Visiting Artist Workshop: “Form, Line, Transpire, Refine” with Noel Bailey

Noel Bailey leads this two-day, hands-on ceramics workshop at Baltimore Clayworks, using modest thrown forms as a starting point for experimentation beyond the symmetrical limitations of the wheel. Participants will build up forms with coiling and pinching, alter them through carving, darting, ovaling, ribbing, scraping, and handle making, and explore how changes to feet and lips can strengthen a pot’s character. The workshop also examines rhythm, movement, and composition through lines ranging from subtle surface cuts to molded impression stamps, while keeping function, personal aesthetics, spontaneity, and discovery central to the making process.

Bailey is a Vermont-based potter, teacher, and lifelong ceramics student from the Mad River Valley. Originally from Southwest Colorado, he holds an M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a B.A. in Art Education from the University of Northern Colorado. His background includes four summers working with makers and workshop presenters at Laloba Ranch Clay Center in Steamboat Springs, a hometown apprenticeship with potter Bill Wilson, and an influential high-school clay program.

When: November 7–8

Showtimes: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. each day

Venue: Baltimore Clayworks

Instructor: Noel Bailey

Format: Two-day, hands-on ceramics workshop

Tickets: Price not available

Registration: Registration is available through Baltimore Clayworks.

Materials: Bring a standard handbuilding kit with every tool labeled with your name; a sharp, thin-bladed knife shorter than 3 inches, such as an X-Acto, Dolan, or kitchen paring knife; flexible metal ribs; and a Surform or shredder. An Hax tool from Sherrill Mud Tools is optional.

Optional Preparation: Participants may bring four cylindrical, mug-sized pieces thrown with approximately 1 to 1.5 pounds of clay each. The pieces should be leather-soft, nearly ready for trimming.

Lunch: There will be a lunch break on both days. Participants may bring lunch or eat at one of the nearby restaurants within walking distance.