A masterclass with Chris Keenan at The Clay Loft
Title: Wheel Thrown Porcelain
Artist: Chris Keenan
Date: 5th & 6th October 2024
Timings: 0930 for 10am to 4.30pm
Venue: The Clay Loft, Inchbrook Mill, Stroud, GL55EZ
About Chris
I have been making pots for over twenty-five years. I started in late 1995 as Edmund de Waal’s first apprentice and worked with him for two years, learning techniques that I still employ but, thankfully, with increasing skill across the years. I have been in my own studio since 1998 and have shared that space for the past 20 years with the Brazilian potter, Carina Ciscato.
My work is always thrown and turned on the wheel; my clay of choice is Limoges porcelain; the glazes are still predominantly tenmoku and celadon but a red and a green glaze are relative newcomers to the party. It remains a fairly restricted glaze palette, but I find fresh ways to utilise/combine them. The work is reduction-fired in my gas kiln.
I make work for interior spaces – for use and decoration. Mugs, cups, teapots, pourers, beakers, lidded pots, pots for flowers. I also go off-piste occasionally with what I term my “extra-curricular” work – series or groups of pots/ceramic forms that owe less to function, often with an interactive element. Most recently I have been exploring lines of pots that come under the name of vistas or “scapes” and which contain a visual narrative that travels across the group.
I exhibit widely across the UK and internationally. My work is held in the permanent collections of several museums including the V&A, the Ashmolean and the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art in Japan. I have undertaken residencies in the UK and Japan and have been teaching in the UK and abroad since 2011.
Photo credits: Michael Harvey for the pots and Tom Bunning for the pics of Chris.
About the workshop
Chris will lead a small intimate group of advanced throwers in a workshop focusing on throwing porcelain. The workshop will comprise demonstrations and talks by Chris who will share his journey to date and provide an insight into his methods of making and decoration his iconic and refined ceramic range. Participants should also expect plenty of hands on time at the wheel under Chris’ tutelage.
Max of 10 students.
Please ensure you read and accept the Terms and Conditions before booking onto a course as these contain relevant information regarding cancellation and course refunds.
