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Gardeners Creative Getaway

Have some fun in summer 2012. Make unique clay creations for your garden -- a sun dial, a totem, whimsical creatures to inhabit your garden. No previous ceramics experience necessary.

Weekend Getaway – Make Ceramic Decorations for your Garden

June 22-24, Camp David, Glenhaven, CO

Beginners in clay and sculpture at all levels will make whimsical creatures, sundials, totems for the garden. Play like you are in kindergarden. Friday evening to Sunday Afternoon, June 22-24. All clay, glazes, firing, tools and supplies are included in the price. Food and drink are included with the beautiful relaxing mountain location -- cozy and comfortable Camp David. The group is limited to 7 participants.

Location:

You will be welcomed to Camp David and you’ll know it by the sign hanging over the bridge by the road. Camp David is a quiet and cozy rustic cabin in beautiful Glenhaven, Colorado just minutes from Estes Park. The map below shows the town of Glenhaven at “A”.

Camp David is a perfect location for small outdoorsy workshops and meetings. Spend a few days amongst the beautiful trees, native plants and rugged red rock cliffs. Sit near the cabin and imagine your fishing pole propped up as you enjoy a quiet moment beside the melodic stream. Camp David's theme is “kindness spoken here” and you'll feel the kindness as the camp provides warmth, cooling breezes and comfort in a rustic quieting camp atmosphere. A perfect setting for your weekend away -- making garden art. We cook and light the cabin with electricity, and heat with wood. At Camp David you can have a cozy comfortable room of your own with a shared shower. You’ll also experience the nostalgic practice of using Camp David's new, clean, and cheery outdoor privy. Ample additional lodging and transportation to and from Camp David is available at nearby Estes Park.

About Your Clay Creations for Your Garden

[ Include pictures of Ceramic Art:] The items we make in this session will be fully “vitrified” which means they will not absorb water and will be safe from the elements in your garden. We will use a technique to finish the surfaces of our work that includes painting with colored clay (engobes), applying stains, and underglazes to add detail to the partially dry clay creations before they are fired. Feel free to bring stamps or other textural tools. Also bring pictures of animals and other things you would like to make for the garden. We'll have a lots of ideas to share and guidance as well. The items will be fired to cone 6 (about 2000 degrees) and clear glazed or left natural. You'll have a large choice of colors and surfaces for your finished products including matte, natural rustic or glossy surfaces. In this workshop know that you you may discover your inner artist or you may just enjoy playing with clay and relaxing for a nice vacationy getaway. You'll take home 2 or 3 clay beautiful creations for your garden.

Teacher: Emilie Parker, http://www.etsy.com/shop/emilieparker

Emilie has been teaching pottery and ceramics to both adult and child beginners and intermediate students for 4 years. She is an artist and a sculptor and has been doing pottery for decades.

Sample Menu for the Weekend:

(notes: 1. Please advise Pat or Emilie of any dietary restrictions or preferences when you register. 2. Sodas and bottled water will be available at all times. 3. This sample menu may change.)

Friday:

•Cool drinks, wine, crackers/cheese and veggie snacks
•Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu Ceasar Salad bar, choice of fresh bread, gluten free dessert.

Saturday:

•Complementary Continental Breakfast: coffee, tea, orange juice, bagels with cream cheese, cereal with milk or almond milk, fruit
•Snacks: fruit, coffee, tea, sodas, water and cookies
•Lunch: homemade soup and sandwich fixings
•Happy Hour Snack: drinks, crackers, cheese and veggie snacks
•Saturday Dinner: barbeque burgers, including vegan burgers, salads, baked beans, smores for dessert.

Sunday

•Complementary Continental Breakfast
•Sunday Lunch: Homemade soup, sandwiches, chips, drinks, and almond cake.

Schedule:

Friday:

•4:30 to 5:30 Arrive, unwind, and get comfortable. Have a cool drink, unpack, look around and visit.
•5:30 to 6:30 Dinner
•6:30 to 8:30 First Clay Session: The first hour you will learn to work with clay using techniques such as pinching, texturing, coiling and attaching clay to clay. The second hour you will use your imagination to create whimsical animals for your garden. Feel free to bring pictures or ideas if you like. We'll also provide a “what's my totem” test for fun. If you choose to make a totem. It’s a weekend project and the animals you make will be part of the totem.

This first evening we'll take a few moments to get your art ideas flowing and to build your confidence in your inner artist. As we clean up, we'll share how we appreciate the many ways art can enrich your garden and your gardening experience.

Saturday:

•7:30 am Complementary Continental Breakfast
•8:00 Second Clay session: On Saturday morning we will be working together at big tables by the peaceful creek running right past the cabin. We'll focus on slab building -- learning to roll out wonderful big slabs of clay and make charming hanging fish for the garden, fanciful flowers, small planters, or unique row markers for your vegetables. The first hour will be hands-on demonstrations, and you’ll get to work right along with Emilie, trying out experiments and getting lots of ideas flowing. The rest of the morning you'll have individual technical help from the instructor when ever you need it so you can make some of your ideas a reality. You'll make one or more slab built project in the morning before clean-up time.
•12:00 to 1:30 Lunch and free time for a short stroll to find your favorite leaves or treasures from the hill behind the cabin or doze by the stream for a few moments.
•1:30 Demonstration of how to install a totem in your garden.
•2 to 4:30 Second Clay Session: On Saturday afternoon we'll use slabs, with stamps, and whatever leaves, sticks, little rocks, etc that you've gathered. We’ll have lots of plaster sprig molds, and textures to make parts of your totem, or make a bird bath, a small planter or a draped ruffled planter. The first part of the session will be demonstrations followed by time for you to make your own garden creations.
•4:30 to 5:30 Clean up. Enjoy wine/cheese and snacks and just relax. Do you feel the invigorating peace of creativity? Do you look forward to adding your creations to your garden.
•5:30 Barbeque
•6:30 to 830 Evening session. Saturday evening is your last chance to make whatever your heart desires for your garden. Or take time to assess what you've done and begin applying colored slips. Look at everything you've made, do the last finishing touches and learn about how to apply the stains, underglazes and colored slips in preparation for finishing up everything on Sunday morning. Demonstration of techniques for application of the colored stains and colored slips on your partially dry creations.

Sunday;

•7:30 Complementary Continental Breakfast
•8:30 to 12:00 Finishing all work, readying it for firing. A time to look back over the last two days and think about the artist in you. How will you incorporate art into your garden and your daily life. Packing up your creations, making sure you name is on them and helping Emilie organize and get ready to safely transport your creations to the kilns at ClayArt Pottery in Louisville, CO.
•12:00 to 1:00 Lunch
•Picture taking, Heartfelt goodbyes with a hug and a promise.