Ceramic Sculptor Tina Folks to Present Animal Totem Workshop
Ceramic Supply Inc.’s Second Saturday in February will feature ceramic sculptor Tina Folks. A dedicated ceramist since the mid 1980’s, Folks holds a BA from Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY and a BFA in Ceramics from Parsons School of Design in NYC.
At the Second Saturday Workshop, Folks will lead students in creating their own animal totem figure. The focus will be on hand building techniques using a cone 5/6 red sculpture clay. Starting with a seamless cylinder, techniques for making costume, ornamentation, and attachments will be demonstrated while using stamps and textured materials. Students will be encouraged to invent their own animal head or follow the demonstration in class. In addition, a dry brush slip application will be shown and students will be provided with the cone 5/6 recipe to take home.
Tina Folks has been working with clay for over 25 years. She apprenticed with ceramic designer, Maishe Dickman in New Haven, Connecticut. She originally focused on making slip-cast functional pieces for the table and founded her own studio called Table of Contents in 1991. Eight years later, Tina changed her direction and began making tile & mosaics and took on commissioned projects.
In addition to residential work, Tina has been a consultant and co-coordinator on community art projects: the Community Wall Mosaic in 2000, installed at the East End Arts Council in Riverhead Long Island, and the 9-11 Memorial Mosaic in 2002, which surrounds the flagpole base in front of the Westhampton Beach Middle School. Both projects involved students & adults from different backgrounds and disciplines.
In 2009, Tina’s clay work took an unexpected turn after a profound spiritual experience brought on by her studies in Shamanism – the healing practices of indigenous peoples. Her animal totems, or therianthropes, are the results of some of her reflections of these experiences. She says, “As human beings, we have all felt a close association to animals at one time or another. In many ethnic cultures, animals are totems and guides for life. They carry mysticism and power that is honored and manifested through dance and ritual.” Her past travels to West Africa to work with local villagers in their pottery traditions have also greatly influenced her use of color, imagery, and surface treatment. “To achieve an earthy “dug-up” surface,” she explains, “I have explored different firing methods, such as mid-range oxidation, high-temperature wood/salt reduction firing, and raku. This continues to be an exciting direction for me.”
Folks’ workshop will run from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 8th at Ceramic Supply Inc., at 7 US Hwy. Rte. 46 West Lodi, NJ 07644.
Participant are asked to bring their favorite sculpture and hand building tools, stamps, a wooden rib, a pony roller, 3/8” wood slats (for slab rolling), an apron, brushes for slips, and references for animal heads, such as pictures or drawings. Some tools will be available in the workshop.
Cost is $50 per person and includes lunch.
To register, email , or call Laura at 1-800-723-7264 x 204
Learn more about Tina Folks at https://www.xanadugallery.com/2013/Artists/ArtistPage.php?ArtistID=3852.