THROWING: Pushing the Limits

With a focus on wheel work, Peter will demonstrate a full range of pot making, finishing and glazing techniques.

Beginning with smaller scale work from cups to teapots and jugs, Flanagan will cover the range of methods employed to complete each. This will include trimming, handle making, spouts, joining and altering. By starting small and moving up in scale and weight on an incremental basis, Peter will demonstrate ways of forming that use body ergonomics to increase efficiency and decrease strain and unnecessary injury as well as demonstrating centering from one pound all the way up to seventy-five pounds of clay. Preparation of clay prior to working on the wheel will also be discussed and demonstrated. Graduated ways of completing the forms, especially with the large plates will be demonstrated over consecutive days.

Multiples of forms and hollow donuts will also be made to demonstrate ways of combining pieces in order to achieve an increase in either vertical or horizontal volume and scale. Application of clay slips by bottle and brush are techniques Peter has used for decades. All the considerations regarding consistency related to compatibility with clay bodies will be discussed and shared amongst participants. Slip trailing techniques, whether free form or geometric will be included too. The variety of glaze techniques and formulas Peter has used over the years will also be shared. Optimal glaze specific gravity and colour, fit and feel are also essentials to this discussion. Ample time will also be available for participants to explore and practice many of the methods demonstrated.

PLEASE NOTE: Work made in this class will not be fired at MISSA.

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Sculpture using Mesh & Slips

WEEKEND ONE (2-days): June 22 – 23, 2019   Classes run 9 am – 4 pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Sculpture using Mesh & Slips

Students will be introduced to a variety of techniques used to achieve a unique look in nature based pieces that will involve learning a completely new technique in ceramic sculpture that the instructor has been developing over several years now and would like to share with other artists.

Students will be given a wire mesh screen to manipulate into their desired shapes and the shapes are then dipped into a large bucket of slip clay and after 2 to 3 coats, the piece is hung to dry. The result is a very interesting surface of large and small cracks created by the tension between the drying shrinking clay and the solid steel mesh.  There is also a natural oxide colouring that occurs from the metal rust while drying. After firing the pieces have a resemblance to bone or bark depending upon the shapes created before coating in clay.

Students will also be introduced to some slip clay techniques the instructor uses on some of her most popular work.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies but for this class, most supplies will be provided.
  • CLAY ORDER FORM: (Click HERE)
  • COURSE COST: $316 (Covers $291 tuition and $25 in material fees)

Tuition includes daily lunch and snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package, which includes breakfast and dinner is available separately. Click here for further details.

Tina Fyfe

The main subject of interest for Tina and what she keeps returning to is sculpture inspired by the natural world, the oceans and forests that surround her on Vancouver Island.

Throughout her career as a ceramic artist, she has made several transformation from experimenting with combining unconventional materials primarily for textured effects. More recently, she has been absorbed in working with wire mesh and slip clay, finding completely new techniques that best express the complicated and contradictory aspects of the natural world. She continues to make work that inspires these feelings in others and shows them something new.

www.tinafyfestudio.ca

 

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. Please register before April 15th to avoid disappointment.  
CONFIRMED: This workshop has met the required registration numbers and will be running.
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Intensive Lifedrawing & the Hand

WEEKEND TWO (2-day): June 29 – 30, 2019   Classes run from 9 am – 4 pm each day and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Intensive Lifedrawing & the Hand

All working artists struggle to be more creative. This workshop will be 2 days of intensive life drawing with practical solutions that will help any artist draw better.

Use unique working exercises to explore the hand, the eye and the brain.  Is accurate vision possible? Learn about a breakthrough study of how and why the brain distorts sight. The physical act of seeing and: the nameless human body. There will be ample time for free drawing as well.

This course is based on Heather’s book, The Creative Eye, along with newly added research.

Rather than being good at drawing, be willing to take risks, that is the important thing. Learn that you can make new choices about what it means to pay attention.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • COURSE COST: $339 (Includes $291 tuition and $48 in modelling fees.)

Tuition includes lunches and daily snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

 

Heather Spears

Heather Spears, Vancouver-born writer and artist, has lived in Denmark since 1962. Her books include: 14 collections of poetry, 5 novels, and 4 books of drawings. Major awards in writing: Governor-General’s Award,  3x Pat Lowther  Memorial Award, CBC Literary Prize.

