So last weekend, September 15-18, I attended the first Iowa Clay Conference, and did a pre-conference Soda Fire with Brad Schweiger. It was practically better than NCECA, it was more intimate, and you did not have to watch a demo from a giant screen 200 ft away.
Pete Pinnell and Brad Schweiger did two demos on how they make they work, both using the wheel as a tool, and the vessel as the premise for their work. There was also another demo by Susannah Biondo-Gemmel, and Jen Rogers. Their demo was on mold-making for slipcasting and press molding- an overall good refresher course.
I think the best part about the conference was the workshop and the shows surrounding the conference. The River2River juried show had some outstanding and beautiful pieces. I was proud to be a part of that show, and to see the richness of ceramic arts coming from the midwest. I also visited Clary Illian's studio and see her new series of pots. We also visited AKAR Gallery in Iowa City. I had never been to Iowa City before, and for the life of me I cant figure out why they put Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport. Davenport is a shiny piece of dung, and Iowa City is probably the coolest thing in Iowa. It is a huge college town, home of the University of Iowa, full of artisan shops, restaurants and bars. We also visited the ceramics studio of University of Iowa, and holy crap I have never seen a studio that big. There are like 4 or 5 wood kilns alone. The indoor kiln room is probably the size of the UHA ceramics studio. I dont know if I would like going to such a big school, but there are so many more resources and equipment there.
Overall, it was the best weekend I have had for ceramics in a long time. The same piece that was selected for the River2River show, was also selected for the Hartford Art School first juried alumni exhibition.
I am currently finishing up four pieces and have plans to enter 2 more ceramics exhibitions before the end of 2011. I will also be updating my website soon, as i wrap up my work for the 2011 year.
here is the link to the powerpoint of the River2River show if you are curious to see the work from that show. click here
