THE COOROY BUTTER FACTORY ARTS CENTRE
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A glimpse of some upcoming events:
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THE COOROY BUTTER FACTORY ARTS CENTRE
WORKSHOPS AND MASTERCLASSES 2024
Slip Casting
with Marc Sauvage DATES: 20 April and 4 May TIME: 10am - 4.30pm on 20 April. Marc will discuss start time on 4 May. COST: $295 or $290 for members BOOK HERE SOLD OUT Learn about slip casting as a production method with ceramics expert Marc Sauvage! This hands-on, practical workshop intensive will take you through all the steps and processes to allow you to reproduce favourite pieces or start your own original range of tableware. At the end of this workshop students will be able to:
PART ONE: 20 April MOULD MAKING Design and process, mould-making (make two moulds), insider tips on undercuts, keys and resist materials. PART TWO: 4 May SLIPCASTING How to make casting slip (two methods), making coloured slip, decorating techniques using coloured slips, casting forms with your prepared moulds. Student information has been sent to each student, with preparatory videos to watch. Copy and paste video links into your browser if links don't work directly! BRING Note-taking materials, two plastic bags (supermarket veggie bags), cottles (explained in video), clamps, 9L bucket, dust mask, apron, old towel, a bag of usable scrap clay, 2-litre ice cream container, decorating brushes. This workshop includes everything else that is needed. Leave your work for firing at the end of the workshop and we’ll email you as soon as it’s ready to pick up. |
Morning tea provided. Skill level Suitable for intermediate and advanced ceramicists wishing to develop skills in this technique. Not suited to complete beginners, but those who’ve attended some beginners’ courses should be fine. Marc Sauvage Marc’s relationship with clay spans almost 50 years. After completing his Diploma in Advanced Ceramics Marc taught ceramics at Southbank TAFE. With an ongoing passion for ceramic chemistry Marc developed and manufactured his own commercial range of underglazes, Deco Colours, while also running workshops and continuing his own thriving ceramics practice. A qualified teacher, Marc taught visual art and ceramics at high school for 15 years, inspiring students to switch onto clay. Marc is currently running our popular glazing workshops at the Cooroy Butter Factory pottery and holds weekend workshops for us. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Seeing your Self
with Saren Dobkins DATE: Saturday 27 April TIME: 10am - 3pm COST: $160 or $155 for members BOOK HERE SOLD OUT (click link to contact us to go an a waiting list) The expression of self through portraiture This workshop is held in conjunction with the artist's exhibition Hiding in Plain Sight April 12 - May 12. Not only is this workshop a vehicle for experiencing yourself in a completely new way, it is a deep insight into Saren’s practice. It includes a complementary artist’s talk as Saren invites you to view particular works in her current exhibition Hiding in Plain Sight, explaining her process and results. During this workshop, be guided through ways of creating a self-portrait, using both formal elements of composition and an expressionist approach to painting. Students will initially create charcoal drawings, explore tone and composition, as well as create works from the imagination. The final artwork will be an expressionist self portrait using acrylic paint on canvas. This method of painting is immediate, intuitive, expressive, and playful. It doesn’t have to look perfect. Trust your own experience and enjoy exploring how your personal story can be expressed. MATERIALS Easels, drawing boards, canvases and loose paper provided. Students will be sent a short materials list after registration. Optional: bring a hand mirror or photograph of yourself. Level: Some painting experience recommended and a willingness to be open and experimental. |
Saren Dobkins
Saren has been a professional artist since the 80s and has an academic background in communication, design and coaching. Her approach to painting is built on a knowledge of formal composition in concert with an expressionist approach, using an inner narrative to guide the subject matter and composition. Her work explores transience and transformation, with the riddle of identity at its core. Saren has shown in more than 35 exhibitions and her work featured on book covers, murals and posters. Her work is held in both private and public collections here and abroad. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
