Ceramics: Alternative Firing Techniques
This special topic class will focus on the primitive techniques of saggar, pit, and raku pottery. Students will create clay works through handbuilding as well as wheel throwing techniques.
Saggar and pit-fired works will be unglazed but coated with a clay-based slip and burnished by hand. The addition of organic materials in the firing process will leave organic traces of earthen colors on the wares. The raku firing will involve glazing, firing, and cooling all in the same day. Students will actively participate in the firings!
About the Instructor: Janice Strawder
Janice received her MFA in Ceramics from Louisiana State University and her BFA from Wichita State University, Kansas. She spent three years as Artist-in-Residence at the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center in Bellaire, Florida, then moved to Philadelphia in 1994 for an Artist Residency at The Clay Studio, where she continues to teach. Janice has been instrumental in bringing national ceramic exhibits to the greater Philadelphia area and has worked as curator and special projects coordinator for several national ceramic exhibitions and conferences. Janice is currently an instructor at The Clay Studio’s School.
Learn More about Janice Strawder