new to
even me, a confirmed hand-builder. And what is more, it makes one want
to try some of the tools or get some of them, because we never dreamed
of those modes of working clay. Rubber balls in a sock, wooden balls
from a craft shop, a tool that I later teased marta could be a "dildo."
Woops, now mel will can this post. (G)
And tools weren't all of it. She had crumbs from red clay made by using
a surform tool at the bottom outside of a bowl. She sprinkled
the crumbs onto the raku clay before rolling it out more. She stretched
clay. She tossed
or dropped forms down (cowpies, she assured us!) She sprinkled EPK on
a work surface and then rolled her clay in it.
And of course, she demonstrated her spiral wire cutting technique, which
I have used also for years.
Although she works in porcelain too, she does a great deal of her
work with a raku clay, used soft.
The workshop was for two of Karen Terpstra's clay classes, one of beginners
and one of advanced. I drove up with a friend who teaches ceramic sculpture
part-time at a tech. college here. Andree kept taking digital pictures as,
like me, she wondered if she would remember all the ways marta works.
We were both very much impressed.
Some of you know that marta is one of my very dear personal and clay friends.
That has nothing to do with this rave review, not really. Andree couldn't
get over how glad she was that she drove up with me and talked about it
a lot on the way home.
One more thing. Our arrival about 45 min. after her slide show started, though
Karen knew we were going to LaCrosse, was a total surprise to marta. Andree
and I snuck into the darkened auditorium. Marta said "Excuse me" to the
attendees and came over and gave me a big hug. Off topic?
So what! It was a wonderful day.
And Dannon is supposed to do a workshop there late in February. Hope, folks,
for me that the roads won't be icy or that despite global warming, we wont
be having one of our blinding snowstorms.
I also saw the noborigama kiln that Karen built. It was amazing.
Luckily, I sat between Karen and marta at lunch and got to know a little more
about Karen. "Women of the world: UNITE". Mel actually is a big supporter
of women in clay, I want to add here.
Best wishes,
Bacia

Bacia Edelman
Madison, Wisconsin
http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/bacia.htm
http://www.silverhawk5.com/edelman/index.html

Gail Dapogny on fri 31 oct 03


Bacia,
What a wonderful review. I'd love to see more of Marta in action and
hear about her inventive techniques. (And I'm a thrower!)
Both Karen and Dannon are two of my heros. Lucky you and thanks for
writing about it so inspiringly.
---Gail

On Friday, October 31, 2003, at 06:12 AM, Bacia Edelman wrote:

> Even throwers would be converted to hand-builders, at least
> for a while, after watching marta form her clay in ways new to
> even me, a confirmed hand-builder. ...The workshop was for two of
> Karen Terpstra's clay classes, one of beginners
> and one of advanced.



Gail Dapogny gdapogny@umich.edu
1154 Olden Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103
http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/dapogny (single historical photo - no
longer