The Fundamentals of Landscape Painting
with Tony Coles A five-week Sunday morning course DATES: SUNDAYS April 28 / May 5 Break for Mother's Day May 19 / May 26 / June 2 TIME: 10am - 1pm COST: $390 BOOK HERE Connect deeply with your natural environment or a remembered, significant landscape through the art of landscape painting. This is an amazing opportunity to work with renowned landscape artist Tony Coles. With Tony’s step by step guidance, build foundational knowledge and technical skills in landscape painting, working in the medium of acrylic paint. Students will develop conceptual ideas to a fully resolved painting, based on a favourite or significant landscape. Beginning with drawing and tonal paint studies using resource material, students will pick a favourite study to develop further with sepia washes. The concepts of focal point, foreground/middle ground and background will underpin the process. During this exploration you’ll increase your understanding of space, perspective, light and shade, volume and flatness – considerations which will overlay tonal arrangements before the full palette is finally used. Analogous and complementary colour schemes will be explained in conjunction with the practical skills of mixing colours, paint application, blending, bleeding and impasto effects. TO BRING: A list of what you need to bring will be sent before the start of the course. |
Light on the Escarpment by Tony Coles 2022
Tony Coles
Tony Coles is an established contemporary artist with an extensive exhibition history. He has won many major art awards and lectured at University and TAFE institutions. Inspired by his local environment and the dynamics of land meeting atmosphere, Tony’s paintings often tend towards abstraction. The balancing of elemental forms with light and temporal references are a preoccupation. |
Extending your Practice: Oils
with Ruth Horton DATE: Saturday May 18 TIME: 10am – 3pm COST: $ 145 and members $140 BOOK HERE For artists who want permission to experiment! Find new pathways into painting through a creative, exploratory yet practical approach with experienced art teacher Ruth Horton.
This workshop will extend your ideas and entry points to practice and help you gain confidence using the luscious medium of oils. Students will complete several small works on a variety of canvas and linen surfaces during the workshop. These exploratory studies will act as a visual diary to develop further onto larger canvases later on in your own studio. A series of quick charcoal drawings of natural plant forms will be used to inform your work on the canvas surface. Working directly with a palette knife and brush, imaginative and non-representational works will be created to reflect the diversity of our natural surroundings. Bring along reference materials, drawings or photos you'd like as source material. All materials supplied. You’re welcome to bring along any oil paints you already have. We’ll be working with Alizarin crimson or Rose Madder (or similar), Yellow Oxide, Prussian Blue or Ultramarine, and Titanium White. Bring an apron and a sketchbook. |
Ruth Horton
Ruth Horton is an experienced art educator and practitioner. Having worked in high schools as a teacher and head of art, Ruth now facilitates workshops for adults. With a broad knowledge of art history and art techniques, Ruth’s current work at QAGOMA in Brisbane as a volunteer guide allows her to continue her deep appreciation of the arts. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Animal Instincts
with Julie Maddocks DATE: Saturday 25 May TIME: 10am - 3pm COST: $120 and $115 members BOOK HERE Remember seventies' scratch boards? They’re back! And contemporary artists are using them in extraordinary ways, creating intriguing effects that are not always achievable in drawings on paper. With your best furry friend as inspiration (or favourite bird, reptile or fish) learn how to engrave their image onto artists’ quality black kaolin board to capture all their beauty and character in a striking black and white 5 by 7 inch artwork. Julie will teach all the techniques required to transfer designs and create feathers, fur or scales using engraving tools on trial pieces, before moving on to the main artwork. Bring your own photos! More information will be sent before the workshop. This workshop is fun, relaxing and suitable for everyone! All the materials you need are provided, including engraving tools to keep. Morning tea is provided. |
