Ara Cardew Artist in Residence

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Ara Cardew Artist in Residence

By Krystal Ramos

In December, Ara Cardew was our guest artist at Mascoma. He taught us how to do pottery on the wheel. He was from England (and spoke with an accent). He teaches pottery at the League of NH Craftsmen shop in Hanover. We started out just playing with the clay. Then we began to play with the wet clay on the wheel. We learned how to throw pots. Mr. Morse showed us the basics, how to center and how to pull the clay walls to make them rise. When Ara came in, he showed us how to make different types of pots like bowls, cups and even vases. First he showed us how to shape the pots. He showed us how to use the wheel and the utensils that go with it. I learned to make cereal bowls.

Then, Ara Cardew showed us how to put designs into the thrown shapes. We learned about how to use the wooden utensils and how they can put creases in the pots. He showed us how to use a wire to slice part way through the sides of the pot and then when the shape was stretched out from the inside the slices began to spiral and spread out.

We saw how the wet clay objects were fired and became hard. Ara showed us how to paint the glazes onto the pots on the wheel. This allowed us to get rhythm in the designs; like lines smoothly waving up and down or spirals widening out from the center. After the glazes were painted onto the pots, back into the kiln they went. It took three or four days to do everything the right way. I really enjoyed this section of Experiencing the Arts!

Keeley & Ara Glazing: Keeley & Ara Glazing