Instructors
Karis Barry has been making a living as a potter for over 40 years, selling at art fairs and through galleries. She took an adult education class in MA one winter and bought a pottery wheel before she could even throw a good pot, thinking it would be a hobby. After taking more classes at some museum schools in the Boston area, she bought a kiln and hasn't looked back.
When making her pottery her goals are to make something useful and to give visual pleasure. Her work has been influenced by living and traveling in Southeast Asia and Europe. But it is also influenced by her Norwegian ancestry which gives her an affinity for the clean Scandinavian sense of design in regard to form, as well as the Norwegian love of nature.
The images on the work are created by using engobes and sgraffito. An engobe is a layer of liquid clay applied to the surface to the pot. Colored by various oxides, the engobes used on these works are applied when the porcelain is still damp. After the piece dries, a design is chosen and sketched onto the engobe then sgraffitoed (from the italian word “to scratch”) to expose the porcelain body underneath. This creates a slightly raised surface where the engobe has been left on to create the image.
Steve Palmer received his B.F.A. from Rhode Island College, and continued his study of sculpture in Italy at the Tuscan Renaissance Center. As a member of the South County Art Association in RI and now at City Clay, in Charlottesville, VA, He continues to explore the many forms and functions of clay. Through teaching, he hopes to share and ignite the same passion and excitement in his students that he has for the ceramic form. His passion for working with clay took off while he was a Studio Member of the South County Art Association. The opportunity to work and teach in a creative, supportive environment, surrounded by artists is ideal for him.
Class Cancellations and Absence
Refunds minus a $20 processing fee are offered until 14 days before the start of class. After that, we do not offer refunds. We don’t offer refunds for missed classes, so please be sure you can attend all sessions of a class, or that you are okay with missing any that you’ll be away for. You can find out more on our studio policies page.