Melon Pitcher - Steven Hill
Julie and I recently had the pleasure of attending a workshop conducted by Steven Hill. I love his work – soulful, warm, and inviting. It is what I seek to impart to my pots.
Steven Hill's shares his secrets of spraying
Standard Ceramics in Pittsburgh, PA hosted the workshop and they were phenomenal hosts. In addition to feeding me pizza and doughnuts (which would earn anyone a rave review), they constructed 14 spray booths for us to practice in!
The workshop focused on spray glazing and electric firing. Steven Hill sprays his glazes on bone dry pots then fires them in an electric kiln; and, he is achieving similar effects to those he got when he was using a gas kiln. He is really excited about these changes he has been exploring and was very generous with his experiences and information.
Potters waiting to open the kiln
We watched Steven throw the first day. He has been making pots for 40 years and has very well developed philosophy about pot details and function. He also has an amazing perspective on contemporary ceramics and the changes it has undergone since the 1970s. It was also inspiring that after 40 years, he is still finding new things to do in pottery.
The second day, we discussed glazes and watched him demonstrate spraying techniques. Then we glazed several bisqueware pieces that we brought with us.
Kiln Opening
On the third day, we unloaded the kilns and Steven critiqued some of our pots. There were a lot of exciting pots – he was even surprised by some of the colors.
Overall, the workshop was full of information and inspiration. It was a really good opportunity for us and we are looking forward to experimenting with some of the ideas we got.
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