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Tiles
workshop with Paul
Lewing This five day, hands-on workshop began with a demonstration of forming tiles and trim by rolling, extruding, and pressing. Plans for a homemade slab roller and tile press were distributed, along with cone 10 and cone 5 glaze recipes. The second day was devoted to decorating techniques, starting with glazing tiles in Paul's own painterly manner, by trailing, spraying, pouring, sponging, and brushing glazes. Paul focused on cone 5 oxidation firing, but these techniques are applicable to any temperature. After this we moved on to some painting on clay and paper. Then a discussion of applying water-based china paints to tile, and description of the Hunt-Speedball method of making silk-screens and printing on tile. During the workshop, there was discussion of mortars, grouts, installation techniques, and tile industry terminology. There was also extensive discussion of marketing, especially as it applies to the special problems of commissioned work. We covered dealing with architects, designers and trade showrooms, and selling at wholesale, retail, and trade shows. Special emphasis was put on booth design, portfolio development, promotional literature (with examples) and selling techniques. And Paul showed slides of his own work, as well as historical and contemporary architectural ceramics, particularly works by Northwest clay artists. Another demonstration, of interest to advanced students, covered glaze chemistry and use of INSIGHT glaze calculation software using a Macintosh computer, for both cone 5 oxidation and cone 10 reduction glazes. Workshops started at 9 am each day and ran to 4 pm, with one evening dedicated to a slide lecture on Paul's work. Demonstrations / lectures occupied several hours each day, with the rest of the time spent by Paul in helping students individually with their own tile projects. We were able to do several china paint firings and at least one cone 5 firing. Paul Lewing is a professional tile artist from Seattle, Washington. His work is on display in private and public collections around the country.
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