SHANNON KAFFENBERGER

Thursday Night

Advanced Hand Building

6:00pm to 9:00pm

About Shannon Kaffenberger

My name is Shannon Kaffenberger and I am a native to Kansas City and Waldo. My passion for clay and hand building was stoked in high school by my Art teacher and alum of the KC Art Institute, Claire Martin-West. She instilled in me the principles for successful hand building. This pivotal experience unlocked the door to my intuitive understanding of the medium. Whether I was working at home or taking a class, I have spent the last 18 years of my life with some part of it touching clay. I’ve been in and out of studios giving of my time in exchange for kiln space. I have worked in cooperation with friends building kilns, firing, and developing a glaze pallet. Most recently I completed a voluntary position at Red Star. All the while embracing the successes and failures; knowledge and complexity wrought by working in clay. My own experience speaks to the power of hand building techniques, my process of building has developed as the result of just one formal instruction in high school.

About my Class - Advanced Hand Building

Each 4 week session will cover different techniques of Hand-Building. Students will learn the building techniques first developed by prehistoric cultures coil, slabs, & pinching. Each class will explore how texture, expression, gesture, and form effect the building process. A beginning student may expect an introduction to the basic personality of clay; how to manipulate it, read it, and control it. They will also learn the elements of creating a strong form both structurally and visually. The more advance student may expect an environment open to pushing the limits. For both beginner or the advance student, the development of these skills promises to enhance their future in clay whether that be throwing vessels or building them.

Pictures of Artwork by Shannon Kaffenberger

Coming Soon!

copyright KCCG 2008