June 16th through June 22nd I will be teaching a workshop at the Bascom Art Center in Highlands, NC called "4 Vessels for 4 Seasons". A close friend and fellow artist, Corbin Tucker, will be working with me and sharing her extensive knowledge and experience with making specialized containers for special plant materials, including moss gardens.
We are planning to start our first day with a trip to the Stone Lantern in Highlands where the owner Ralph DeVille will show us around the shop and talk informally about the various Ikebana arrangements. We will also have a chance to look at his collection of Ikebana containers and ask questions about the various designs and how they are used for a variety of approaches to the art of Ikebana. I am looking forward to purchasing a special pair of Ikebana scissors, along with a few other items specifically for use in the art of Ikebana.
Then we will head for the local Botanical Gardens for a tour and discussion about the amazing variety of plant materials that are indigenous to the area. This should help us to be mindful of what we pick and how we pick plant materials for our own informal, Ikebana inspired arrangements.
For those of you who follow Pinterest, I have a special board devoted to Ikebana arrangements, instructions on how to create certain types of Ikebana arrangements, along with a wonderful and inspiring variety of types of ceramic vessels that I think would work well with the ideas inherent in the art of Ikebana and flower arranging in general. I hope that looking through these will give you some ideas ahead of time about the kinds of vessels you might like to make . Pinterest.com is the link where you can join and see my Ikebana Board.You might even do a few simple sketches ahead of time so Corbin and I will be better able to help you choose a clay technique that will best work for the form you wish to achieve.
For the first project we plan to extrude a clay tube for each participant. We will do this Sunday and let them set up for the first class on Monday. We will show you a variety of ways to create a more vertical container to start with or you may want to start in an entirely different way. Corbin and I will be loaded with examples and ideas but we are there to assist you in the direction you would like to take. We are both excited to be involved in a project that brings our love of clay together with our love of gardening and our natural environment.
I plan to use my blog to post information that you might find useful as you are preparing for the workshop so consider subscribing. You can do this on the left under Alice's blog.
See you soon!
