traveled south this weekend to lovely portland for the NAME (national
association of miniature enthusiasts) convention. that's a mouthful. a first time workshop teaching experience for jon. he taught an awesome hands-on raku firing workshop to 22 eager students, friends, fans and enthusiasts, of course!
we started out the workshop with a big screen movie. jon super-sized on the wall, throwing his pots in slow, fast and regular motion. it was the perfect, he explained the delicate process and steps involved as it played. jon has always been very comfortable with the ladies, which came in handy since 21 out of 22 were. each student was given a collection of five hand thrown miniature bisque pots. he showed the group how to glaze and had supplies set out on tables. everyone was eager to start and dove right in. since i was the official gofer i missed this part as i ran off to buy a fire extinguisher. when i arrived back it was time to FIRE AWAY! we had the perfect room at the red lion on the river in portland. the doors opened out onto a patio overlooking the water. jon helped each student fire their pieces in a gas kiln. he pulled most of the red hot pieces out of the kiln for them. a few did it on their own. he blew lots of hot air to get the newspaper and pots burning. never realized how close he gets his cute face to the flames. thinking bellows would be a good purchase. after the pots cooled, each person reached into their cans and searched for their new special treasures. this was the best part. loved the reactions as the pots were pulled from the burned newspaper scraps. lots of ooohs and aaahs. lots of smiles and "oh, it's so pretty!" and "i can't believe i made this!" lots of "when can i do this again, seriously when will you teach another workshop?!?!"
Coming soon-the new and improved......almeda pottery website.
I read that you were in Portland for show - do you happen to know the vendor from Walport, Oregon? - I think name is Wright's? They make beautiful driftwood furniture - I had their card but it got lost.
Posted by: ATHALIE NEELY | May 27, 2008 at 12:42 PM
I was one of the very lucky ladies to take Jon's class. It was one of the most informative classes I have ever taken and what wonderful results. I have treasures to last a lifetime. I would recommend this class to everyone.
Thank you Jon for making this such a great event and for all your patience with all of us amateurs.
Posted by: Judy Meyer | May 07, 2008 at 07:24 PM
Love these photos heather. Jon sure knows how to work the ladies. Holla! Wish I was there with you guys looked like you had fun!
Posted by: Jeremy Almeda | May 06, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Yeah I've been waiting for this post! How cute all those little ladies gathered around making mini pots so awesome. Now for your Maine workshop when is that again?
Okay I don't mean to freak you out or anything but I realized when talking about you today that I may have a slight girl crush on you Hahaha!
I for sure gotta check out Jon's new site!
Posted by: Amanda Mays | May 05, 2008 at 06:51 PM
P.S. I like that photo layout - very nice. I meant to say that I would have loved to have attended but my mind got ahead of my fingers. It happens when I get excited. :-)
Posted by: Jamie | May 05, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Tiny Raku! I love it! That must have been lots of fun. It shows on the faces of everyone. I would have loved to attended that workshop.
My husband, niece and I did something like that at the Hambidge Center in North GA. Not tiny, medium sized. I remember the excitement to see what came out of the fire and ash.
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, I am looking forward to the new website.
Posted by: Jamie | May 05, 2008 at 11:11 AM