SMOKE FIRE WORKSHOP WITH PAULA SHALAN

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May 23rd - Artist Talk & Presentation
(included for registered students, $25 for non-students)

May 24 & 25 - Workshop

Price: TBD

Location: TBD (Fort Collins Area)

 

 

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Explore the exciting and spontaneous method of smoke firing. Learn to build and fire a simple sawdust kiln. Dry Burnishing and the use application and use of terra sigillata will be demonstrated. Use various resist techniques and materials, such as wax, clay slip, and aluminum foil, to “paint” surface designs with smoke and fire. Three distinct firing methods will occur:
 

• 24 hour slow burning sawdust fire for smoked atmospheric magic;

• 5 minute “paint with fire” process using various resists;

• A foil saggar, to capture a consistent gray and black undertone to contrast with colorful surface work.
   

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​BIOGRAPHY

Paula Shalan, is the second in three generations of potters. Educated at Sarah Lawrence College and The Art Institute of Chicago, she exhibits nationally at galleries and retail shows including The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and The Smithsonian Craft Show. She received a national award for sustainability at the Smithsonian Craft Show as well as the 2018 Distinction in Ceramics award from The Society of Arts and Crafts. Her work has been published in numerous magazines including Ceramic Art and Perception and Ceramics Monthly. Participating as an artist-in-residence at both Acadia National Park and The Dune Shacks on the Outer Cape  has inspired her work. “My work is a quiet tribute to the details found in nature.”

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The tactile process of building with malleable clay, that records the minutest impressions, involves a constant dialog with the material. Each piece is hand built from white earthenware using pinch, coil, and slab techniques. The pots are brushed with terra sigillata and hand polished, revealing the warm subtle nature of the clay. Then the work, fired in wood shavings, absorbs carbon and soft smoke patterns into its surface. My current work reflects my interest in the relationship of interiors and exteriors as well as the absorption and reflection of light.