Course Leader: Jenny MacKenzie Ross
Places: 8 (6 residential)
Cost: £650 residential / £550 non-residential
(Cost includes tuition, firings and materials – this does not include glazes or bisqueware, please
bring your own bisqueware to fire in the kiln).
Dates:
28 October – 1 November
Booking: Book online below or phone SSW on 01464 861372.
Access information is at the bottom of this page.
We are excited to welcome Jenny Mckenzie-Ross for an intensive week of kiln building at SSW.
Through this residential course you will work with Jenny, Amy (SSW Ceramics Technician) and other course participants to build a functioning adobe kiln with a sculptural form and fire it (with wood) to a temperature of 1300 degrees. This adobe kiln design is based on a roman technique of building over a willow form, and combines function with organic form.
Through the course you will be introduced to; Jenny’s extensive practice in building kilns, the first principles of kiln building and firing, making a kiln former and creating kiln walls from organic materials such as kelp, straw, hay, reeds and slip.
The building of the kiln will be a shared, hands-on experience with plenty of opportunity for peer learning and exchange. We will celebrate the collective building of the kiln with an inaugural firing on Samhain eve. The kiln will have a good capacity for bisque fired ware, so participants can bring up to 6 bisque fired objects* with coloured slips and glazed interiors that can be placed in different parts of the kiln, so that the results can be compared once the kiln is opened.
*We can not guarantee everything will fit in the kiln but everyone will be able to fire multiple pieces.
About Jenny Mackenzie-Ross
Jenny is a ceramic artist with over 35 years experience and has worked in a number of potteries across the Highlands as a production potter. She is the founder and owner of Northshore Pottery situated on the east coast of Caithness, close to the sea. Her adobe kilns are a development from the sculptural techniques she has employed throughout her career and are informed by the geology of the local area. Jenny can be found at festivals across Scotland and Norway leading teams in kiln building or at Northshore feeding her workhorse of a kiln.
Booking
Booking opens soon. You will receive a booking confirmation email to the provided address once your booking is complete. Please read or listen to our Courses terms and conditions before making your booking.
Access
We welcome access riders and/or informal conversations prior to taking part in the course, about what you need to work and live comfortably on site at SSW.
We understand ‘access’ to be what you need to be able to participate in the residency comfortably and safely. These needs may be physical, for example different heights of workstations or access to quiet space. They may be cultural, for example connections with different groups or organisations in the area, or space for worship. Needs may include communication requirements (email, text, phone), translated documents or space for your family (bio/chosen), an ally, support worker or travel buddy to stay. These are just a few examples, and we encourage you to get in touch before you apply, to discuss what we can put in place to support your participation in residency.
Contact Liz Burnham admin@ssw.org.uk / 01464 861372 with any questions or to discuss access to this course.