As an artist she instructs drawing, writes about drawing and the brain (The Creative Eye, 2012) specializes in drawing premature infants, draws in theatres, concert halls, courtrooms, hospitals and war zones. She has held close to 100 solo exhibitions in Europe and America. She has taught frequently at MISSA.

www.heatherspears.com

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. Please register before April 15th to avoid disappointment.  
CONFIRMED: This workshop has met the required registration numbers and will be running.
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The Singing Soul

WEEKEND ONE (2-days): June 22 – 23, 2019   Classes run 9 am – 4 pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

The Singing Soul: Improvisational A Cappella

What is The Singing Soul?

A Swingin’ Swayin’ Funk Bump Afro Gospel Sacred Soulful Blues Chant Jam Feelin’ Hi Mash-up!!

The Singing Soul is the experience of unrehearsed, spontaneous singing, collaborative creativity and the creation of community through improvised vocal music.  It is for people who are ready to let go of “getting it right” and embrace letting it just happen.  This utterly experiential program is a powerful experience of being alive and present. We’ll explore the skill set of the improviser: deep listening, working with change, following and trusting intuition spontaneity, fluid awareness of self and others. We’ll also strengthen our abilities as musical architects: constructing melodies, harmony, vocal percussion, bass lines. There are no wrong notes and there’s nothing to memorize – just breathe and sing.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST: nothing needed but comfortable clothing and a journal
  • COURSE COST: $291

Tuition includes daily lunch and snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package, which includes breakfast and dinner is available separately. Click here for further details.

 

David Hatfield

David is a lover of vocal music and has led The Singing Soul nationally and internationally since 1997. He was the conductor of the improv choir House of Song and his music experience includes percussion, bass and guitar and ranges from street performing to off-Broadway, from fully choreographed to fully improvised. David has won numerous music scholarships including trainings at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Simon Fraser University.  He is also a leadership consultant and facilitator specializing in communication, conflict, masculinity and rites of passage. He holds an Associate degree in Jazz Studies, an M.A. in Process Oriented Facilitation and Conflict Studies, and an M.Ed.in Social Ecology.

davidhatfield.ca

 

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. Please register before April 15th to avoid disappointment.  
UPDATE: This workshop has reached the required number of participants and will be running.
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Fine Twined Vessels

WEEKEND ONE (2-days): June 22 – 23, 2019   Classes run 9 am – 4 pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Fine Twined Vessels

Soft natural plant fibres such as rush, sedge, cattail and flower leaves offer the basket maker a beautiful material for weaving fine twined vessels.

Participants will have the opportunity to weave with these materials exploring various methods of starting round and square bases. The focus will be on twining techniques but within this there are many variations. Other weaving patterns such as plaiting and open weaves will also be explored. Shaping soft twined vessels can be done with or without molds and both options will be presented. The ancient skill of making cordage will also be explored.

Discussion will cover the identification of useful plants, sustainable harvesting, storage and preparation of materials for weaving.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies but for this class, most supplies will be provided.
  • COURSE COST: $331 (Includes $291 tuition and a $40 materials fee which includes weaving materials provided by the instructor.)

Tuition includes daily lunch and snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package, which includes breakfast and dinner is available separately. Click here for further details.

Joan Carrigan 

Joan Carrigan is a full time basket maker and basketry teacher living on Salt Spring Island, BC. Over the past 27 years, her passion for baskets has led her to study, travel and explore many different techniques and materials within the medium. Her inspiration comes from the plant materials she respectfully harvests from nature.

Joan’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has received two Project Grants from the Canada Council of the Arts and is the recipient of two Handweavers Guild of America Awards. Joan teaches extensively both close to home and in Europe and finds this to be a very rewarding aspect of her career.

www.joancarrigan.com

 

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Narrative Clay Sculpture

WEEK ONE (5-days): June 24-28, 2019   Classes run from 9 am – 4 pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Narrative Clay Sculpture

Students will explore different ways to tell a story through figurative clay sculpture. They will illuminate and shape narrative themes using three different approaches and sketch the ideas in small, gestural, clay maquettes. The class will study different strategies for fabricating dynamic, hollow, animal or human forms.

Participants will choose the technique they think will work best for their chosen idea and create medium sized, hollow versions of their designs. The group will practice creating depth of surface on bisque fired forms through smoke firing.

