Three Days with Steven Hill!
February 23-25, 2024
Friday, 7-9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$245
Class size: up to 30 students
Steven is a master at creating lively, undulating forms enhanced with his beautiful, complex glazes that shift from matte to glossy on the same surface, achieving reduction-fired results in an electric kiln. In this three day demonstration workshop we'll learn about his unique tchniques. Throughout the 3 days Steven will discuss his philosophical approach towards making functional pottery.
Steven will start the weekend on Friday evening with a slide show. Following will be two days of demonstrations.
On Saturday Steven will throw, assemble, and apply slip, all the while communicating his enthusiasm for functional porcelain, spraying glazes, and single firing. Steven considers form the most important single aspect of his pottery, paying particular attention to rims, feet, lids, spouts, and handles. Discussions will cover philosophy, design, technique, and making a living as a potter. He will make and assemble a wide range of forms, including pitchers, bowls, teapots, vases, covered jars, mugs, and unamis.
Participants will have the option to socialize with Steven and other students on Saturday night at dinner. Options will be ordering ahead for a no-host catered meal, or providing your own meal via brown bag, take out, or call in.
On Sunday Steven will demonstrate trimming and assembly of pots. The day will include discussion of spraying and layering of glazes, electric firing, and a glazing demonstration of his personal techniques of spraying and layering glazes.
Steven will bring samples of his amazing work for us to see at the workshop. It will be available for purchase.
Steven's Artistic Journey
“I have been inspired by the variation that occurs naturally across the surface of salt, soda, and wood fired pots. In my own pottery, I have been creating atmospheric surface qualities through careful blending and layering of sprayed glazes for 50 years!”
Until December of 2008 Steven fired exclusively gas reduction, but he has discovered that his cascading rivulets of ash-like glazes and mysterious microcrystalline mat surfaces work just as effectively in oxidation as they do in reduction. Even the rich brown and orange colors that he always attributed to reduction firing are possible in oxidation. These days Steven fires exclusively ^6-8 electric oxidation.
Steven has single fired his pottery since the early 70’s. He will touch on how this technique has influenced and inspired his work over the years.
Steven says, "I love the variation that occurs naturally across the surface of salt, soda, and wood fired pots. I salt fired for 2 years in the early 70’s but spent the next 38 years reduction firing in gas kilns. During the time I reduction fired I learned to create atmospheric surface qualities through careful blending and layering of sprayed glazes.
"In December 2008 I discovered that reduction plays a rather insignificant role in the finished look of my pottery. The cascading rivulets of ash-like glazes and mysterious microcrystalline matte surfaces work just as effectively in oxidation as they do in reduction! Even the rich brown and orange colors that I always attributed to reduction firing are possible in oxidation."
Biography
Steven Hill received his BFA from Kansas State University in 1973 and has been a studio potter since 1975. Steven's work is exhibited and sold in nationally juried shows and is featured in many ceramics books. He has conducted over 200 workshops throughout the United States and Canada and has written 11 ceramics articles; "An Approach To Single-Firing" (January 1986, Ceramics Monthly), "Long Distance Runner" (December 1989, Studio Potter), "Don't Put The Flames Out" (February 1994, Ceramics Monthly), “Pulling Handles”, (Spring 1998, Pottery Making Illustrated), “Where You’ve Been Is Good And Gone, All You Keep Is The Gettin’ There” (April 1998, Ceramics Monthly) , “Spraying Glazes”, (March 2002, Pottery Making Illustrated) “Common Ground: A Showcase of National Artists-In-Residence” (Ceramics Monthly, January 2006), and “An Approach to Single Firing – Further In”), (January 2006, Ceramics Monthly), “Rethinking Ceramics Workshops”, (Ceramics Monthly, May 2007), “The Eight Month Workshop: A Journey of Discovery”, (Ceramics Monthly, June 2008). Steven’s most recent article, “Atmospheric-Like Effects for Electric Firing” is in the March 2012 Ceramics Monthly.
We recommend the following hotels for students traveling to our studio:
Best Western Clovis Cole - 415 Clovis Ave, Clovis, CA 93612
great location within walking distance of coffee shops, dining, night life, & shopping in charming downtown Clovis
Distance from Scarab: 10 miles, 14 minutes.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, 2233 Ventura St, Fresno, CA 93721
La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Fresno Yosemite, 2926 Tulare St, Fresno, CA 93721
great choices for hotels in downtown Fresno, close to the vibrant downtown brewery district
Distance from Scarab: each is about 1.5 miles, 6 minutes.