Julie Maddocks
Julie calls herself an interstitial artist, exploring artforms outside set boundaries. A multi-media practitioner, she has exhibited at the Museum of Brisbane and her work is held in various council collections. She’s enjoyed several Grand Champion wins at the EKKA and now judges for the EKKA and Gold Coast Show. Julie teaches art at her Ipswich gallery and is represented by several Australian galleries. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Making and Using Underglazes
with Marc Sauvage DATES: 1 June and 15 June TIMES: 10am - 3pm COST: $320 and members $310 BOOK HERE Work with glazing expert Marc Sauvage to learn the process of mixing your own underglazes and the art of applying them to a ceramic surface. You’ll love their ease of use, as well as their reliability, consistency and the wide range of colours available. Making your own underglazes will also save you money! Become confident working with coloured underglazes on your ceramic forms by practising different techniques on a series of test tiles, which you will make yourself ahead of time and bring along to the workshop. During the workshop we’ll follow recipes to make up a range of colours and explore different underglaze application techniques including sgraffito, inlay, banding, texture wash, stencils, tissue transfer, sponging, trailing, varnish etching and stamping. LEVEL: This workshop is designed for intermediate ceramics students. IMPORTANT INFORMATION
IN ADDITION TO THE TILES, ALSO BRING:
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Marc Sauvage
After completing his Diploma in Advanced Ceramics Marc taught ceramics at Southbank TAFE. With an ongoing passion for ceramic chemistry Marc developed and manufactured his own commercial range of underglazes, Deco Colours, while also running workshops and continuing his own thriving ceramics practice. A qualified teacher, Marc taught visual art and ceramics at high school for 15 years, inspiring students to switch onto clay. Marc is currently running our popular glazing workshops at the Cooroy Butter Factory pottery and holds weekend workshops for us. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Let your creative thinking fly! Your totem can describe your inner self, with objects that are symbolic and meaningful for you alone. Or be inspired by nature: trees, leaves, animals, seedpods, flowers, shells, sea life. Drawing some ideas out on paper at home before the workshop is highly beneficial. Finished approximate height is 1 metre.
Part one: Sunday 16 June - MAKE Slab, coil, pinch, and mould techniques will be used to create a variety of sculptural components for your totem. Students are encouraged to develop rich, organic, textural forms. Part two: Sunday 30 June - PAINT AND ASSEMBLE Paint your bisque-fired pieces with a variety of waterproof paints and beautiful patinas, using brush techniques to enhance the textural qualities of the components. Completed ceramic pieces will be assembled on a steel rod supported by a sturdy timber base. Materials All materials, tools and equipment included. Bring your own tools if you have them. Morning tea provided. |
Skill level
Everyone welcome. New students will learn the fundamentals of hand building with clay, while more advanced potters can use their experience to create more complex components. Maria Brown After a busy career as an art teacher in both primary and secondary schools in SE Queensland Maria now focuses on her own ceramic arts practice and conducts small-group workshops for all levels of ability. Maria’s experience as a teacher means she is able to provide a highly supportive, structured, encouraging and engaging group environment. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Slip Casting Winter Workshop
with Marc Sauvage DAY ONE: Sunday 21 July / 9am to 3.30pm DAY TWO: Sunday 4 August / 9am to 2.30pm COST: $295 or $290 for members BOOK HERE SOLD OUT (click booking link to contact us if you'd like to go on a waiting list or be notified about future workshops). Due to popular demand Marc is repeating this workshop for those who couldn't get into the April event. Learn about slip casting as a production method with ceramics expert Marc Sauvage! This hands-on, practical workshop intensive will take you through all the steps and processes to allow you to reproduce favourite pieces or start your own original range of tableware. At the end of this workshop students will be able to:
