By Amy Uyeda
On the weekend of November 19 – 20, the wonderful ladies at Secret Teatime ceramics studio, Helen Kong and Sorlie Maddox, hosted three workshops for JETAA. All three of the much-anticipated ceramics workshops in “Kiln You Softly Weekend ForClay” were well attended. A total of 13 JETAA members participated in the 3 workshops. The workshops on offer were Bowls & Cups, Slab Plates and Teapots. The Bowls & Cups workshop is the longtime favourite and filled up quickly (reserve a spot as soon as you can if you are interested next year).
The workshops included hands-on demos and individualized advice, each step of the way: rolling out the clay, creating forms, and adding decorative textures and underglazes. In the workshop I participated in, Slab Plates, we learned how to drape rolled out clay over or within moulds to create plate forms. The workshops generously offer participants the opportunity to make up to 4 pieces. This was great because you can work on a few pieces simultaneously, as there is drying time required between making the forms and decorating them. Additionally, we had tiles prepped and ready for us to try our hand at Mishima and Sgraffito techniques. Both involve using slip (liquid clay) in combination with the semi-dry clay forms to create unique layered effects. A variety of stamp rollers to add patterned texture and tools to draw or scrape into our clay were also available.
I was impressed by the number of studio-made glazes available for us to choose from. After much experimentation and research, Helen and Sorlie actually formulated their own coloured glazes in-studio and are now experts when it comes to ceramics chemistry. Participants could choose from colours ranging from deep blue Nebula to leafy green Yanagi, pewter ink and many more. After shaping our ceramics, we left the pieces at the studio where they will be fired twice and covered with our requested glazes. Now, it’s just a couple weeks of waiting until we can pick up our fired creations! I’m especially curious to see how Sunday’s creations turned out from the more advanced Teapot Workshop where participants learned to make and assemble all parts of a teapot.
Helen and Sorlie founded Secret Teatime, located near Birchmount and Ellesmere, four years ago. Their passion for ceramics is a culmination of their artistic backgrounds, and inspiration from their experiences living in Japan, and love of 茶の湯 chanoyu– Japanese tea ceremony. For JETAA members, these workshops are an opportunity to create something ourselves that may be reminiscent of some of the beautiful handmade dinnerware that is found throughout Japan.
If you are interested in learning more about Secret Teatime studio, please visit: www.secretteatime.com A variety of workshops are available throughout the year where you can experiment with this rewarding art form. If you have ceramics experience, and don’t need beginner-level instruction, open studio sessions are also offered- you may use the facilities with supervision and advice from Helen and Sorlie.
Photos by Nicholas Jones
