Ron Philbeck and Michael Kline and Trista Chapman, OH MY!

Last Wednesday was a date I had saved on my calendar for several weeks. DRIVE TO FREDERICKSBURG. (I am still going back and forth until the house changes hands officially.) Wednesday was the workshop with the boys from North Carolina, Michael Kline and Ron Philbeck. In addition, Trista Chapman of Fredericksburg was signed up to join them in the giving of deco secrets!

Liberty Town was VERY lucky to have a bit of time with Michael and Ron as they were heading to Cape Cod to teach a weekend long workshop. While we only had them for a quick evening of pizza, beer, comedy and decoration tips it was a night that I am so happy to have been in attendance!!

It was a fantastic sampling of their work.  And I just have to say that Ron you are so funny!  Just what I imagined while reading your blog.

Dan doing the official introductions (with Michael Kline waiting in the wings)

Ron Philbeck works with earthenware clay fired at low temperature in an electric kiln.  He applies white slip and utilizes sgraffito to decorate his pots.

Ron warming up the crowd.

Explaining his sgraffito techniques.  (That's a laundry line bowl in his hand...one of his older but very popular designs)

Trista Chapman is another potter who works with low fire clay, this time white clay, and fires her brightly colored pots in an electric kiln.

Trista showing a finished plate with her color technique.

Plate in process.

Finished plate.  I found it interesting that she does all her decorating at the bisqued stage, not as greenware.  Definitely gives her a big window for decorating.

I had to document Trista's, er, messy, glaze jars.  If you are using them every day why waste all that underglaze by washing out your brushes???

Michael Kline wood fires.  A very different and time intensive technique.  He uses wax to resist a slip.  Then fires in a high fire salt atmosphere in his wood kiln to produce his beautiful pieces.

Michael introduces us to his style of decorating with wax resist either on its own (that allows warm browns after woodfiring) or colored with oxides and colorants to darken the design.

The purple jar holds straight wax colored with food coloring to help him see his design as he applies the wax to the pot.

The brown jar is the colored wax that you see him painting on the pot.  He strives to make literally every stroke just right!

Examples.  That little one on the right went home with me!

Can't attend a workshop without taking home a souvenir....I have a couple of Ron's pots from his etsy shop, so I bought only this wonderful goat mug.....

The pitcher on the left is the wee one from the previous picture and is deco'd using the plain wax.  The cup to the right uses the colored wax and the vines show much blacker.

I own a pot or two of Trista's as well.  Since she is local I know I will make my way to her shop again soon!!!