PART ONE: 21 July MOULD MAKING Design and process, mould-making (make two moulds), insider tips on undercuts, keys and resist materials. PART TWO: 4 August SLIPCASTING How to make casting slip (two methods), making coloured slip, decorating techniques using coloured slips, casting forms with your prepared moulds. IMPORTANT Before the workshop, students will receive some important student information to read, plus three videos to watch, including one which explains how to make “cottles” (the walls that keep the plaster in). BRING Note-taking materials, two plastic bags (supermarket veggie bags), cottles (explained in video), clamps, 9L bucket, dust mask, apron, old towel, a bag of usable scrap clay, 2-litre ice cream container, decorating brushes. This workshop includes everything else that is needed. Leave your work for firing at the end of the workshop and we’ll email you as soon as it’s ready to pick up (usually two to three weeks). Morning tea provided. |
Skill level Suitable for intermediate and advanced ceramicists wishing to develop skills in this technique. Not suited to complete beginners, but those who’ve attended some beginners’ courses should be fine. Students will need to bring Marc Sauvage Marc’s relationship with clay spans almost 50 years. After completing his Diploma in Advanced Ceramics Marc taught ceramics at Southbank TAFE. With an ongoing passion for ceramic chemistry Marc developed and manufactured his own commercial range of underglazes, Deco Colours, while also running workshops and continuing his own thriving ceramics practice. A qualified teacher, Marc taught visual art and ceramics at high school for 15 years, inspiring students to switch onto clay. Marc is currently running our popular glazing workshops at the Cooroy Butter Factory pottery and holds weekend workshops for us. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
EVENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Refund Policy
A full refund can be provided when written notification to hello@butterfactoryartscentre.com.au is received at least ONE week prior to the workshop start date. Refunds are not provided for cancellations received after this time, or non-attendance.
Refund Policy
A full refund can be provided when written notification to hello@butterfactoryartscentre.com.au is received at least ONE week prior to the workshop start date. Refunds are not provided for cancellations received after this time, or non-attendance.
PREVIOUSLY
2024
STILL LIFE: The Beauty of the Everyday Object
A drawing course with artist Tony Coles DATES: Sundays 3, 10, 17 and 24 March TIME: 10am - 1pm COST: $265 or $260 for members Take this chance to work with practising artist Tony Coles over a four week period! Cultivate your observational skills and find the necessary connection between hand, eye and mind required for the discipline of still life drawing. With Tony's guidance, learn to appreciate the beauty of everyday objects; to look, see and understand exactly what is before you. Using a variety of drawing mediums, these four Sundays will include point plotting, composition, scale, light and tone, proportion, mark-making, the appreciation of negative and positive space, and working with different surface textures. Each week students will progressively build on techniques and observational skills to complete a final large drawing. This dynamic course will sharpen your skills and provide a firm scaffold for your future art practice. Everyone will benefit from working with Tony, no matter which level you're at. Some materials provided. Students will be sent a short materials list after registration. DAY ONE Mapping the subject Map out a drawing using point plotting, use of the vertical/ horizontal axis, using line drawing to establish a satisfactory composition. Draw compositional lines with reference to negative/ positive space. Drawing shadows. DAY TWO Tonal drawing Drawing using the full tonal spectrum from black to white. Achieve three dimensional effects by utilising light and shade. DAY THREE Loose line drawing Loose line drawing, free expressive mark making, observation of the subject rather than the paper. Explore ways to hold the charcoal to achieve interesting marks. Develop a contour drawing. |
Tony Coles: preliminary stages of a still life drawing.
