For fifty-one and a half weeks of the year, Watershed is one of the most laid back, peaceful places in the world.  Things seem to move in a very organic, rolling rhythm…basically, the only schedule revolves around mealtimes.  However, for the three days leading up to Salad Days, the activity level at Watershed increases exponentially.  As this event, with an annual attendance of around 300 people, is Watershed’s only major fundraiser, it is a huge part of the facility’s ability to host resident artists each year.

Preparations for Salad Days began on Wednesday, with the arrival of a large tent, which will house the annual invitational pottery sale.  That same day, we carted the majority of the plates for this year’s event, made by resident Salad Days Artist Adero Willard, up from the factory studios to the main house.  These plates, made each year by the resident Salad Days Artist, will be sold on Saturday for $25 dollars each…and will then be used as the lunch plates from which those in attendance will feast on the wonderful array of salads provided by the Watershed Kitchens and various local restaurants.

As the big day drew closer, Thursday saw an even greater increase in activity on the grounds.  Everyone pitched in to clean and tidy-up the house, studios, cabins, and all outdoor areas.  Amy Lemaire created beautiful floral arrangements for the house, using locally grown flowers, handmade pottery, and her own lampworked glass beads.  And, of course, the kitchen staff had prep work well under way!

Each evening at Watershed, residents and staff have the option of presenting a short slide shhow and brief talk on their work.  So, after the day’s work was done on Thursday, we all had a lovely dinner and sat down to slide presentations from our guest artists Richard and Martha Shaw, as well as some of this session’s residents…including myself.  Not having had the opportunity to make presentations on my work to audience, I am not quite as comfortable with this process as I would like.  However, the environment and people at Watershed are so accepting, that I was able to at least give it a go…and I feel like I have gained the experience that will help me know how to do a better job of presenting in the future.

“To give artists time and space to work in clay,” as I have said, this is the mission of Watershed.  A quick stroll around the factory building studio spaces on Wednesday, reveals that this is exactly what is happening.  Just as goldfish will grow only as large as their environment will allow, the scope, and vision of an artist rapidly expands when given the freedom and space to do so.  Potters who focus on functional work begin to push the limits of their pots, they take chances that they normally would not allow themsleves to explore…and some move beyond the limits of functionality all together.  Those who use clay as a sculptural medium begin to take bigger, more daring risks…leaping ahead to a whole new territory with their work.  It is truly inspiring to see this level of intense creativity at work.

As a rule, each summer session at Watershed includes a guest artist, and this session we are lucky to be joined by hisband and wife team Richard Shaw and Martha Shaw.  Currently a professor in Art Practice at the University of California, Berkley, Richard Shaw is widely recognized for his trompe l’oiel sculpture.  Here he is working on throwing a large clay form, to be used in making a plaster mold.

Martha Shaw has a background in Printmaking.  She received her degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1965, and has many exhibitions to her credit.  Recently the two artists have begun to work in collaboration with each other, and pictured here is their work, House and Skull, 2006, porcelain with decal overglaze.

Both artists are a joy to work with in the studio; and it is wonderful to see and hear the subtle exchange of ideas that occurs between them as they work.  I look forward to spending time alongside them in the days to come.

I once had an art professor who harped on the idea that “life constantly gets in the way of art.”  But as I get older, I realize more and more, how true this statement really is.  And when we are given the opportunity to work in an environment to allows us to hush the callings of our day to day life, this truth becomes crystal clear.

So much happens within us, when we are placed in an intensely creative environment, such as that of Watershed…we begin to gain inspiration from every aspect of our day, we notice art in the world around us more, we can achieve a greater focus on our own work, and we start to share ideas with others.  These are the things I noticed yesterday, on the second day at Watershed, as everyone settled into their studio spaces, and got down to work.

Remember the first day of school…you were so excited, yet somewhat apprehensive at the same time?  Yet when you finally got to school and met all your new classmates, or reunited with your old friends, you immediately got the feeling that everything really would be great?  This is exactly what the first day at Watershed feels like!

Yesterday as I made he short drive to Watershed, I had the feeling of embarking on a new and exciting adventure…one that could potentially change my relationship with clay.  When I arrived at the Watershed grounds, I immediately felt the energy of the place humming in the air:  wonderful smells eminated from the kitchen, the wood kilns were being loaded, and the studio spaces were open and clean, as if they were just waiting for the artists from all over the country who would makes their homes there for the next two weeks.

The afternoon was spent settling in to the new surroundings, meeting new people, and just enjoying the lovely day.  We had dinner at six thirty, homemade soup and salad night…beautifully perpared and presented garnished with fresh flowers by Janine.  After dinner we wnet through a short orientation and meet and greet session in the house.  Then we took a short walk to the factory building where we had a tour of the studios and an overview of the way things work at Watershed.

As I returned home for bed, I thought about all the wonderful ideas that seem to permeate the air at Watershed, and looked forward to actually getting my hands into some clay!

This evening I will begin a two week period of assistantship and claywork at Watershed center for Ceramic Art in Newcastle, Maine. Nearly everyone who is a part of the clay community has been touched by Watershed in some way…the effects of this magical environment are truly special and far reaching. But for those who may not have heard of this unique program, let me give you a little history. Situated on the site of a former brick factory, Watershed as we know it was brought into life by artist and investor Margaret Griggs. In 1986 Griggs enlisted artists George Mason, Lynn Duryea, and Chris Gustin to organize a pilot project to use the site in a new and creative way. The group began to invite artists from the United States and Great Britain, to live and work at the facility. These first groups of artists began the tradition of an intimately communal, process oriented, creative environment that still exists at Watershed today. In fact, the mission of Watershed is “to provide artists with the time and space to work in clay.”

Normally, artists live in on site housing, share meals in the common dining space, and spend time working on their art in the studios of the factory building. I will be participating in all aspects of the Watershed experience, except that I will be driving home everyday…I am fortunate enough to live only 15 minutes from Watershed.

Each day, for the next 14 days, I will be posting a daily journal entry pertaining to my time at Watershed, as well as many photographs of this wonderful little corner of the world. As if the ability to spend time among fellow artists in a beautiful setting were not enough, I get the added benefit of helping out with Salad Days…Watershed’s annual fundraiser event, and one of the best times to be had in Mid-Coast Maine.

So, if you have ever wondered what it would be like to be able to spend two weeks with your work in one of the most beautiful and idea rich places in the world, stick with me and get one potter’s perspective on the Watershed experience!