A POURING VESSEL EXCURSION:
Flames, Fumes, Focus, Function
with Ben Eberle
March 9-22, 2025
Empty vessels contain possibility in the form of air. Pouring vessels carry weight along with poise, grace, personality, and character. In this workshop, we will address the liminal and critical space where artful pouring vessels must embody both. Through a series of demonstration-based exercises and open-ended “assignments”, students will be pushed to hone their skills making teapots, pitchers, small bottles, and ewers on the wheel.
Additionally, students will get direct instruction and insight to the soda firing process as well as a thorough foundation on cone 10 reduction firing. You will leave with an elevated knowledge base of firing as well as new tips, tricks, and techniques to level-up your pouring vessel practices. It is recommended that you are comfortable with basic wheel throwing skills, particularly cylinders.
No experience with gas kilns or soda firing necessary.
TUITION: USD $2200 inclusive of all studio materials, glazes and firings, catered lunches, welcome dinner, and excursions around the island. We will assist in making recommendations for bookings for nearby hotels, bungalows or home-stays in convenient proximity to Gaya studio (accommodation is not included in tuition).
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE - A POURING VESSEL EXCURSION: Flames, Fumes, Focus, Function
Empty vessels contain possibility in the form of air. Pouring vessels carry weight along with poise, grace, personality, and character. In this workshop, we will address the liminal and critical space where artful pouring vessels must embody both. Through a series of demonstration-based exercises and open-ended “assignments”, students will be pushed to hone their skills making teapots, pitchers, small bottles, and ewers on the wheel.
Additionally, students will get direct instruction and insight to the soda firing process as well as a thorough foundation on cone 10 reduction firing. You will leave with an elevated knowledge base of firing as well as new tips, tricks, and techniques to level-up your pouring vessel practices. It is recommended that you are comfortable with basic wheel throwing skills, particularly cylinders.
No experience with gas kilns or soda firing necessary.
Sunday, March 9th:
6 p.m Welcome Dinner MOKSA followed by Ben’s artist talk covering his 30yr trajectory in ceramics, past and present influences, processes and love affair with atmospheric firing. We will also have an informal group discussion with self introductions and a basic road map for our week together.
Monday, March 10th:
We’ll begin with a studio orientation, including a look at the kiln we will fire together, the clays we’ll use, and best practices for safety and work-flow. We’ll open with a short (15min) slide discussion that surveys the broad realm of pouring pots, both historic and contemporary.
Cup forms off the hump and from 1.5lb balls. This will get us familiar with the clay in an informal, pressure-free manner. Explore texture, form and style with these. Have some fun. Ben will show you how he imprints texture and stretches his forms.12:30: Lunch
Shake off the rust with your cup forms (for handling later) and make two, small handless pouring bottles - sizes are up to you!
Tuesday, March 11th:
We’ll open with a short slide talk looking at various pitcher forms from an array of makers. To throw better pitchers, you must learn to throw better cylinders. This demo will walk you through attaining maximum height with minimum wall thickness. Your first two balls will be ‘practice’ cylinders and the third will be your first pitcher form.
12:30: Lunch
Short demo on throwing a custom chuck and trimming bottle forms. Afterwards, it’s all pitchers all the time. Impromptu/informal group critique at the end of the afternoon. Trim and cover ALL your mugs for the handle demo on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 12th:
Trimming your pitcher forms in a chuck…then attaching handles. There are a million ways to make a handle. Which one is right for the pot you’re making? If you still need to trim a few cups, that’s ok.
12:30 Lunch
Teapot forms large and small. Aim to make three different teapots. Trim and handle your pitchers by the end of the day.
Thursday, March 13th:
Teapots continued: Morning focus is on making different lid forms, gallery styles, and spout designs/placements.. Balance, gesture, texture, grace, function are the main concepts here. Keep going with your pots in progress.
12:30 Lunch
Open studio all afternoon focusing on your teapots. Make at least one that is for an “over-the-top” handle. If you’re confident, please try two!
NB: Double check that your pitchers, mugs, and small pouring vessels are drying accordingly for the first bisque firing.
Friday, March 14th:
Demo: LAST MORNING FOR FRESH CLAY WORK!
Ben will demo the large, over-the-top handle technique and let it set up for final assembly on Saturday. Open work session all morning afterwards. Please start your day by getting that handle on your teapot body. It needs to set up overnight.
12:30 Lunch
All teapots all the time. Keep assembling your pots! For those who are ahead, you may throw more handless cups/tumblers for the soda kiln.
First bisque firing will get loaded at the end of class.
NB: If you make new pots today, consider making pots that don’t require trimming or handles. Dry times will be very tight!
Saturday, March 15th:
Demo: Handle “shaving” and shaping and full assembly of the over-the-top teapots. Open studio time to put spouts on your final teapots and
12:30 Lunch
Final work for ANY work in progress. Trim, carve, detail all your work by 5pm please. 2nd bisque will be loaded at the end of the day.
Sunday, March 16th:
Free day! Relax, go on independent adventures, recharge for another busy week in the studio. Bisque # 2 gets loaded. Studio is closed.
Monday, March 17th:
Unload the bisque kiln number 1…while bisque #2 fires off. We will have a class discussion about the history of soda firing as well as a brief synopsis of gas reduction firing. A group discussion on our glaze choices and application will follow. Start glazing either your soda kiln pots or reduction pots
12:30: Lunch
All glazing all the time. If there is a good collection of pots ready to go, we’ll start loading BOTH kilns. Unload bisque #2 late afternoon.
Tuesday, March 18th:
Glaze/slip/wad like there’s no tomorrow. Soda kiln will be emphasized first, gas kiln second.
12:30 Lunch
Finish loading the soda kiln and then focus on the gas kiln. Begin bricking the door up. Balinese blessing will highlight the end of this process as we hand our pots over to the fire gods.
Wednesday, March 19th:
Firing the kilns! Everyone will get a chance to work with the burner systems, learn about the flame travel, oxidation vs. reduction details, and how to even a firing out.
12:30 Lunch
Soda introduction sometime during the afternoon. Everyone will get a chance to spray some soda in!
Thursday, March 20th:
Bali adventure day. As the kiln cools, we will explore our environment beyond the studio walls. We’ll dream of soda lusciousness overnight : )
Friday, March 21st :
The soda kiln may still be quite hot in the morning, so after we peak with a flashlight, we’ll unload the gas kiln…then up the tunes and clean every corner of the studio! We’ll set up a packing station and prep for the big unload after lunch.
12:30: Lunch
Unload the soda kiln, analyze results, discussing impact of form, surface decorations, placement, soda accumulation, effect on glazes vs. slips, etc. Compare and contrast pots from different parts of the kiln. We’ll stash our pots and then clean shelves, bricks, and the interior of the kiln.
Finally, we’ll have a group discussion of pots that “say something” to us. These can be pots that did something unexpected, amazed us, or perhaps disappointed us. Learning comes in all forms. Our best work can have as much impact as our “lesser than” work.
Post discussion, we’ll pack up our pots together, have one final hugfest, and say our goodbyes.
Saturday, March 22nd:
Departure Day, studio is closed.
**Details of schedule may be subject to change, but overall content will remain constant.