Today@Arcosanti - Ceramics category

CONSTRUCTION - CERAMICS KILN AREA

This morning, on an unusual cloudy and cool day, the construction crew continued work on the block wall around the Ceramic studio kiln area.
Part of the crew mixed concrete on the slab above the kiln area moved the mix by shute to waiting wheel barrows.
At the top is crew chief Ron Chandler and workshop participant Jonathan Schafer. Mark Moynihan at the shute with the cameraman from a visiting French film team.

[Photo & text: sa]

The crew has nicely stacked another three layers of blocks and workshoppers Toa Rivera and Mark carefully fill the cavities of the blocks with concrete.
Tucker Zenski uses a trawel to get rid of excess concrete.

[Photo & text: sa]

Toa Rivera at work.
Workshopper TJ Bogan and crew Jeff Buderer finish and detail the surface of the wall.

[Photo & text: sa]

CERAMICS BELL-CARVING WORKSHOP

Yesterday the Ceramics Apse was adorned by a few fresh faces. A bell-carving workshop, held by Arcosanti Ceramicists Rebecca Manning and Colleen Reckow, brought out seven curious residents - with a waiting list to accommodate more.

[Photo: Sue Anaya & text: Amber Klatt]

Learning a few characters from 'The Soleri Alphabet' and using the three-pronged knife and fettler, the workshop participants tried their hands at carving bells. Anuj Dayal and Jenn Epstein intently carve their clay, while the finished bells await their firing.

[Photo: Sue Anaya & text: Amber Klatt]

CERAMICS STUDIO - SILT BELL CARVING

Revisiting a recent topic, we return to the Ceramics Apse.
Finished in 1973, this apse (quarter-of-a-sphere shaped structure) has been home to Arcosanti's ceramic artists ever since.
Due to its passive solar architecture features, this workspace is outdoors. Therefore, the artists can perch across the deck, carving amidst the plaster molds and vats of slip (milkshake-consistency clay water mix) that are their supplies.

[Photo: Sue Anaya & text: Amber Klatt]

Colleen Reckow, Ceramics Artist, is at work carving a silt-cast ceramic bell.
Using a three-pronged knife, she makes primary incisions that guide her subsequent cuts.
Arcosanti ceramicists learn what is colloquially referred to as "The Soleri Image Alphabet" to steer their designs. Essentially, this is a series of carving shapes that, over the years, has enabled the varying artists to create a consistent style among the bells.

[Photos: Sue Anaya & text: Amber Klatt]

The time invested in the carving of each bell varies not only by artist but also by size of bell. There are between thirty and forty shapes of ceramic bells, each style forged by Paolo Soleri, hence the Soleri Bell.
As Colleen finishes her silt bell carving, she explains that this bell must reach leather-hardness, and then it can be fired in the kiln. And so, our report continues ...

[Photos: Sue Anaya & text: Amber Klatt]