Amy Kline

Throwing, Altering, and Carving Porcelain and Celadon Glazes

San Juan College Demonstration Workshop April 2012. Dates TBA

5-Day Hands-on Workshop at Sierra Nevada College June 18-22

(this workshop will include applying celadon glazes and a cone 10 reduction firing) Click on Amy Kline at Sierra Nevada College for details.

Throwing, Altering, and Carving Porcelain and Celadon Glazes

5-Day Hands-on at Pottery West July 16 – 20th

(this workshop will include applying celadon glazes and a cone 10 reduction firing)

Fee: $550.00 or $800.00 with on-site housing.

This workshop includes 25# Coleman porcelain, and some carving tools. (Bison Tools are also available for purchase) From throwing off the hump and altering to carving and incising bisque-ware.

Yunomi cups. Porcelain with celadon glaze. Kline

Amy Kline creates her work out of Coleman Porcelain and glazes her work with Elaine’s Best Celadons. Both of these products are available through Aardvark Ceramic Supply.

In workshops Amy Kline shows you how to advance the quality of your work  through the study of light and shadow. Amy gives you instruction on throwing off-the-hump, altering, sculpting, and soft-bisque carving and incising. Learn what temperature to bisque fire your work so the bisque-ware is soft to carve. This process does not require power tools. Most importantly, it’s surprisingly soft to carve when using the correct tools.

Carving and incising on bisque fired clay allows you to handle the piece and work deeper into the surface. The details you develop when carving at the soft-bisque stage has the potential to add an extra refinement to your work.

Day 1 (at Pottery West)

Coffee is available in the kitchen of the main house at Pottery West for all workshop participants from 7:00 – 9:00 am.

Throwing, Altering and Carving on Bisque-ware

throwing and altering for bisque-carving

Amy demonstrates throwing, altering and sculpting forms off the hump in preparation for bisque-carving. A demonstration of bisque-carving follows.

Lunch is bag-lunch (everyone brings their own.)

In the afternoon Amy hands-out bisque fired cups to the participants along with tools and a dust mask to carve bisque ware. A detailed demonstration (with hands-on participation) of carving and incising on bisque-ware continues. We discuss form, light, shadow, and the relationship of the inside of the form to the outside.

Dinners: Pottery West has an on-site kitchen and all workshop participants are welcome to use the kitchen to prepare meals. Meal planning is up to the participants.

Day 2

Hands-on Throwing and Altering  for Bisque-Carving (adding handles, spouts and glaze-fusing)

throwing off the hump and sculpting demos with hands-on work

Amy starts the workshop at 9:00 am with a critique of the forms we carved the first day. Amy throws and sculpts off the hump and shows how to put multiple pieced forms together so they can be bisque carved. Participants throw and sculpt forms in between demonstrations.

Participants frequently go back and forth between throwing, altering, and carving on the bisque-ware forms provided for the workshop.

Amy Kline uses Coleman Porcelain and Elaine's Celadon which are both available at Aardvark Ceramic Supply

For this workshop (at Pottery West) Amy provides 25 lbs. of clay (B-Mix) 1 medium-sized bisque fired cup, carving, incising and sanding tools, and a dust mask. You will want to bring your own throwing and trimming tools.

To register call Ruth Kline at #702-685-7573

Amy Kline

next round of porcelain cups ready for glaze 4/14/11

received a BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University. She continued her education with an MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Amy moved to Las Vegas, NV in 1995 and worked as a welder for 6 years. She started building Pottery West in the fall of 2001.

In April of 2010 Amy made a commitment to create her work in Coleman Porcelain for it’s throwing and incising capabilities. Celadon glaze emphasizes the incised work she carves into her forms.

Artist Statement

Touching (and being able to feel) is what moves me to work in porcelain. My sense of form has evolved since I began throwing porcelain in 2005. Creating form is a 3 dimensional canvas. I see forms within forms as I alter, sculpt, draw, and incise. I pay close attention to light and shadow to bring out incredibly fluid and sensuous forms.

In workshop presentations

Contour III. Incised porcelain with cleadon glaze. 25.5"x 5.5" April 2010

Amy demonstrates throwing off-the-hump and how she’s learned to throw multiple-part forms. She alters her forms while they’re wet. On larger forms Amy sculpts when they are leather hard and sands when the forms are bone dry. Amy works with porcelain at every stage of green ware and bisque ware.

Amy draws and incises onto her forms after they’ve been bisque fired. Amy spends time showing how to carve on bisque fired clay and shows how to use light and shadow to create form and line.

While creating forms and laying out designs Amy is influenced by her early studies in figure drawing and graphic design. Her style is influenced by having spent time studying dance, music and theater.

Amy studied ceramics with Jean Parsons (Interlochen Arts Academy), Val Cushing, and Tom and Elaine Coleman.

Thank you to Tom and Elaine for their advice and support with Pottery West and the development of her work in porcelain.

“Learning to look at your work in terms of light and shadow has the potential to elevate the quality of your work.”

Throwing and Carving workshop at Riverside Community College May 2011

Porcelain. Petite set of Three 4/11

Come Hither Cups. Bisque-carved porcelain with celadon glaze. 11/11