DAY FOUR Abstraction Draw the subject from various viewpoints looking for a sense of abstraction through the subject’s geometry. We conclude our four weeks by approaching a large-scale drawing, exploring and utilising all the techniques learnt during the workshop. Tony Coles Visual artist and art tutor Tony Coles moved to the Sunshine Coast region after completing his Bachelor of Arts, in which he majored in painting and drawing. Bays, headlands, water, and hills began to feature in his work and an interest in the dynamics of land meeting sea developed. Movement, light, space and energy became his subjects, both figuratively and in an abstract sense. Tony exhibits regularly and has won numerous art prizes. He enjoys the creative interaction of workshops and loves sharing his knowledge. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
In the Garden:
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PHOTO: Tiles ready for the kiln - before bisque-firing and colour application
Skill level
This workshop is suitable for all levels of experience! Irene Visser Irene’s long career in graphic design and an academic background in communication and design mean she has a wealth of experience and expertise in art and design practice. As manager of Woodford Folk Festival’s venue décor crew, Irene facilitates monthly workshops to produce the festival’s spectacular visual landscape, enjoyed by thousands each year. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
Totem Magic
with Maria Brown DATES: 10 February and 24 February TIME: 10am - 3pm both days COST: $280 or $275 for members Totem: an object, such as an animal or plant, serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry; an emblem or revered symbol
Let your creative thinking and expression fly in this totem sculpture workshop with ceramicist Maria Brown. Make your totem a visual description of your inner being, with objects that are symbolic and meaningful for you alone. Or be inspired by nature: trees, leaves, animals, seedpods, flowers, shells, sea life. Drawing some ideas out on paper at home before the workshop is highly beneficial. Part one: February 10 Make: Slab, coil, pinch, and mould techniques will be used to create a variety of sculptural components for your totem. Students are encouraged to develop rich, organic, textural forms. Part two: February 24 Paint: you'll paint your bisque-fired pieces with a variety of waterproof paints and beautiful patinas, using brush techniques to enhance the textural qualities of the components. Assemble: completed ceramic pieces will be assembled on a steel rod supported by a sturdy timber base, ready for placement in the home or garden. Approximate size is 1 metre high. Skill level Everyone welcome. New students will learn the fundamentals of hand building with clay, while more advanced potters can use their experience to create more complex components. |
Materials
All materials, including clay, metal stands, wooden bases, paints, as well as firing are included. All the necessary tools, moulds and brushes will be available for use during the workshop. Bring your own if you have them. Morning tea provided. Please bring your own lunch. Maria Brown After a busy career as an art teacher in both primary and secondary schools in SE Queensland Maria now focuses on her own ceramic arts practice and conducts small-group workshops for all levels of ability. Maria’s experience as a teacher means she is able to provide a highly supportive, structured, encouraging and engaging group environment. Please read terms and conditions under event listings |
2023
Kiln - Forming Glass
with Lucy Quinn DATE: Sunday November 12 TIME: 10am – 3pm COST: $125 and BFF Members $120 BOOK HERE Join our Artist in Residence Lucy Quinn in this fantastic masterclass! Create your own unique object using glass fusing and mould-making processes. This workshop suitable for anyone curious about glass as a casting or artistic medium. No prior glass experience required. You will produce a number of small pieces using the following methods:
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Christmas, All Wrapped Up!
with Marc Sauvage DATES: 11 November: MAKING YOUR FIVE CHRISTMAS GIFTS 10am – 3pm 18 November: GLAZING YOUR FIVE CHRISTMAS GIFTS 10am – 1pm COST: $220 and BFF members $210 BOOK HERE SOLD OUT! Click HERE (above) to go on a waiting list via 'contact the organiser'. In this fast-paced and fun two-part workshop create five gorgeous, bespoke handmade pottery Christmas presents in five hours! Come back the following Saturday after your work has been bisque-fired and spend three relaxing hours glazing, decorating and personalising your work. Your five pieces will be ready to collect in good time to wrap up for Christmas - we'll email you as soon as they're out of the kiln. Your five pieces in five hours are: Big beautiful mug or doggy bowl A stunning tripod orb for succulent plants One of the following: a handy spoon rest, trinket or key dish, or soap dish A fabulous flower tealight holder Stylish charcuterie (or cheese) board Are you up for the challenge? Think of this as a hand-building intensive, in which you'll quickly learn a variety of essential skills to start you on your pottery journey. This is the perfect workshop for keen beginners, or those with a little more experience - with the benefit of a highly experienced ceramics teacher guiding you through step by step. Marc will teach a variety of hand-building construction techniques and methods of surface finishing. Learn how to use natural objects, wooden stamps and rollers to create beautiful textures, as well as stencils and tissue transfers. Let your creativity flow and make each piece totally yours. |
This brilliant two-part workshop includes tuition, tools, all the clay required to make your five pieces (rolled out, ready to use), glazes, other materials and all firings. Morning tea is included. BYO lunch.
