Members Impressions from the Micki Schloessingk Workshop

Micki Schliessingk’s workshop was a great success and greatly enjoyed by
everyone who took part. It was the first time the new salt kiln at Capilano
College had been fired, and the results were extremely successful, Micki
enjoyed her stay in Canada and the interaction with her group of students.
‘The best thing about these concentrated workshops is the amount of work
that is produced, the steep learning curves and the very close personal
sharing of information ameng the group,

Maggi Kneer

Micki Schioessingk
wonl/sall placed teabow!

Danny Kostyshin’s Diary of Micki Schliesingk Workshop

day |

Twelve of ws arrived at Capilano College
with a wide assortment of pots in different
clay bodies, After introductions by Cathi
Jefferson, Micki discussed slips and glazes
and bow they would react either alone-or in
combination with our clay bodies. We
made hundreds of clay wadding balls (equal
parts of alumina hydrate and epk) and
fixed them to the bottoms and lids of our
slipped pots with white glue. This pre-
vents the salt vapours sticking the pots to
the kiln shelves. With Sam Kwan's help,
we loaded the kiln, making sure everyone
had work in the choice areas of the kiln.
Cone packs and test rings were put in place
and the kiln was bricked up.

day 2

The kiln was started, and we took time out
to see slides of Micki's work, primarily
functional faceted tea bowls, colanders,
bowls and handbuilt plates. She then dis-
cussed her no fuss decorating techniques -
such as the use of ber fingers in the wet
clay and slips or the use of her fingernail to
incise lines into the clay for the eventual
pick up by the salt glaze. Next she demon-
strated her low impact throwing techniques
using the kick wheel, and worked with us
all on an individual basis.

Around midnight, when the kiln was at
cone 9, it was time for salting. We used a
saltwater mix of one pound of salt to one
gallon of water, sprayed into the peep-
holes, and rock salt introduced into the
kiln on angle iron pipes making aloud pop

10

and crackle. The laste of salt was on all our
lips. Micki looked stunning in her pink
beret and sunglasses, an outfit 10 protect
her hair and eyes. We all took tums in
salting the kalo and watched the great
cloud of sodium chloride vapour coming
from every hole tn the kiln.

We finally finished in the small hours of
the morning, closed off the kiln, and
dragged our weary bodies home.

day 3

We all arrived tired but continwed with
Micki’s throwing exercises and tnmmed
our pols from Wednesday. Micki offered
us many good suggestions, and in tum
learned a few tips from some of the class.
Micki has alse participated in the Millen-
nium Plate Project, one that | have also
been doing for the past two years. The idea
of the project is to capture time using
personal symbols or ideas round the
project. I created two bowls, ome for Micki
to slip and draw a personal syimbel, which
is dated and signed, and the second bow!
became a “decument’ of time that all par-
ticipants signed in the wet clay, These two
bowls will be included in the next salt
glaze firing, and eventually will join other
bowls in a future exhibition.

day 4

This was the day for the unbricking of the
kuln, preceded by a potluck, where we
toasted the kiln and the gods of fire, salt,
air and earth, We also looked at slides of
salt firings that Micki has participated in

Potters Guild of British Columbia Newsletter

and discussed the various kilns, their suc-
cesses and failures in reaching tempera-
ture and sult distribution. We looked at
various kilns in the pre-fire and post-fire
Slages LO gain some insight as to how the
salt and fire worked together. The stacking
process can creale designs where the wad-
ding is placed.

Atlast the kiln was unpacked, and it proved
to be a successful firing, Our pots were
placed on the ground as they had been in
the kiln so we could see how the salt and
fire had reacted, and which areas had been
more successful than others. The work
was analysed as to the suitabiliry of the
clay bodies and the slips used, so we could
use this information to our advantage in
the next firing. I personally learnt my work
was far loo thin, Causing some warpage.
The high iron content of the clay worked
well in areas that received a high salting,
but net so successfully in low salt areas. I
will have to make chunkier pots next lime,

We all enjoyed the exchange of expen-
ence and knowledge between the partici-
pants and our instrector, and it made me
more aware of how difficult access toa salt
kaln is for the urban potter.

My thanks go out te all and especially to
Cathi and Micki, who will become a fel-
low artist to connect with at a future time
and place . ..

Daviney Kastyahin

September 201