Pottery tutor Helen Hughes gathers natural material for her workshop during the Summer Do. Photo / John Stone
Pottery tutor Helen Hughes gathers natural material for her workshop during the Summer Do. Photo / John Stone
Whangārei's Quarry Arts Centre is starting fresh into the New Year with a week-long summer workshop beginning tomorrow and will see a strong focus on pottery.
Arts manager and event organiser Tracey Willms Deane said the annual Summer Do had been running for over 30 years and this year's programme will trace back to the roots of the Quarry Arts Centre focusing on sustainable and eco-friendly material.
"We'll have 10 different workshops run by tutors who will also have their art on display," Willms Deane said.
She said the Summer Do had always been a great opportunity for people to get into arts and even jump start a career in the field.
Arts manager and event organiser Tracey Willms Deane. Photo / John Stone
Participants can get their hands dirty at the pottery wheel or when digging for their own clay while tutors will offer masterclasses for people to refine their skills.
There will also be opportunities for painters and the kiln master Mike Regan is going to fire the big walk-in kiln.
Heating the kiln with firewood is quite the spectacle, according to Willms Deane.
It will take Regan 30 to 36 hours to heat it up to its desired temperature of around 1300 degrees Celsius.
The 500-600 pieces of pottery inside the kiln will be exposed to that white heat for two days before Regan starts the cooling process which takes another two days.
On Saturday, January 11, at noon, the doors will be opened and artists and spectators will see what happened to the pottery pieces.
"Firing the kiln is hard work and requires team effort. Mike [Regan] will have a student who will learn how to operate the kiln," Willms Deane said.
"It's exciting but also very nerve-racking for the artists because you never know what it will look like. There could be a hairline crack they had missed, and then the piece is ruined. But pieces can turn out beautifully. Woodfire gives pottery quite a different finish."
Potter and kiln master Mike Regan prepares for the upcoming Summer Do at the Quarry Arts Centre. Photo / John Stone
While the high-tech electric and the raku kiln will also be fired, Helen Hughes' workshop will explore alternative techniques to the most common ways of glazing and firing of pottery using natural materials and a hand-built kiln.
Willms Deane said they had dozens of types of clay ready for workshop participants and though pottery often looks as if people "are just mucking around with dirt", it's an art involving skill and chemistry.
The workshops range from two to five days, with some starting tomorrow, January 5, and will run until January 11. To inquire about vacant spots, contact the Quarry Arts Centre via 09 438 1215 or email admin@quarryarts.org.