Marc Sauvage After completing his Diploma in Advanced Ceramics, Marc qualified as a teacher and subsequently taught ceramics at Southbank TAFE. With a passion for ceramic chemistry, Marc developed and manufactured his own commercial range of underglazes, Deco Colours, while also running workshops and continuing his own thriving ceramics practice. For the last fifteen years Marc has been inspiring high school students to develop their own ceramics practice as part of his school's art program. Marc is currently running our two glazing courses at the Cooroy Butter Factory pottery and loves seeing the development of skills and creativity in keen students. |
Find your Creating Joy: Paint Pouring
with Lee Birch DATE: Saturday October 28 TIME: 1pm – 3pm COST: $120 and BFF Members $110 Are you longing to feel creative and joyful? Then you are encouraged to join in this 2 hour fun filled workshop which is devoted to playing and experimenting with vibrant acrylic paint. No prior experience with art or painting is required. Everything you need is within you and all art supplies will be provided. We will use premixed paints to create some colourful take home art. You will be guided to start the workshop in a calm relaxed state through either a guided meditation or sound bowls. From this state of tranquility you will be encouraged to bring out your inner artist using a liquid (or pour) painting style. The workshop will be relaxed with great music, (for surely art is music and music is art). All artists, whether they know it or not create from a place of inner stillness, a place of no mind.—Eckhart Tolle Please bring along an apron to protect your clothes! |
About Lee Birch
Lee loves creating vibrant art. Art found Lee 2 years ago after she moved to Cooroy from 40 minutes to the south. Lee found creativity, beginning with pour art, increased her energy levels dramatically. And so she continued to paint, experimenting with different techniques and drawing on her inner guidance to direct her approach and artwork. Lee was born and raised in Queensland, moving to Maroochydore from Brisbane as a 22 year old. Her passion for language, human behaviour and sociology led to her teaching English and SOSE at coast (and Canberra) high schools, and working in corporate settings in facilitation and staff development, followed by undertaking many courses in holistic health in order to learn about healing. Lee brings a wealth of warmth, enthusiasm and lightheartedness to her workshops. Past attendees have said: “It was so much fun” “I feel that Lee’s art classes are very therapeutic for the soul”. |
The Art of Nerikomi
with Lee Berryman DATE: Saturday October 21 and Sunday October 22 TIME: 10am – 3pm both days COST: $285 and BFF members $275 If you're interested in exploring something different in your ceramic practice, this very special workshop with Lee Berryman features the traditional Japanese technique of Nerikomi, in which hand-coloured clay is thinly sliced and joined (laminated). Cutting across the grain of laminated clays exposes an infinite variety of random patterns, which are an integral part of the clay body and not a surface effect. The patterning can be precise and detailed, or may be manipulated to have movement, flow and energy. The use of the medium is only limited by the skill of the practitioner. During this two-day weekend workshop Lee will guide students from start to finish, through the processes of colouring slip to produce coloured clay, how to blend the coloured clays, how to create coloured clay patterns and blocks, and how to use the patterned blocks to create a final piece. All clay, slip, colourants and firing included. Morning tea provided both days. BYO lunch. WHAT DO I BRING? A detailed list of what you need to bring on the day will be emailed after registration. It's mostly general pottery tools and household items that you would already have. (Please check your email spam folder regularly for the email!) |
LEVEL: The workshop is suitable for all levels, but participants will gain the most from this workshop if they have some clay fundamentals. Lee Berryman Nerikomi is central to Lee's ceramic practice; she is drawn to how its exuberance and complexity is countered by the tactility, softness, fluidity and translucency of the porcelain clay she uses. A qualified teacher, Lee’s academic career includes an Associate Diploma in Ceramics, a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in ceramics, and a Master of Advanced Studies in Ceramics from the Australian National University. Lee exhibits widely. |
How to Build your own Kiln
