I would like to introduce you to an amazing ceramic artist who I also count as a good friend of mine. Her name is Josie Jurczenia, and before I tell you more about her, first take a look at her beautiful and artfully crafted pottery:
I met Josie over a decade ago through other clay friends. At the time she was recently retired from running her children's clothing company, Sweet Potatoes, a company she started in Berkeley back in the 80's which brought beautiful, European-style children's clothing to the Bay Area. She had her retirement all planned out: MAKING POTTERY! She soon opened Fourth and Clay, a working studio and gallery that she shared with well-known Bay Area potters Christa Assad and Rae Dunn, which became a West Berkeley hub for pottery hounds. When the lease was up on that building, she moved to her own newly built studio in her backyard, where her pottery has continued to develop and flourish.
With Josie's background in textiles and sewing, her approach to clay is much the same, treating slabs of clay like fabric, applying a pattern-maker's eye to both construction and surface decoration, creating volume by making darts and constructing her vessels.
Josie has broken down her elegant approach into a basic technique that can be taught to beginning and advanced potters alike. I am really happy that she agreed to come to Vallejo Clay to teach our students in a two-day workshop at the end of March. This will be a small, hands-on workshop where participants will learn how to make a bowl, cup, and vase using her pattern-making style. Read more about the workshop here and sign up today!
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