Sunday, June 22, 1925 7pm Reception Meet and Greet
Meet artist retreat leaders and ClayArt Studio members. Kick off the week, tour the grounds and see Art of Emilie Parker and Zac Hould, Clementine Radoff and Jordan Franco in Emilie and Douglass’s home.
Monday: June 23, 2025 10 am till Noon: Morning Studio Time Introduction and Orientations. The first wheel lessons of the week. Coaching by Emilie Parker, Jordan Franco and Clementine Radoff. Suggested project 1 lb bowls and cylinders.
12:00 to 1:00: Lunch and break. Lunch will be served in the pavilion. Dietary needs accommodated.
1:00 to 1:45 Presentation of the creativity exercises we will be learning and practicing for the week. How to be more creative and how to bring artistic self-care and compassion into our lives.
2:00 to 4:00 Afternoon studio lessons: Beginners and Advanced beginners review steps of creating on the wheel. Learn how to control and shape pot rims. How to trim rims that are out of balance. Skills of wet trimming, and smoothing surfaces will be practiced. Pots created from with day will be used for learning creative techniques later in the week.
4:00 and after: Free time. Late afternoon and evenings on Monday include unlimited open studio time to work somewhat independently on whatever handbuilding and wheel projects you like.
Dinner on your own locally.
4:30 or 5:00 Transportation available back to the hotels. Other options are: Walking (Downtown Monrovia hotels are 1/2 hour walking distance) or around $5 by uber or Lyft.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 9am till 9:45 am. Creativity Meditation. -- A 45 minute walk learning to practice creative divergent thinking.
10 am till noon — Morning coaching on the wheel. Reviews on pulling, shaping, collaring and enlarging. Suggested project is hanging bell or shaped vase. Incorporating wheel thrown parts.
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
1:00 to 4:00 Afternoon Studio Lessons on textures. Demonstration making a cracky texture using sodium silicate and heat gun or hair dryer. Applying slip textures.
5:00 to 10 pm. Field Trip: Sunset walk on the beach. Sun sets at Santa Monica Beach 8:04. No host dinner on the pier in Santa Monica Beach.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 9am to 9:45 Walk.
10am to noon: Morning studio time: Demonstration on making lids and galleys. If participants choose to do the project of the morning it’s lids. We’ll also demonstrate and coach on trimming items made earlier. And you'll get a chance to try a super-fun technique of creative trimming from Japan called Kurinuki
12 pm till 1am: Lunch
1:00 to 4pm Field trip to Los Angeles Museum of Ceramic Arts and tour of their galleries studios and book store.
4pm and after: Free time, Open studio.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
9am to 9:45 Walk and practice creativity exercises.
10am to 1pm: Morning studio time: Expert Guest artist Zac Hould will give a demo on throwing large. Then he will coach each participant who wants to try it.
1:00 to 2:00 lunch
2:00 to 4pm — practicing lids and trimming. You'll get to learn and practice Scriffito — an Italian technique for surface designs and color. This is also a time to trim some of your previous work and apply handles.
Dinner on your own.
Evening free time and open studio.
Friday, June 27, 2025 9am to 9:45 Walk and creativity exercises.
10am to noon: Morning studio time: Finish items with underglazes . Get everything ready and labeled for dry and fire. Instructions for shipping.
Noon to 1pm: Lunch
1pm to 4pm: Field trip Laguna Clay Headquarters to get at tour of their warehouse, see samples of all their many clays and shop for exciting supplies. Or optionally open studio time.
4 pm: Say our goodbyes and exchange addresses. Finalize instruction for shipping or completion of work.
Tips:
Suggested activities and schedules are all voluntary. The wheel times can be a time for you to take advantage of having teachers available for developing specific skills listed for that time, for doing the suggested project or for practicing the skills of your choice. It's’ all for fun so, of course, you may always do self-directed creativity. Self-directed creativity means working on whatever you feel like doing with whatever coaching you need from the teachers.
Coaching and the teaching will end at 4pm and participants are free for the evenings and the studio is open for your use. A sunset walk on the beach is planned for Wednesday evening.
During open studio times ClayArt West members may be in the studio working with you. They can help you and answer questions.