with Frank and Kay Wright DATE: Saturday September 30 TIME: 10am – 2pm COST: $95 and BFF Members $85 Build a kiln for your own backyard firings! Attention all lovers of raku, naked raku and saggar fired wares! If you’re fascinated by the beautiful effects of atmospheric firing and want to know how to build a kiln to rapid fire treasures in your own backyard, here’s your chance to get all the information you need during an actual kiln construction on site at the Butter Factory Pottery Studio. Experienced kiln builder Frank Wright and passionate saggar-firer Kay Wright are your hosts for this four-hour demo and have a wealth of information and expertise to impart on the building and firing processes. Frank and Kay will show you in real time all the steps needed to build a kiln from start to finish, using materials easily obtained locally. You’re welcome to ask as many questions as you like, take part in the construction for some hands-on learning and film any part of the demo. In addition, you’ll be provided with full written instructions to take home. |
This informative workshop will also detail how to source the best type of burner and where to find a registered fitter so you can start firing as soon as possible. This is the start of your raku and saggar firing adventures!
If you’re an aspiring atmospheric firer who’d like to attend with your kiln-building buddy, once registered please email: bfac.potterystudio@gmail.com for information on how this can happen. Morning tea provided. BYO lunch. |
Elementals of pottery
with Dennis Forshaw DATE: Saturday September 9 TIME: 10am – 3pm COST: $160 BFF Members $150 Hands-on experience and skill-building for beginners on the wheel with an expert in his field! If you’re just starting out on your wheel throwing adventure this five-hour hands-on workshop with Dennis Forshaw will point you in all the right directions. Don’t be deterred by the fact Dennis is a master potter – he’s the perfect person to set you on the path of good habits and practices! You will spend the day practising and learning at the wheel in a small group environment while Dennis monitors, responds individually and guides you in the specific skills and techniques on which his own lifelong practice is founded. This is a rare chance to work with a professional ceramicist and glean all the insider tips and tricks to throwing well. This workshop is also suitable for those with more experience who want to improve their practice. This will be a popular workshop so please book in early! Includes clay and morning tea. BYO lunch. |
Slip Casting with Porcelain
with Julie Maddocks DATE: Saturday August 5 TIME: 10:00am - 3:00pm COST: $125 or $115 BFF members SLIP: liquid clay, which is carefully prepared to a fine, smooth quality and poured into moulds If you love delicate objects, traditional shapes and the translucence of fine porcelain you will be intrigued by this unusual workshop with experienced practitioner Julie Maddocks. This is an opportunity to learn how to create porcelain work yourself from home and set up your own unique in-house studio. Or just relax and enjoy the day as you create using one of the finest and most beautiful materials available. Julie will provide slip ready-made and teach you how to prepare the mould, as well as initiate you into the fine art of pouring to achieve the smoothest result. Once your piece is ready to unmould, you’ll decorate your work with a variety of mark-marking techniques such as incising, carving, hole making, attaching, adding coloured clay by inlaying, impressing with lace, or using stencils. All the techniques will be demonstrated. This workshop includes the firing of your finished piece at the Cooroy Butter Factory Pottery. Your unique piece will be available for pick up within three weeks of the workshop date. |
Julie Maddocks Julie’s fascination with porcelain started over thirty years ago, starting with porcelain onglaze, graduating to slip casting and making her own moulds. With a life-long love of art, she holds workshops and classes in a variety of disciplines from her gallery in Ipswich, QLD. She has had success in numerous QLD competitions and is also a regular art judge at the EKKA and the Gold Coast Show. |
Seas & Skies: Charcoal for Beginners and Enthusiasts with Shyanne Clarke DATE: Saturday July 29 TIME: 10:00am - 3:00pm COST: $135 or $125 BFF members Let’s dive into the fundamentals of charcoal and explore your mark making style in a full day workshop with Shyanne Clarke. Using seas and skies as our subject, build the confidence to use charcoal as part of your art practice. Whether you are a very beginner or charcoal enthusiast, there will be something for you in this workshop to learn and enjoy. This workshop will cover: Charcoal fundamentals Characteristics of waves and clouds Creating a dynamic composition Drawing technique Artwork application and mark making techniques Finishing a piece and how to store it. Advanced techniques like soy milk, ink, acetone. You will leave the workshop with 2 finished artworks and the confidence to keep building your own pieces at home. Please bring: Willow charcoal (thick & thin) Jumbo compressed charcoal Kneadable eraser Mono Tombow eraser (Best brand here) |
Hinterland Raku Firing
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Carol will include glazes and provide pots for $10 each if you don't make your own.
