01/22/2018 by Dean Simpson 0 Comments
Daniel Tomcik and Dan Scully return to Touchstone in 2018 to teach a Workshop
Daniel Tomcik is a functional potter born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Daniel started working in clay at California University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his BFA with a concentration in ceramics under Richard Miecznikowski. While in college, Daniel worked at Standard Ceramic Supply Company as the lab tech intern from 2013-2015. He was a resident artist at Touchstone Center for Crafts in 2014 and also worked at Touchstone as a studio assistant in 2014 and 2015. Late 2015, Daniel moved to Baltimore, Maryland to study under Jim Dugan as the wood kiln assistant at Baltimore Clayworks, firing the Noborigama nearly every weekend. Summer 2016, Daniel was accepted to Watershed Ceramics as studio staff for the season. Upon returning to Pennsylvania, he moved to Touchstone to complete an intensive residency focusing on local clays; and atmospheric, reduction firing, and cooling. He currently lives in Pittsburgh and is also Touchstone’s Facilities and Grounds Coordinator.
To see more of Dan’s work follow him on Instagram @tomcikpots
Dan Scully is a wood fire potter originally from Connecticut. Dan earned his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2015. While in college, he began wood firing in the two-chamber Noborigama at Baltimore Clayworks. Dan’s practice is grounded in the belief that pots can play an integral part in our lives as they each tell a story unique to their journey through the flames. Dan was a resident artist and wood kiln manager at Baltimore Clayworks before coming to Touchstone for the 2017 season as a Ceramics Studio Technician. He now lives in Connecticut.
To see more of Dan’s work visit danscullyceramics.com and follow him on Instagram @danscully_ceramics
Dan and Dan will be teaching Fire on the Mountain at Touchstone from May 18–20, 2018. In this workshop, students will work together to load and fire the Touchstone two-chamber Noborigama kiln. You will sign up for shifts—two folks per shift—and work as a team to move wood, stoke, and introduce soda into the second chamber; ultimately, crushing some cones! All pots must be bisque fired and ready to glaze starting Friday morning. Loading will take place Friday and we will start candling late that night, firing thru to Sunday. Sunday evening temperatures in both chambers will level out, and we plan to "soak" the kiln in the range of cones 10 to 11. After the soak, the focus will move to sealing the kiln for down-firing in reduction to 1700 degrees allowing deep surface and trailing. One share constitutes kiln space of about 3 cubic feet. When loading the kiln we tend to only fire plates that stack, wadded on top of one another. Work that is taller than 9 inches can only be loaded on the top shelf, leaving limited space for larger items. Bring pieces made from cone 10 clay only! This workshop is suitable for All Levels.
Comments