Summer Clay 2021

As a “gig” worker, my summers were jam packed with lots of different classes and workshops where I’ve taught art and clay to students of all ages. Covid changed that for me and so many other instructors. Last summer I chose to teach virtually. It worked well. I learned to adapt. Thinking about summer 2021, I decided to return to in-person teaching. I took one full time job for 8 weeks teaching summer clay to campers grades 1-9. I didn’t make as much money as I could have teaching multiple shorter workshops, but it felt safer for me and safer for my young students, the majority of whom were too young to be vaccinated.

Interacting with new people, making friends, hearing the laughter of children and watching them create was joyful. I became part of a bigger community whose job was to provide a wonderful enriching summer for children in a time when that need could not have been greater. I think we succeeded as I look back on the amazing pottery the kids created…

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Lisa WB Walker Classes and Workshops ~ Fall 2020

As I watch the cities and towns turn from green to yellow, I’m reminded that patience is important. I miss being in the classroom; I miss the closeness that comes from sitting opposite a student and pulling a pot up together; I miss the close interaction with a child who is frustrated and needs a helping hand; I miss so much that this pandemic has forced us to press pause on.

Teaching Pottery to Adults pre-COVID

The upside of pressing pause and rethinking how to teach has provided new opportunities for personal growth and adding technical tools to my teaching regime. This can only be a good thing. Here are some of the teaching opportunities available to students of all ages.

Drawing lessons on zoom – one to one, or groups. Single classes or multiple. All ages welcome. Email me to set something up.

6 and 8 week hand building classes at Mother Brook Arts on zoom starting in September. A monthly Q & A on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings. Sign up today!

Outdoor Art 4 Sunday mornings starting September 12 at the Westwood Recreation Department. Registration is open!

Try out “Pottery from home”, a virtual class held on Zoom on Friday afternoons this fall through the Westwood Recreation Department. Registration is open!

Newton Community Education Pottery classes will be virtual for grades 1-5 this fall. “Pottery at Home” will be offered Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays for 14 week sessions Sept-December. Sign up here!

Keep Art in your life. Clay is any form is clay!

Clay and Chardonnay PRE COVID – Here’s to getting back to that as soon as it’s safe!

Teen Summer Pottery

Teaching teens pottery is a different experience from teaching elementary aged students even though there may be only a small age difference. Teens in middle and high school have had many more life experiences. They have acquired more creative tools. Their work has time to develop with a daily interaction with clay. Here is a look at what they created in our week long class this summer.

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Teens explored building castles using coils and slabs. From left to right: clay is used to create buildings; castles are glazed in bright colors; artwork is finished with a glaze firing in the pottery kiln. Below are a few more finished pieces.

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Once the students were familiar with architecture, they started their second project: architectural tiles.

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The results were very unique and exciting to see. Starting with a clay slab, the students used their imagination to take the next steps. They then moved on to glazing and the tiles were fired.

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For the final project, the students created a functional piece. They began with a flat two-dimensional slab of clay and turned it into a three dimensional mug. The theme was animals but some decided to move away from topic and create an original piece.

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It’s always a great experience to teach clay for Newton Community Education! Check out my post on what the elementary aged students created during their weeks of summer pottery class.

Kids Summer Pottery

I had a great summer teaching pottery to kids in grades 2-5. They were fun and creative and seemed to really enjoy the experience of working with clay. Here’s a look at some of the projects we worked on in Week 1.

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Coral Reefs: before with wet clay and after with colorful glazes.

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Aquariums

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Coil Pots

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Functional Pottery

Here is a look at the projects we worked on in Week 2:

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Pinch pot animals, sea creatures or fish (and the cookie monster!)

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Covered jars in the form of a favorite dessert.

It’s always a great experience to teach clay for Newton Community Education! Check out my next post on what the teens created during their week of summer pottery class.

Kids Clay

My spring session of Kids Clay included mostly repeat students.  This allowed me to introduce more difficult projects and let the kids make more creative choices.  We focused on three main projects that were multifaceted. We reviewed basic techniques, such as pinching, coiling, texture, slab and attaching to build the final work.  Students enjoyed the “play” factor: moving the pieces around to create their own stories.  It was a joy to see their creative solutions.

Project One: Turtles in their environment

Project Two: It’s my Birthday

Project Three: Pretend you are a scientist and you discovered a new species of animal. Create that new animal.

The pottery was created using low fire clay and glazing the bisque fired ware with low fire glazes. Kids create amazing pottery!

New Arts – a new teaching experience

A short experience teaching young students art brings wonder and joy!

Creating art from literature with 1st and 2nd graders..

 

A Trip to the City: listening to city noises, reading city books, sharing experiences with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders..

Teaching Pottery

My 14 week class of 12 young students has come to an end.  I’ll miss these students and the wonderful creative play they experienced with clay. Here is a look at some of their artwork:

self portrait project

 

 

 

Summer Pottery

Summer pottery class with older students in grades 3-6 were taught techniques to create work in clay.  The older students were able to understand and grasp concepts in a different way than the younger students.  Sometimes they were more hesitant to take chances, but when they did, they were rewarded. Their finished pieces show maturity and understanding of skills.  Here is a look at a few of my favorite pieces from this 4 day summer pottery camp at Newton Community Education.

Ben’s pinch pot dinosaur

Mairead’s pinch pot turtle

Brianna’s coil pot

“Create your own” utilizing pinch pots and coil

Mio’s “Create your own” utilizing slab, texturizing and scratch & attach with slip.

These imaginative students were a thoughtful group who found joy in creating with clay – yipee!

2D Art Camp

In my classroom for 2D art camp, the students created all sorts of wonderful projects.  They were given many high quality materials to work with and learned how to use them.  Here is a look at some of my favorite projects from each lesson:

(oil) Pastels and Watercolors

Creating texture with Tempera Paint

Painting Rocks with Acrylic Paint

Collage!

Creating books with colored pencils and regular pencils

Colored markers and a composition that describes you!

It’s the last day of summer! How would you spend it? Tell me in paint on a canvas….

I come away from teaching with a renewed sense of wonder 🙂

3D Art Camp

We created some amazing work in my classroom this summer during 3D Art Camp!

Here is a look at some of my favorite projects from each lesson:

Clay Aquariums in progress!

Shoebox Dioramas

Pipe cleaner Sculpture

Weaving from Individual Drawings

We had such fun creating with all sorts of materials.  The kids were a creative group!