Hayne Bayless

Happiness is a Warm Extruder

Course Description
In this class participants will explore tools too often neglected in the studio: the extruder and the slab roller. We will 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 will work to keep out of the clay’s way so that our results remain fresh and lively. Our efforts will be rewarded if we can avoid imposing our language on the material but instead, paraphrasing Brancusi, 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 participants will learn the basics of how to construct their own custom extruder dies.