Finally, there will be an opportunity to embellish the smoke fired forms using mixed media such as colored pencils and pastels.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • CLAY ORDER FORM: (Click HERE)
  • COURSE COST: $711 (Covers $681 tuition and $30 for course supplies/firing fees.)

Tuition includes lunches, daily snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

Joe Batt

Figurative ceramic artist and musician, Joe Batt, is originally from South Dakota. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Dakota and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Montana. Currently, Joe is full time art faculty at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. He has also taught at California State University, Chico, the University of Montana, and Olympic College.

Joe creates narrative figurative ceramic sculptures, often finished with mixed media surfaces. Recent works focus mostly on 3D and 2D renderings of children navigating the Digital Age, and a very new series of wrestling hares.

Joe’s ceramics have been exhibited widely including at Contemporary Crafts Gallery in Portland, Oregon; the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana; Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Two Vaults in Tacoma, Washington; and The Art Center Gallery at Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland, Washington.

instagram.com/wrestlinghares 

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. Please register before April 15th to avoid disappointment.  
CONFIRMED: This workshop has met the required registration numbers and will be running.

ONLY ONE SPOT LEFT!

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Creative Extrusions

WEEKEND TWO (2-day): June 29 – 30, 2019   Classes run from 9 am – 4 pm each day and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Creative Extrusions

This is a hands on workshop where students will explore the extruder’s unique capability to add variety and creativity to their work. The emphasis will be on altering extrusions and combining with hand-built and thrown elements. Students will have the use of a Scott Creek extruder, plus a hand held extruder.

A large assortment of dies will be available and how to make them will be covered. Turn semi-circles into olive dishes and extruded strips into baking dishes.

All levels welcome, throwing experience is helpful but not necessary

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • CLAY ORDER FORM: (Click HERE)
  • COURSE COST: $291 

Tuition includes daily lunch and snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

      

Linda Doherty

Linda was born in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Her first experience with clay was getting her boots stuck in the gumbo during the spring thaw. She hated mud, so it is ironic that Linda developed a passion for working with clay.

Clay captured her like the boot stuck in the gumbo and after 30 years the rapture continues. From her first class over 30 years ago and throughout her life as a potter, Linda still finds herself designing pots as she falls asleep each night. She enjoys the physicality of clay and pushing it to its limits. Her eclectic style can be explained by the synergies that evolve from traveling, teaching, creating, exhibiting and having a curious nature.

www.d-dstudios.ca

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Letters from the Trees: The School of Ogham

WEEK TWO (5-day): July 1 – 5, 2019   Classes run from 9 am – 4 pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Letters from the Trees: The School of Ogham

This workshop incorporates elements of drawing, painting, calligraphy and gestural mark-making to explore the symbolism and attributes of the archetypal trees of the Irish Ogham Alphabet.

The Ogham tree alphabet is inscribed on ancient stones in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the ciphers associated with them provide an entrance point to the poetic and historical understanding of their use from medieval up until contemporary times.

With traditional inks of acorn and oak gall, sumi and natural pigments, we will draw and paint from nature to expand our gestural expression.

Trees, their symbolism, and their distinct personalities will be used to portray ideas, inspire hidden communications and reflect spiritual investigations.

Welcome to the world of Ogham, the ever-evolving language of the trees – past, present and future.

All levels welcome 

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • COURSE COST: $718 (Covers $681 tuition and $37 for additional materials to be provided by the instructor.)

Tuition also includes lunch and daily snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

Miles Lowry

Miles Lowry is a Canadian sculptor and a painter who also finds expression in letter-arts and new media collaborations. The sculptural investigation of his Celtic ancestry and ongoing Crucial Fragments series have established him as one Western Canada’s most versatile contemporary artists.

Lowry is  also a Founding Artistic Co-Director for Suddenly Dance Theatre in Victoria, BC where he is working in video arts, sound and new media. As a painter he recently created A Broken Hallelujah, a collaborative transposition of painting and text with calligrapher Georgia Angelopolous and has recently been represented in exhibitions in the US and Italy.

As resident artist at UVic’s Centre for the Study of Religion and Society 2018/2019 Lowry researched the symbolic meanings and attributes of the Ogham alphabet and the sacred trees of the Celtic world. His latest works continue to reflect his lifetime interest in travel and sanctuary.

www.mileslowry.ca

 

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. Please register before April 15th to avoid disappointment.  
CONFIRMED: This workshop has met the required registration numbers and will be running.

