FRANCE! Discovering the terroir of the Dordogne Clay Workshop
Experience the contrast of working with silky and translucent finely manufactured porcelain and wild clays.
July 11-18, 2027 | Sunday – Sunday
- Experience: Beginning – Advanced; Some Basic Knowledge of handbuilding and wheel throwing is preferred for this Field Expedition.
- Medium: Ceramics
- Registration: Each student must enroll individually. **Click the Cancellation Policy tab below for more info.**
- Materials List: All supplies included
- Location: Merle, La Chapelle-Faucher, France
- *Price Includes: Workshop (see timeline below), 8 day/7 night stay, private room/shared bath, breakfasts and lunches, plus excursion’s into the French region in the surrounding area. *Fee does not include travel.
****Currently there are only 2 spots left for a shared room with 2 twin beds. Perfect for a Couple, Friends, or a family of 2. Discount is available for this room. Please call JD Jensen at Sedona Arts Center at 928-282-3809 x 1 for more details.****
Nestled in the heart of the Dordogne (department 24) in Southwest France, Atelier@24Merle is a modern ceramic studio taking form in the tiny hameau called Merle, adjacent to La Chapelle Faucher. The region is acclaimed for its fine wines, gastronomy, medieval charm, and prehistoric cave paintings. Situated between Brantôme (10km) and St. John de Cole (8.7km), both remarkably preserved and designated beautiful villages of France, and along the ancient pilgrimage route ‘chemin de Compostelle’, the forests, small farms, ancient architecture, and proximity to Neanderthal cave paintings allow inspiration and calm to flow freely.
What You’ll Experience:
- The lodging, in a medieval village that stole our hearts, Bourdeilles (14km), is in a period Chateau set on park-like grounds, with modern kitchen and bathrooms, multiple lounges and game room, swimming pool, views overlooking the castle and other chateaus, and immediate walking distance to village center with river access, medieval tower, bridges, museum, restaurants, music events, and small night market.
- Simple and fresh breakfast options are provided at chateau for casual mornings, with family-style lunches most days at the studio, included in the programming. Dinners are shared and catered with seasonal fresh ingredients four of the nights, with some supplemented at night markets and restaurants (not included in fees).
- During kiln cooling day we will visit several local ceramic artist studios.
- Students will leave with a few small pieces to travel home with after the unloading and end of session gala.
Class Highlights:
- Project Focus: Participants will create thoughtful pieces for firing in small, fast-fire wood and charcoal kilns
- Versatility: Methods and kilns used will give participants experience and confidence to recreate results using small experimental kilns built with limited materials and a small budget.
- Technical Skill Building: Utilizing single-firing (no bisque firing) with limited glazing, the workshop focus is the material itself and the experimental atmospheric firings used to explore surface and color.
- Knowledge Based: Studio time is guided by Jason Bohnert, with over 25 years of making and teaching in clay and wood-fired atmospheric kilns.
- Class Size: This is a LIMITED class size for this workshop.
The studio building, formerly a menuiserie (wood working studio) built in 1959, is being renovated from the ground up to retain the character of the traditional post and beam wood structure and ceramic tile roof, with modern insulation, kitchen, bathroom, and clay facilities. Black and White is the theme for this studio session, utilizing porcelain from the renowned French ceramic center Limoges, as well as locally harvested wild stoneware and porcelain clays from nearby Loire and the northern region of Bretagne. Experience the contrast of working with the silky and translucent finely manufactured porcelain and the mineral-rich, minimally processed wild clays.
Studio time is guided by Jason Bohnert, with over 25 years of making and teaching in clay and wood-fired atmospheric kilns. Participants will create thoughtful pieces for firing in small, fast-fire wood and charcoal kilns. Utilizing single-firing (no bisque firing) with limited glazing, the workshop focus is the material itself and the experimental atmospheric firings used to explore surface and color. Bright orange, pink and red flashing contrasted with deep black, maroon and purple hues will be the goal. Methods and kilns used will give participants experience and confidence to recreate results using small experimental kilns built with limited materials and a small budget. Kilns and firing results can be changed and adapted according to scale, available materials and desired results. During kiln cooling day we will visit several local ceramic artist studios. Guests will leave with a few small pieces to travel home with after the unloading and end of session gala.
27 0711w BR
