16 artist in a barn on a farm

This summer, as part of a month long road trip, I participated in a residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in New Castle, Maine.  The Two week long session (Artist invite Artist) was put together by this guy!  Benjamin Schulman is a sculptor teaching at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.  Participants included Adelaide Paul, Tyler Lots, Rain Harris, Landon Anderson, Erin Furimsky, Jeannie Hulen, Carolyn Baginski, Maji Calhoun, Tracy Lee, Erin Paradis, Rob Rapheal, Jessica Sanders, Susan Schultz, and Scott Ziegler (who recently had his work published here). The two week session was wonderful. There was an open diolog between artist about different approaches to art through the use of nontraditional materials combined with ceramic media.  Most participants worked with a variety of materials to produce their work.  Below, Adelaide is pictured refining the body of a life sized horse before it is about to be reskinned in leather. Adelaide's work examines the disturbing nature American culture enables through the use of breeding domesticated animals as commodities.                                                                                 

Erin Furimski (below) is a ceramic sculptor(graduate of The Ohio State University) who creates beautiful, decorative ceramic art by layering a variety of surfaces over a form language that has both architectural and biomorphic qualities. Here she is seen taping off areas of her work, 

getting ready to apply a layer of colored slip.  Pictured below is a finished piece by her husband Tyler Lots.  Tyler incorporates "industrial" products to the surface of his work to create tactile finishes. Other nontraditional  

media such as hardy 

board, metal, and rubber are used in conjunction with slip cast clay to produce his art.  The experience at watershed  was unique because artists not only work in the studio together but they eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a group.  All three meals are provided to participants as part of the residency. This allows for artist to really get to know one another in a short period of time. The diversity of this residency can be seen in the variety of work artist are creating; everything from sculpture to functional pottery.  Pictured below is work by current Salad Days Artist Sean O'Connell.  Sean, A recent graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology works off of the philosophy that if you are going to make something then you should make it useful and if you are going to make something useful then you should make it beautiful.  I couldn't agree more.