Week 4
I had a big realization this week—I’m making sculptures! It’s my first time fully stepping away from functionality and focusing purely on form, and it feels so good. I’m getting more comfortable with the technical aspects of my work, and it’s been a joy to explore and push myself in new directions. Spending five hours on a piece feels powerful, and even if I’m unsure of the final result, Im allways pleased that I followed the idea through.
Some of the sculptures of the week in different stages
This week also marked the end of Manuel Calvo’s residency. To celebrate, we were treated to a presentation where he walked us through his life and body of work. From the beggining, he has been a huge source of inspiration.. I’m really going to miss our late-night studio karaoke sessions, our conversations, and, of course, our bug photo shoots.
If you want to check out more of his incredible work, you can visit quiromanu.com.
This week, we were joined by Fred and Ingrid Olsen, along with their great-niece, Lydia Lee, who has been apprenticing under Fred for the past few years. Fred is widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential kiln builders and designers. Beyond his immense knowledge, he’s lived an extraordinary life, and listening to his stories is nothing short of inspiring.
Fred will be heading home soon, but I’m already looking forward to the next time we meet. Meanwhile, Lydia has set up her studio right next to mine and will be staying for another month to develop her own work and fire Fred’s pieces in the kilns he built. I’m excited to see what she creates and to continue learning from her as we work side by side.
Fred has written a book that I believe should be in every ceramic artist’s library. If you’re interested in learning how to build your own kilns, definitely grab a copy.
It has been windy
