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4 Day Korean Throwing - Studio Course

Intro to Korean Wheel Throwing Intensive 3-4 day class (up to 3 students max):

9:30am -12pm: Morning instruction and practice session
12pm - 1pm  Garden lunch (simple, nutritious homemade meal will be prepared for you and is included in the price)
1pm - 5pm Afternoon instruction/practice  

In this course we will cover:

Day 1
  • Clay in its natural forms, clay sourcing, processing, clay body formulation discussion
  • Preparing our clay for the wheel using traditional foot/spiral wedging techniques 
  • Understanding clay moisture content and controlling it for success in the studio
  • Full tutorial on spiral wedging and finishing the spiral into a cylindrical form for easier centering on the wheel
  • Korean approach to centering/relaxing 3-5kg of clay on the wheel in preparation for forming
  • Framework for throwing any form on the wheel - learning how to visualize the forming process and reverse engineering any form
  • Developing the practice of practicing: how and why to practice without keeping forms to refine our "eye" for beauty without ego or distractions
Day 2
  • Throwing foundational forms including summer and winter teabowls 
  • Discussion on thickness and the key to throwing even/consistent walls with step by step breakdown of the process
  • Throwing with minimal water and advanced techniques for forming by "dry throwing" the form during the expansion phase
  • Practice repetition throwing, building and using a throwing gauge
  • Learn how to time the "flipping" of work, manage drying by covering and tips for storing ware in dynamic environments and schedules
  • Throwing a raw clay chuck for trimming; discussion about chuck forming, drying, attachment, removal and storage
Day 3
  • Trimming demo using traditional bamboo and metal tools using our clay chuck
  • Throwing session after trimming feedback (understanding the relationship between throwing and trimming), cross section analysis, important tea bowl shape details and curve analysis
  • Drying techniques and best practices in the studio for moisture/drying management after trimming: efficient drying of work by understanding draft, clay body formulation vs moisture loss, exploiting weather patterns
  • Discussion on recycling clay and rehydrating clay perfectly every time
  • Practice throwing/trimming with the aim to keep a few teabowls for slipware demo the following day
Day 4
  • Exploring my approach to plates, narrow necked forms and other complex forms like teapots 
  • Teapot body, lid, spout, handle demo and discussion 
  • Morning free form practice session
  • Afternoon intro to buncheong (slipware) pouring/dipping discussion 
  • Formulating and using slip in the Korean tradition, adapted using local materials
  • Slip session and drying techniques/ glaze discussion
This workshop includes unlimited use of my foraged wild clays for practice - these are minimally processed natural clays from the Sierras, beautiful for throwing and handbuilding. Freshly vacuum-pugged clay will be prepared for you each morning before you arrive.  Firings are not possible during the course, but can be arranged upon request if a student completes the 4-day course and can be picked up 2-3 weeks after the course ends.
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