All You Ever Wanted to Know about Ceramics

Guest Artists for Arts & Crafts on November 2:

      Jim Paradis and his Ceramics Students

     Ceramics master Jim Paradis was the invited Guest Artist at the November 2 regular monthly meeting of the Arts & Crafts Association.  He introduced his students who have been working with him to learn the fine art of Ceramics.  Each student showed his or her current work and described the process of creating the piece, the shaping, the firing and the glazing.  Gene Olsen showed his 25 inch right leg for a huge full body portrait of a person.  Kathy Tanaka, who has been throwing pots for only 3 months, described her process of experimenting on the wheel, Jim's teaching and her first successful, thin piece.  With her enthusiasm, she convinced the audience that they too could find artistic satisfaction in creating ceramics.  Harriet Fernandez proved that she could think in 3 D after years of painting in 2 D with her incredible head of a boy and her current figures of seated small children.  Brenda Speelman, who had no artistic experience, displayed an wide variety of including a decorative platter, a portrait bust, and an art deco vase in progress.  Gary Kunsman talked about his yard art and hanging ceramic jellyfish.  Jim ended the show with his funky teapots, some of which could be used and others which were stunning variations on the form.  Jim then invited  the audience to join him in the Ceramics Room to see the master throw a pot on the potter's wheel since we could not bring the wheel into the Conference Room.

     The program by Jim and his students was one of the best demonstrations of fine arts the club has seen, as evidenced by Jim's expertise, the enthusiasm of his students and the number of interesting questions.   What is especially interesting that Jim pulled this program together in two weeks after the scheduled guest artist cancelled her presentation after agreeing to it last December.

     Any Villager who wants to join this enthusiastic group of ceramics students can come to Jim's class on Mondays, 9:30 am until noon; or to Gene's on Thursday mornings, 9:30 am until noon.  You can just watch or dig your hands into a lump of clay and try something!