One of my goals for my time at Watershed has been to learn as much as possible about the processes of salt and soda firing.  Unfortunately the viability of the soda kiln has been constantly in question, and it has only been fired twice since I have been there, so the opportunities for this particular type of firing have been few.

The empty kiln sits in waiting.

However, Watershed’s Interim Executive Director, Tyler Gulden is himself a brilliant potter known for his simply beautiful utilitarian pots, with subtle atmospheric glaze patterns.  Tyler keeps his studio at home, but often brings his bisque-ware to Watershed for glaze firing.  So, last week I was fortunate enough to have to opportunity to shadow Tyler as he went through the process of salt & soda firing his ware.

The soda kiln coming up to temperature in the Maine twilight.

The kiln was loaded on Tuesday, candled overnight to warm everything up slowly, then the real firing began on Wednesday morning.  We gradually brought the kiln up to temperature throughout the day, closing the damper for body reduction from about 12 to 1pm.  We then added salt at around 5:30 that evening.  Finally, at around 9:00pm, as the kiln reached cone 10, we injected soda ash mixed with water, and turned off the burners shortly after.

Tyler injecting soda ash and water solution into the kiln.

I am always excited to open my electric kiln when it is full of finished, glazed work.  However, there is just no parallel to the excitement of opening an atmospheric kiln…be it a salt/soda kiln or wood fired.  Since there are so many variables in play, from the exact temperature of a particular firing to the amount of salt introduced, much is left up to chance.  After allowing the kiln to cool slowly overnight and part of the next day, we were finally able to unbrick the door the next afternoon.

Fired ware in the kiln.

The results of this firing were somewhat mixed.  Tyler got some great surfaces on his mugs, but was not quite happy with his plates; I was very pleased with a small winged house sculpture, but a larger house from the same clay body was not what I had wanted.  However, the greatest benefit of this experience was the ability to work with and learn from someone who is both an outstanding potter and a wonderful teacher.  Thanks Tyler!

Wednesday, August 13th dawned sunny, warm and beautiful; one of those rare, perfect, summer days in Maine, made all the more sweet by the string of cold, wet afternoons that preceded it.  Seeming to draw a revitalizing breath of inspiration from the lovely weather, the residents of Watershed were up and hard at work in the studios earlier than usual.  The wonderful sculptures under way in the session resident’s space had begun to take shape over the past few days, and many were ready to be carried outside to dry in the sun.

Sculptures drying in the sun.

The great weather and accompaning good vibes continued through out the day, and everyone got allot of work done.  As dinner time rolled around, the dining tables and chairs were carried out onto the lawn…our first clue that we were in for a special treat.  Summer Chef Colden McClurg prepared an italian feast of spaghetti with two homemade sauces, salad greens, garlic bread, and corn on the cob.  The meal was made complete with lively conversation, plenty of wine, and two types of brownies for dessert (homemade by Adero Willard and myself.)  This memorable meal was a fitting end for a perfect day.

Alfresco Feast!

Everyone enjoying dinner on the lawn.

The fifth and final session for the 2008 summer season at Watershed began last Sunday, August 10th…and what a perfect ending to a great summer!  Session 5, hosted by South Carolina artist Virginia Scotchie, includes invited artists Liegh Taylor-Mickelson (New York,) Ken Baskin (Louisianna,) Jeri Au (Moussori,) Jill Allen (Pennsylvania,) Piero Fenci (Texas,) Whitney Forsyth (Oklahoma,) Sheri McWilliams (Wisconsin,) Rocky Lewycky (California,) and Joanne Hayakawa (California.)  Session residents include Israeli artists Raya Stern and Eva Avidar, whose attendance was facilitated by AIDA (Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts,) as well as assistant residents Jeffrey Miller (Rhode Island) and Megan Mullins (Massachusetts.)

Virginia Scotchie’s Slate Knob Bowl.

This session is of particular interest to me, as it includes some of the most well respected artists working in ceramic sculpture today.  It is such a privilege to have the opportunity to spend time with this great group of individuals.  And even though some of these artists are regarded as the rock-stars of the clay world, the relaxed, communal vibe of Watershed seems to level the playing field somewhat.  The result being that everyone feels he or she has something to contribute, and we are all simply artists making our work.

Works in progress, by Joanne Hayakawa.

After the gentle quiet of last week’s writing session, the amazing life force of this fantastic group of artists is almost palpable in the factory studios.  A few of the residents arrived on Saturday evening, and more came early Sunday morning; so the studio was humming with activity by that afternoon.  The inspiration of the space at Watrshed seemed to hit these artists right away, and they quickly got down to the business of making art.  It was wonderful to see everyone express so much excitement over the beauty and energy of the Watershed environment.

Resident’s work drying in the sun.

The collected works of art at Watershed, left behind by former residents as gifts, is almost a living thing unto itself.  This assemblage of interesting art is a constant work in progress…new pieces are added, patinas of age and time begin to develop, works become partially hidden by forest growth, and things are slightly moved and shifted with the touch of each group of residents.

During my session at Watershed, fellow resident Ginger Lukas spent her entire two weeks in the studio creating a large wall sculpture from Watershed’s Earthenware Clay.  This piece, which consists of a set of interlocking, high relief tiles, depicts invasive species of the Great Lakes, and is a social commentary on the damage these animals can do as well as the lengths to which we as humans are willing to go, in order to contain them.

However, after all her hard work, Ginger simply ran out of time.  She was able to finish sculpting the piece, and fire it to temperature.  But the tiles still needed to be fixed to a board and installed somewhere on the Watershed Grounds.  Not wanting to see Ginger’s effort, and such a beautiful piece, go to waste, my husband Scott took on the project of mounting and installing the tiles himself.  The result, pictured below, is a lovely addition to a previously bare wall in the factory studio; and a great example of the serendiptous opportunities for collaboration that constantly present themselves at Watershed.

