The summer art festivals kicked off out in Troutdale this past weekend where a hearty team of PNWS members set up shop in the heart of the festival to demonstrate the art of firing clay sculpture “Raku” style. We had a portable kiln set up and as members arrived, they glazed their pre-fired masks and sent them into the queue to be fired. Where there is smoke and fire you can count on getting folks interested, and with the assistance of a bunch of PNWS members, Russell and Nathan loaded and pulled over 50 pieces over the two days.
This project was conceived as a model for getting our members together to create in a communal setting, sharing our unique talents and concepts with each other. It was also in line with our goal to educate the public, and there was no shortage of curious folks dropping by to watch the process and engage with the members.
Member Marlena Neilsen arranged to have us partner with Mt Hood Community College (just uphill from Troutdale) to make masks for the demos. A great connection with the educational community was established with the promise of more collaboration to come.
The next festival event will be the Vancouver Art and Music Festival on August 2,3 &4. Another free ($20 for materials) maskmaking workshop will be offered at my studio on June 22 and again on July 20 to supply work for firing in Vancouver and on the Labor Day weekend at Art in the Pearl. Contact me at brussellford@gmail.com if you want to participate in the workshop, and sign up on this link for a spot to work the PNWS demo booth or assist in Raku firing at the festival.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LM9PfOZN9e4i9-CkmI0M5rY816Zn–d4zOes2aVT-44/edit
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.