Sun, Jul 12th, 2015 Creating Sculptural Wall Art in TUSCANY
During this first 11-day workshop I am joined by a bevy of dedicated clay enthusiasts who are getting clay 'On The Wall'.
Margot & Pierre are from Switzerland, while Kasse is from Washington, DC. Danielle is Italian from Torino and Karen is from NY...but we met in Florida and she signed up for the program.
This is a focused and enthusiastic group. I share a technique and they're off and running. So far with just 2 of the 4 days of studio time complete, the work is quickly accumulating.
Together we speak 3 languages, none dominating. English is spoken by the teacher & 2 students, but we're sharing in French, German and Italian as well. There are a lot of hand gestures and laughs, but in the end, we manage to communicate pretty well.
The truth is all this works so well in large part due to the tireless efforts of the two studio assistants, Rachel from NYC and Brandy from Virginia. Of course Claudia, who oversees the administration of this school... And Pietro, who is the visionary potter who started it all more than 35 years ago.
This workshop has 2 more full work days then we fire and begin glazing. In the meantime, our group bonds while enjoying local cheese tasting and regional wine sipping. We had a dessert wine and chocolate to top things off on Tuesday night. What a great way for studio friends to become closer and share non-studio life with one another.
It's a journey to get to Italy, explore creativity in the classroom and bridge language gaps and experiences, but La Meridiana manages to create a programme that does it seamlessly and beautifully!