Last Saturday I attended the opening of the last show of the season at The James Patrick Gallery in Wiscasset, Maine.  This exhibit, entitled “The Ripple Effect,” showcases the work of contemporary ceramic artists Robert Shay, Martin Tagseth, Shoji Satake, and Jen Allen, and focuses on the profound effect these artists have had on one another’s work.

Robert Shay

Like a stone cast into a still pool, this “ripple effect” of influence is felt by nearly all artists who spend time working in a studio with their peers.  Often it requires only a passing observation from another artist to dramatically change the way we see our own work.  This exchange of ideas is one of the great benefits of community studio situations, but there is also a current of influence created by simply leaving one’s studio and taking in the work of other artists in shows just like this one.  I was particularly intrigued by the subtle, yet striking differences created in Jen Allen’s work simply by changing one variable…firing her pots in a wood kilnrather than her usual gas fired, reduction atmosphere.

Martin Tagseth

The James Patrick Gallery opened in 2004 and is owned by local patrons of the arts, and great friends of Watershed, Maureen and Jay Barrett.  The gallery is housed in a beautifully renovated former Methodist Church on Fort Hill Street, and is known for bringing the work of internationally known ceramic artists, as well as an array of well respected artists of other media,  to the mid-coast area.  The lovely, light-filled space is the perfect back-drop in which to view the work of these amazing artists.

Shoji Satake

Jen Allen

Last Summer I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Ayumi Horie’s workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Craft on Deer Isle.  Situated on Maine’s rocky coast, at the very edge of the Atlantic, Haystack is another one of those special places that seems to possess a certain indescribable creative energy.  I spent two wonderful there weeks living, working, learning, and perhaps most importantly, sharing ideas and making connections with other artists and craftspeople. One such connection I made was with North Carolina artist Lou Plummer.  At Haystack for a paper-making workshop, Lou happened to purchase a vase I had made for Haystack’s benefit auction.  As a result, she and I have become friends, and have been able to keep in touch via email.

As well as making art, Lou works at a wonderful fine craft gallery called Carolina Creations.  Located in New Bern, NC, Carolina Creations is owned by artists Janet and Michael Francoeur, and handles the work of over 300 well known artists and craftspeople from across the country.  The gallery has been honored by Niche Magazine as a “Top Retailer of Fine Crafts” for the past three years…a very sought after distinction in the craft world.  A few months ago, Lou suggested to me that Carolina Creations might be interested in selling my work.  Of course, I was thrilled by the possibility of being included in such a great group of artists.  So Lou put me in touch with Janet, and Carolina Creations now carries a lovely selection of Noelle’s Pretty Pots…both in their store, and online!

My thanks to Janet for choosing to place my work amongst the lovely selection in her gallery…and to Lou for helping me make this great connection.

One of the things that distinguishes potters from artists who work in other mediums is our willingness to share secrets, work as a community, and generally help out one another.  Over the course of the summer, the residents and staff at Watershed have worked, lived, and played together; many have formed bonds which will last a lifetime.  Thus, as a last end of summer project, we decided to organize a group firing of the wood kiln.   A very time-consuming and labor intensive project, a wood fire relies heavily on cooperation of the group and the ability of those involved to work as a team.

In order to give participants plenty of time to make work, we began planning this event weeks in advance.  As the date of the firing drew closer, we began prepping and splitting wood.  It is essential to have more than enough wood on hand before the firing begins, and we accumulated enough fuel for our firing as well as Watershed’s annual October Wood Firing Event.

Asa and Reed on loading day.

On the day we had set to load the kiln, bisque fired and glazed work was transported from the factory studios up to the kiln area.  Here we finished prepping the pieces for the kiln by placing small wads of a mixture of one part alumina and one part EPK on the bottoms of our work.  This prevents the ware from becoming glazed to the kiln shelves.  The kiln was then loaded and a small fire was built just in front of the fire box (known as “candling” this allows the kiln, and the work inside it, to heat up slowly.)  At around 4 am the next day, the fire was transferred to the actual fire box, and stoking began soon after.  The kiln continued firing all day, and finally neared the target temperature of cone 12 at 2:30 the following morning.

Jeffrey and Adero stoking the fire.

