Doreen Plott

First up, 2003 The Redford Center in Sundance, Utah. Established by the Redford family to maintain the balance of art, nature and community. Honing my skill for wheel throwing, the week went by quickly. Comradery with other students in this beautiful mountain setting made the class work and practice an inspiring adventure. Back in Temple, TX 2005 I participated in a few classes with Randy Brodnax, the Raku King. Randy is published and is sought after in pottery exhibits across the states and internationally. His stories, quick wit and abilities to toss a leather hard vessel into a corner and have it land exactly as he wanted was astounding. Though interesting and exciting Raku is too close to the fire for my desires. Next was a two-week course at Homestead Heritage, outside of Waco. The Plow Shares program was taught by 3 talented artisans. The principles were specific for functional pieces that are sold in their stores on site. This was a disciplined class that taught the hand placement, proper sitting at the wheel to the final wood firing. Another two-week course at Arrowmont School of the Arts in Gatlinburg, TN was an on-campus, immersive program in 2009. With unlimited clay tools and studio time Master Potter, Bill Van Gilder shared tips, tricks and short cuts to achieve the perfect bowl, plate or platter. Tucked at the foot of the Great Smokey Mountains, this was a very satisfying holistic retreat. I began leaning towards porcelain as my clay base and signed up for a week at ldyllwild Arts Campus in the towering alpine forest of California' San Jacinto Mountains. Kate McDowell was the most interesting master potter. Using porcelain due to the luminous and ghostly appearance, she sculpts fragile, natural forms in a dying ecosystem. She would hand build a creature; bird, rabbit, fox then hollows out the main body like a taxidermist. This makes the sculpture lighter and easier to fire. Another master artist in porcelain was Jennifer McCurdy. A class in Steidel Fine Arts, Palm Beach, FL Taught me the fragility of her carved and altered forms. She uses translucent porcelain to produce wheel thrown vessels that go through a variety of hand manipulations that almost defy gravity. Her porcelain pieces have been in private collections, museums and graced the covers of distinguished publications. In 2017 I was able to give back some of what I had learned by teaching pottery classes at MCC in Waco where it all began in 2002. Unfortunately, the building on campus was scheduled for demolition and closed in 2019. I continue to develop my skills in pottery, mostly porcelain. My friends and I like to drink wine so I have created a line of wine goblets. My commissions include sets of wine goblets with chillers for weddings, vessel sinks and sculptures. My studio was built along a winding creek by the famous Mammoth Site in Waco, TX. So Mammoth Creek Pottery is where I work/play among the quiet oak trees and wild life.