Born and raised in Austin, TX, Grace began her atmospheric clay career as a studio assistant at 28A Clay in the Catskill Mountains. She then returned to Austin, where she now teaches and fires kilns at East Side Pot Shop and Feats of Clay Pottery. In addition, Grace leads the community wood-fire program at Eye of the Dog Art Center in San Marcos, and has built several gas and wood-fired kilns across Texas in hopes of increasing the accessibility and sustainability of atmospheric firing for the potters in her community. This past year, Grace was a Winter Artist-in-Residence at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and took part in their "Women Who Woodfire" summer residency.
Grace is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus in ceramics. Her pinch-formed, functionally-sculptural work emerges from ritualized, repetitive gesture — each imprint an accumulating record of labor and intention. These heavily-textured surfaces are then wood- or soda-fired, allowing flame and ash to retrace and enhance these pathways. The effect is process-forward and inherently organic, evoking the spines, tails, ribs, and tendrils of the flora and fauna on an alien, yet familiar, landscape.
This four day train kiln workshop is a hands-on, deeply engaged approach to train kiln firing, where texture works in collaboration with the atmosphere of the kiln to create dynamic, dimensional surfaces. Participants will work with ash glazes and slips made on-site, strategic loading, and a firing approach that encourages flashing and natural ash deposits to create depth, movement, and dimension on a heavily textured surface. This is an immersive, work-driven exploration of texture and fire, offering tools and techniques participants can take into their own future firings.Our approach to learning will be inherently collaborative and encourage participants to engage in active problem solving alongside experienced guidance.
Each participant should bring enough work to fill approximately 2 cubic feet of bisque fired cone 10 work. We also encourage students to bring a few extra “stuffer” pieces that are approximately 3x2x2. These are not priority pieces, but are easy to use to fill gaps in the kiln, and can be added if there is extra space. After registration participants will receive an email with a list of cone 10 clays and any extra information on the workshop.
5 Participant Maximum
Workshop Schedule:
Day-1:
Students arrived at Oki Doki Studio at 9:30 a.m. Grace will give an artist talk and discuss the group goals that frame the firing. The group will spend the day discussing glazing and loading strategies as they load the kiln together, and set a stoking schedule for the remaining two days of the firing.
Day-2 and 3:
Students work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the train kiln. Learning about a variety of different stoking patterns, how to control the kiln, manage the coal bed, and how to reduction cool the kiln.
The kiln cools for 3 days after the firing. Students will return to the studio for opening day.
Day-4:
10 am students return to The Oki Doki Studio to open and unload the kiln, and have a group critique to digest the outcome of the firing. The group will clean up the kiln, and also talk about strategies for cleaning and finishing the fired work.
Learn more about Grace by giving her a follow on instagram @et.al.pottery.
Born and raised in Austin, TX, Grace began her atmospheric clay career as a studio assistant at 28A Clay in the Catskill Mountains. She then returned to Austin, where she now teaches and fires kilns at East Side Pot Shop and Feats of Clay Pottery. In addition, Grace leads the community wood-fire program at Eye of the Dog Art Center in San Marcos, and has built several gas and wood-fired kilns across Texas in hopes of increasing the accessibility and sustainability of atmospheric firing for the potters in her community. This past year, Grace was a Winter Artist-in-Residence at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and took part in their "Women Who Woodfire" summer residency.
Grace is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus in ceramics. Her pinch-formed, functionally-sculptural work emerges from ritualized, repetitive gesture — each imprint an accumulating record of labor and intention. These heavily-textured surfaces are then wood- or soda-fired, allowing flame and ash to retrace and enhance these pathways. The effect is process-forward and inherently organic, evoking the spines, tails, ribs, and tendrils of the flora and fauna on an alien, yet familiar, landscape.
This four day train kiln workshop is a hands-on, deeply engaged approach to train kiln firing, where texture works in collaboration with the atmosphere of the kiln to create dynamic, dimensional surfaces. Participants will work with ash glazes and slips made on-site, strategic loading, and a firing approach that encourages flashing and natural ash deposits to create depth, movement, and dimension on a heavily textured surface. This is an immersive, work-driven exploration of texture and fire, offering tools and techniques participants can take into their own future firings.Our approach to learning will be inherently collaborative and encourage participants to engage in active problem solving alongside experienced guidance.
Each participant should bring enough work to fill approximately 2 cubic feet of bisque fired cone 10 work. We also encourage students to bring a few extra “stuffer” pieces that are approximately 3x2x2. These are not priority pieces, but are easy to use to fill gaps in the kiln, and can be added if there is extra space. After registration participants will receive an email with a list of cone 10 clays and any extra information on the workshop.
5 Participant Maximum
Workshop Schedule:
Day-1:
Students arrived at Oki Doki Studio at 9:30 a.m. Grace will give an artist talk and discuss the group goals that frame the firing. The group will spend the day discussing glazing and loading strategies as they load the kiln together, and set a stoking schedule for the remaining two days of the firing.
Day-2 and 3:
Students work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the train kiln. Learning about a variety of different stoking patterns, how to control the kiln, manage the coal bed, and how to reduction cool the kiln.
The kiln cools for 3 days after the firing. Students will return to the studio for opening day.
Day-4:
10 am students return to The Oki Doki Studio to open and unload the kiln, and have a group critique to digest the outcome of the firing. The group will clean up the kiln, and also talk about strategies for cleaning and finishing the fired work.
Learn more about Grace by giving her a follow on instagram @et.al.pottery.
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