Please note early start. Morning tea included. Please BYO lunch. Carol Watkins Carol has been making pots for 16 years and specialises in alternative and atmospheric firing, including raku, naked raku and saggar. She is drawn to its quick, exciting and unpredictable process, which can give rise to spectacular results. |
Freedom & Fun: Working with Big Brushes
with Lizzie Connor DATES: Saturday June 24 TIME: 10.00am - 3.00pm COST: $140 or $130 BFF Members In this workshop, Lizzie Connor will guide you through the process of using strong and decisive brush strokes from your shoulders and elbows to create large and bold paintings. Working with big brushes is a great way to loosen up your work; rather than getting stuck on the finer details. Throughout the session, you will develop brush skills and mark making techniques specific to big brushes. |
Altering Forms: the art of throwing larger vessels with Dennis Forshaw DATE: Saturday June 17 TIME: 10am - 3pm COST: $165 or $155 BFF members This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to observe and learn directly from master potter Dennis Forshaw, whose renowned stunning wheel-thrown work, altered forms and perfected technique are the result of mindset, consistency and pure talent. Dennis will teach first by demonstration (learning by proximity: the traditional observational relationship to the artist by an apprentice) and will then invite you into practising his techniques (learning kinaesthetically). He will then gently launch and guide you towards creating the larger forms he specialises in: working with two vessels or more to make a larger piece. Dennis will teach his precise methods from start to finish. Learn the correct posture and handholds, how to join more than two vessels in five different ways, how to firm the clay body and turn the perfect foot ring. Be ready to let go of any preconceptions and habituated methods and come with a mind wide open for learning. Students are welcome to film any aspect and are encouraged to ask questions at any point. Dennis talks as he works, describing the reasons for his approach and uses this interaction as a valuable teaching. |
Suitable for intermediate to advanced potters, but early career potters are most welcome. Exposure to Dennis’s techniques will be of immense benefit to all those who seek improvement. Clay included. Morning tea provided. BYO lunch.
Dennis Forshaw With more than 30 years at the wheel behind him, professional potter, teacher and mentor Dennis Forshaw is known both internationally and at home. His large vessels follow formal design elements which are metamorphic in essence, generating powerful visual and emotional impacts in the viewer. Creating works that speak for themselves is central to Dennis’s process. His mastery of glaze and its relationship to form, space, and light is the result of 20 years of research and testing. |
On Fire: Winter Raku
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Carol Watkins
Carol has been making pots for 16 years and specialises in alternative and atmospheric firing, including raku, naked raku and saggar. She is drawn to its quick, exciting and unpredictable process, which can give rise to spectacular results. WEAR long pants, long sleeved shirts, closed-in shoes and bring a mask. SUITABLE for all levels, even those with no pottery experience. Morning tea provided. BYO lunch. |