Hayne Bayless
Handbuilding with Hayne: Happiness is a Warm ExtruderJune 15-21

Course Description:
We’ll explore tools too often neglected in the studio: the extruder and the slab roller.  We’ll investigate extrusion and slab techniques as they apply to functional stoneware, using unconventional forming methods and unusual approaches to surface decoration, including stencils, slip inlay and stretched slabs.  Our overall approach will be to focus on letting each of these processes and techniques show in our work.  We want to keep out of clay’s way so that our results remain fresh and lively.  Our efforts will be rewarded if we avoid imposing our language on the material but, paraphrasing Brancusi, to go with the material so that others will understand its language.  We will look at ways to fashion our own tools and modify existing ones to suit our needs, and particpants will learn the basics of how to construct  their own custom extruder dies.

Supply List for Participants to bring from home:
Participants are encouraged to bring from home anything that might be used to make interesting patterns or textures on the clay surface, or that could be used as a stencil for colored slip. Tyvek, for instance, works well for stencil material.

Participants will need only the usual complement of potter’s tools: fettling knife, pin tool, rib, sponge, cut-off wire. If they have access to bamboo, they should bring a quantity as we will be making some of our tools.