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PLEASE NOTE

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all of our workshops and performances, for instructors and performers, as well as participants and attendees. We are also requiring that face masks be worn indoors. We appreciate your understanding our desire to protect each other during this challenging time. 

 

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Finding Voice:
Clay Vessels and Objects

A Workshop with Jon Keenan

Saturday & Sunday, March 12 & 13, 2022
10 am - 4 pm

 

The following works by Jon Keenan were photographed by Bill Truslow.

Jon Keenan - Iron White Bowl
Jon Keenan | Iron White Bowl

 

Where do art and craft come from? Does art come from the mind, the heart, or both? How does our imagination and day-to-day experience intersect to help in our creative practice? This 2-day hands-on workshop explores these questions and more through individual work and demonstrations in the studio.

Using a variety of clays, participants will work on wheel and hand-building techniques, including throwing off the hump, altering wheel work, pinch, slab, coil, and the kurinuki process.

Devoted studio time in Beato’s studio with discussions, sharing, and time for reflection on one’s work will be our focus. At the end of the workshop, participants may either take unfired clay works home or make arrangements to fire with the BWCA.

 

Jon Keenan - Karatsu
Jon Keenan | Karatsu

 

Jon Keenan - Blue Stroke
Jon Keenan | Blue Stroke


Cost $275. per person ($250. for members)
Includes all materials and a vegetarian communal lunch.

Reserve your space today!

Workshop Registration - $275.00:
Member Workshop Registration - $250.00:

 

About Jon Keenan

My first exposure to pottery occurred as a young boy living in New Delhi when local potters visited my school to demonstrate their throwing techniques using hand powered wooden wheels that rested on the ground. Seemingly effortless, they made kalshi, globular water jars, out of an iron red earthen clay. The technical virtuosity and creative spirit of these potters stayed with me and had a profound impression on my future path. In high school, I enrolled in my first ceramics class and never stopped working in clay. My current work represents my involvement in raku and wood-fired ceramics that began as a student in Kyoto, Japan. Both functional and sculptural, my work’s primary focus is on anagama wood-fired natural ash glazed ceramics made and fired at my studio and kiln in Elkins, New Hampshire. I prepare my own clays and glazes with (sometimes local) materials containing the subtle hues of nature itself. My firings often take several days to achieve desired effects. The firing process directly influences the patina and character of the work, creating an earthy organic surface quality with the varied ash deposits and coloration. Exploring the expressive possibilities in porcelain and stoneware provides for unlimited opportunities to communicate subtle and nuanced ideas.

Jon Keenan and Beatrice Wood - 1995
Jon Keenan and Beatrice Wood in 1995

I met Beatrice Wood at home in Ojai in 1995 around the time of her 102nd birthday. I had long been an admirer of Beatrice’s life and work and the opportunity to meet her was unforgettable. I am most thankful for the opportunity to be back in Ojai to exhibit my work for the first time at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts and to be part of Beato’s enduring legacy. 

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts
Tel: 805-646-3381 / Email us at BeatriceWoodCenter@gmail.com.

 
Our workshops and classes all take place at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts (driving directions).

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Learn more about our workshops and view additional photos on Facebook. Click here!

Please call 805-646-3381 or email BeatriceWoodCenter@gmail.com for more information on our exhibitions, workshops, and performances. 

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