Since so much depends on the atmosphere, placement in the kiln, hot or cold spots in the kiln, and a number of other factors, it is always a surprise to view finished work from a wood fire.  After allowing the kiln to slowly cool for more than 2 days, we were able to unload our pieces.  The results were wonderful, nice ash deposits, rich and toasty browns, nice flashing, and unexpected glaze reactions.  However, even more important than the great results is the experience of having worked together to pull of this great project…I will always remember my first wood firing as a time spent with gifted artists and great friends.

Colden checking out the finished pots.

Finished jug by Reed Fahnestock.

Tile by local potter Scott Fuller in the foreground, my finished gator on the right and my oval casseroles on the left.

During my session as a resident at Watershed, I was fortunate enough to spend my two weeks in the summer resident’s studio working alongside Indiana Artist Christine Golden.  Currently a graduate student at Indiana University, Christine is known for creating eerily, life sized figurative ceramic sculpture.  Her work often provokes the viewer to consider the roles of women in our society, and she frequently uses witty, almost sarcastic imagery to get her point across.

While at Watershed, Christine spent her two weeks working on a life sized, female torso, which she sculpted from our local Watershed earthenware clay.  She began by working on the wheel to throwing a large bottom-less cylinder as the base of the torso, then formed a few more cylinders for use as arms and other components of her piece.  Christine then started joining these pieces, making additions, handbuilding, and finally sculpting the details and features of her figure.

Christine at work on her figure.

Two weeks (including drying and firing time) is a very small amount of time to spend on a piece of this size and magnitude.  But Christine was able to complete, and bisque fire her figure within the two week period.  Then, with some help from a fellow resident, Lesley Baker (also an Indiana artist and professor of art at Herron College of Art) she transported the piece home for finishing.  In her own studio, Christine completed the surface of the piece using glaze and oil paint.  The strangely life-like effect of the eyes was achieved through the use of glass manikin eyes.  In a place where, due the short time allowed, many artists are not able to see a project through from start to finish, it was exciting for me to witness the completion of a large figural sculpture made from Watershed clay.

Christine transporting her piece to the kiln.

Christine’s finished piece.

In my August 18th post on Watershed’s Session 5, I mentioned two Israeli Artists as members of the group.  These two women became such a big part of my Watershed Experience that I would like to talk a little more about them.  Eva Avidar and Raya Stern were able to travel to our country and participate in the Watershed Community due to a fellowship granted by The Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts (AIDA.)  The mission of AIDA is to foster the development of contemporary decorative artists from Israel by connecting them to an international audience of galleries, institutions and collectors. Since the organization’s founding in 2003, AIDA has helped launch the international careers of over seventy artists from Israel. Underlying all of AIDA’s activities is the goal to promote a positive face of contemporary Israel not often seen by the world.

There could be no better representatives of contemporary Israel then these two wonderful artists.  Both Eva and Raya are accomplished, and well known artists in their home country; Eva as a sculptor, and Raya as a maker of functional ware.  However, these women quickly immersed themselves into the Watershed Community, working with our stoneware clay, telling stories over meals, and sharing secrets and ideas.

As is the Watershed way, they were eager to use their time in Maine to try something new; for Eva this meant a foray into throwing functional pots, Raya tried new carving and decorative techniques on her ware.  In addition to this, they were both very excited to try firing the salt/soda kiln.  So at the end of their two week session, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a firing with them.  They both sat with the kiln all day, doing turn-ups and checking cones.  The next day, their excitement at unbricking the door was a wonderful thing to see.  Finally, we unloaded a lovely kiln load of juicy, salt glazed pots…everyone was thrilled!

Since they had a long trip back to Israel, and packing space was in short supply, both Eva and Raya chose to use nearly all  their finished pieces as gifts for their fellow residents and Watershed.  I am pleased to say that I am the proud owner of a mug from each of them, as well as one of Raya’s mushroom sculptures.  These amazing women inspired and delighted me with their excitement for their work and their willingness to immerse themselves in Watershed’s community.   Below are some images I captured during their stay with us.

Dinner on the lawn, Raya and Eva are pictured on the right.

Unbricking the door on a successful firing.

Raya and Jeffrey Lipton watching the kiln.

Wonderful finished work, and our most happy, kiln god!