Clay artists are not the only ones who can take part in the Watershed Experience.  The distinctive, creative atmosphere here can provide inspiration for every artistic medium.  During the week of August 3-8, Mary Barringer, editor of Studio Potter Magazine and an accomplished clay artist herself,  hosted a special workshop session at Watershed.  The workshop, entitled “Clay & Words: A Workshop for Artists who Write,” focused on the vital connection that exists between our thinking and making processes, and the vital role played by words and writing, both in our own work and contemporary ceramics as a whole.

Mary Barringer, Creamer with Crease.

This dynamic session attracted a wonderful group of individuals, including Ken Shipley from Tennessee, Sandra Dunn from Oregon, Elenor Wilson from New York, Kat O’Brien from Montreal, as well as summer staff member Janine Parziale.   It was clear that this group had a great connection and ideas flowed easily.  While the majority of their time was spent working in the common area of the house, they did make time to do a little work in the factory studios, and brought their own special flow to the energy of Watershed…it is rumored that they even took part in an impromptu dance party!

Housed in the former brick factory, the summer studios at Watershed were once situated on the hill, near where the house is today.  But, at some point, the building was picked up and moved down the road to its current, more secluded, site.  It offers a wonderful, rustic, loft like setting for the summer residents at Watershed.  The summer session residents share a large communal studio space, located at the far end of the facility.  This group space allows for the easy exchange of ideas among the residents.

Ceramic art by Reed Fahnestock.

After my actual session ended, I moved my studio space to the other end of the building.  Here I am able to enjoy the ability to spread out a little more, and the light is truly wonderful.  I also have the added benefit of working near Watershed’s Facilities Director, Reed Fahnestock. Reed recently took on this position rather recently, having just completed residencies in Colorado and California.  He is both a brilliant artist, and a great asset to the Watershed Community…plus we share the same taste in music.

Fairy-tales, legends, mythical creatures, and oddities have always been of great interest to me.  When I began working in the factory studios, I wanted to allow these interests to play a greater role in my work.  And over the past few weeks, Watershed has given me the time and space to continue to explore a more sculptural, non-functional relationship with clay.  The pieces have begun to grow and change; becoming more complex and involved, they have created a world of their own.  Pictured below are a few shots of the work I am currently interested in pursuing…I welcome and invite any comments or criticism on these pieces!

Me working in my space.

This is a sculpture of a mouse with two heads atop a winged toad.

The piece I am currently working on pictured in front of my inspiration board.

This is a partially completed sculpture of a hob-goblin astride a lady bug horse.

Among the many, secret, little hobbies I have developed during my time at Watershed is noticing and photographing signs.  This may seem like a strange activity in a place teeming with art and artists, but these quirky, handpainted signs crop up everywhere and just seem to draw my attention.  Often they even seem to offer bits of strangely, pertinent advice, and I find myself reading and deciphering them as a fortune teller would glean information from a handful of runes.  Whether they are cryptic messages, or just good fun, these colorful bits of text have woven themselves into the fabric that is Watershed.  The photographs below show just a few of them.

On the side door of the factory studios.

In the factory studios bathroom.

Pointing the way to the upstairs studios.

Found scrawled across summer staff member Colden McClurg’s chalkboard.

One of the many wonderful programs at Watershed is the “Artists Invite Series.”  During these sessions, an artist, or group of artists, usually past residents of Watershed, invites a number of other artists with whom they would like to share time and space in the studio.  It is not essential that the group of artists work in clay to be part of the Watershed Experience, all mediums, from painting to sculpture to photography, are welcome.  This blending of mediums and energies, creates a rare and special working environment in which new and exciting ideas can take hold and flourish.

A colorful space in the Summer Resident’s Studio.

For Session 4, Colorado artists Sonya PauKune and Chris Wanner, along with their two boys, invited a group of friends and colleagues, made up of ceramists, photographers, and sculptors,  to spend two weeks working together at Watershed.  The interesting group of individuals included fellow Colorado artists Karl Dukestein, Daniel Fonken, and Tamera Myer-Mams, Peter Arcidiacono and Jolea Arcidiacono, both from Texas, Skeffington Thomas, of New Jersey, and Amy Hauber (along with her best bud, pug dog Penney,) of New York, as well as session residents from Oregon, New York, Kansas and Pennsylvania.  This eclectic mix created a great vibe in the factory studios, as well as providing fun conversations around the house.

Skeff Thomas at work on a large funerary urn.

The theme of Session 4 was loosely based on the use of Frame and Form as it relates to these contemporary artists and educators.  This group of artists quickly got down to the business of making art, cranking out enough work to fill the soda kiln in the first week…with quite lovely results.  Then, after weekend trips to the beach and other local attractions, they still had enough energy left to go from one firing extreme,a labor intensive, two day, wood fire, to the other, the ceramist’s equivalent to instant gratification, a raku firing on the last evening.

Some of the results from a successful soda firing.

Having spent a great deal of their lives in cities or towns, many artists come to Watershed and notice that they become more connected to the natural world…they observe the change of the seasons, befriend the industious spiders in the factory studio, and catch glimpses of the local wildlife.  But, as for my own observations, I have noticed an increased awareness of the energy people give to a space.  Now that I have seen more than one group of session residents come and go, these subtle shifts seem even more apparent.  And, while as I develop a stronger bond within the community of Watershed, my dependence on this transient flow of energy is somewhat lessened, I still feel its effects on both my work and my life as a whole.

Session 4 resident Yasha Butler at work.