STARworks Ceramics welcomed 53 participants to two Summer Clay Camps held in June. Students who participated in the week-long camps learned basic pottery making, including lessons on the wheel by Ben Owen III, and created a variety of functional and sculptural pieces, at the STARworks Gallery, based in Star, N.C.
“The camps were very successful,” said instructor Hitomi Shibata. “We offered a beginner and an intermediate camp, allowing students to choose the camp that was best suited to their individual skill levels.”
Works of 65 young local artists created during three summer camps will be on display at the STARworks Gallery Aug. 6-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A closing reception will be held Aug. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Chase Coulthard, 12, of Hamlet, was part of the clay camp. His mother Melissa Coulthard said he made a replica of a World War II fighter plane, which is still in the shop waiting to be fired. This was Chase’s second year at the STARworks clay camp.
Chase said he was inspired to make a replica of a WWII plane because of his teacher.
“I’ve been drawing planes in school. My teacher has a book on weapons and warfare,” said Chase, who said the plane took several days to put together, and through an unusual and creative process. He said he used part of a PVC pipe, wrapped in newspaper, then wrapped in clay to form the body of the plane. The wings were made out of Styrofoam first, then wrapped in clay and shaped. The plane had to have a piece cut out of the bottom in order to place rods inside that will help hold the plane together during the firing process. Chase laughed as he explained that the plane has to be fired in pieces, because it’s a whopping three feet long.
He made other things during the camp, including a bowl and a mask.
Between both camps, students created more than 500 clay works of art. Plans are already in the works for next year’s camps. Shibata plans to offer three camps in 2013 — beginner, intermediate and advanced. The advanced students will work mainly on the wheel.
STARworks Glass conducted its first Glass Art Fusing Camp in July with 12 students participating. Students learned about the temperamental nature of glass while creating tiles and candy dishes. They created more than 50 works of art during the week-long camp.
“I’m very proud of these students,” said instructor David Wilkie. “They learned about the glass process and stretched their imaginations to come up with some really creative works.”
The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. STARworks Gallery is located at 100 Russell Drive (rear entrance through STARworks Ceramics) in Star. The Summer Clay Camps received support from the Montgomery County Fund, an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation.
For more information, visit www.starworksnc.org, or call 910-428-9001.
— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@heartlandpublications.com.
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