Teaching Program 

         Participants :8 maximum,

         Duration         : 4 days of 8 hours , - 32 hours

         Dates          : Next sessions : June 2005 / September 2005

         Place            : Poterie Jacques Jeanneney , St Amand en Puisaye 58310

         Course leader   : Raymond GUIBERT, Potter , LAMOURA 39310

                   Objectives of the course

         Demonstration of a simple, efficient method, which allows you to produce large pottery objects without being an expert thrower, and without using moulds. This method, which is very old, is used throughout the mediterranean basin, consists of making a model with soft clay on a wheel, then the piece itself from an interior shell (which is later dismantled), made in wood and covered by coiled rope. After sufficient drying time, the shell and the rope are taken out from the piece to let it dry our completely.

         Each participant will take away with him all that is necessary to produce at home on his own wheel, the object that he has designed beforehand during the course.

         We work on one object per participant, which can be broken down by modifying the various componets of the model.

         The cours leader has perfected and used a technique for serveral years, by which it is possible to make pottery objects with impressive dimensions: up to 1 metre high and/or diameter. We also consider the problems linked to the large dimensions (and weight) of such pieces (handling, transport).

         This course will be complemented by a visit to a company still producing large stoneware pottery in a traditional manner, and a slide-show about production of large objects in Asia and in Africa.

Day 1 : Reception, installation.

            Study of the projects, corrections, comparisons.

            How to equip the wheel for producing an example piece, in order to demonstrate the principle.

Day 2: Making the frames and supports for each participant. Clay preparation

Day 3: Production of one or more examples of each model using the frames prepared the day before, drying, dismantling the frames, inspection of the pottery produced.

Day 4: Finishing the objects, handles, decoration.

           Study of the problems occuring after the production:

                   - handling heavy objects

                   - drying, transport, firing and glazing.         

Extras :  

         - Visit to the Saint Amand quarry.

         - Visit to the pottery museum in Saint Amand.

         - Slide shows of potteries in Vietnam and Mali.

         - Visit to a factory firing large traditional stoneware.