 

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Animals & Botanicals & Metallic Leaf

WEEKEND TWO (2-day): June 29 – 30, 2019   Classes run from 9 am – 4 pm each day and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Animals & Botanicals & Metallic Leaf

Capture the essence of the plants and animals you love!

Create whimsical environments for your animals, be they pets or from the wild.  You could also paint trees and flowers and focus entirely on their beauty to create  landscapes, real or imaginary. You can combine them both!

You will be guided through a light-hearted style of painting using acrylic and acrylic washes. The paintings can be finished with gold, silver or copper leaf.

All levels welcome

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • COURSE COST: $300 (Includes $291 tuition and a $9 material fee.)

Tuition includes lunches and daily snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

  

Jean Bradbury

Jean Bradbury’s acrylic paintings celebrate the micro world by honouring the small things we love. Tiny plants become giants. Beloved animals are painted with gold leaf surrounds.

Bradbury spent her childhood in New Brunswick and now splits her time between Seattle and Vancouver. She studied fine art at Queen’s University and illustration in Seattle. Her practice includes many large commissioned pieces for hospitals, schools, and restaurants. She travels frequently to the Middle East where she teaches natural textile dyeing. She has taught art through her own organization, Studio Syria, in refugee camps in Jordan as well as at the Pratt Fine Arts Center – Seattle, The Kirkland Arts Center, The Sedona Arts Center and others.

She is looking forward to returning to Metchosin for a second season of teaching.

www.jeanbradbury.com

Workshops will not run until sufficient enrollment has been met. 
CONFIRMED: This workshop has met the required number of participants and will be running.
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Throwing & Altering Clay Vessels

WEEK TWO (5-day): July 1 – 5, 2019   Classes run from 9am-4pm daily and students are welcome to stay late in their studio.

Throwing & Altering Clay Vessels

Form, function, and aesthetics are all important when creating clay vessels. A balance of these components work together to enhance the process of creating well-designed vessels of clay as well as leading to well-executed artwork (finished artwork).

Conner will throw and alter a variety of forms (and add slab components to many) to create the specific aesthetic that he desires. He will demonstrate and discuss related topics during this process – which will include aesthetics, philosophy, design, influences, technical issues and business practices. The atmosphere is relaxed and questions/discussions are encouraged.

The format of the workshop will be demonstration of forms/techniques by Conner, followed by participants engaging in hands-on work as Conner assists individuals with these specific forms/techniques. Participants are welcome to practice the demonstrated technique or to alter the techniques to fit their specific aesthetic. Conner will help each participant in the manner most useful to the participant.

The workshop will progress daily as the forms created on day-one will be added to and altered as the week progresses. Specific components are added to the multi-component pieces as the vessel develops. These processes will include throwing, pulling, adding, altering and trimming of wheel-thrown and slab components.

During the entire workshop Conner will discuss technical, aesthetic and structural components of his art as well as his method of firing (single-firing) and glazing in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

Workshop level: Intermediate / Advanced (must be able to center and pull a one pound cylinder)

 

  • STUDENT SUPPLY LIST (Click HERE): All students are responsible for bringing their own supplies.
  • CLAY ORDER FORM: (Click HERE)
  • COURSE COST: $681 (Inclusive of $681 tuition and $tbd for additional material fees.)

Tuition includes daily lunch and snacks.  Prices are listed in Canadian Dollars and are inclusive of all applicable taxes. An accommodation package is available in QUAD or DOUBLE occupancy and includes breakfast and dinner. Click here for further details.

Conner Burns

It was not the theatre or museums he visited during his childhood, but the art that filled his childhood home, that produced his feeling that ‘art is part of life rather than simply entertainment’.

Conner’s father made pottery and eventually Conner started himself. He then helped open Red Star Studios with Steven Hill, established his personal studio and gallery in Natchez, Mississippi, founded Natchez Clay, exhibited at art festivals across the nation and founded the Natchez Project. Conner teaches a limited number of workshops at select locations and focuses his attention on creating art.

Rich subtleties and organic influences are important in his art. Conner’s intention is for his work to look as if it grew that way – rather than being ‘made’. Texture, both visual and tactile, are components that are used to encourage the user to take a closer look – to reach out and touch.

Conner Burns is a studio artist in Natchez, Mississippi.

www.connerburns.com

 

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