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warren mackenzie ; was: workshops: ostrom/mackenzie

updated wed 30 apr 97

 

Akita-Jin on mon 7 apr 97

Hi Sam,
I've been thinking about putting up a web page related to the
MacKenzie's work and the potters in Minnesota & Wisconsin who are
influenced by him. I live about 20 minutes from MacKenzie's pottery.

Warren MacKenzie and his wife Alex studied with Bernard Leach in the
'50s. He is influenced by Soetsu Yanagi's Mingei philosophy and the
work of Shoji Hamada. MacKenzie taught at the Universtiy of Minnesota
and was the chair of the Studio Arts department there. His work is
Asian influenced, with a strong Minnesotan/MidWestern character. He
works on a Leach treadle wheel, mostly in stoneware and some porcelain
at temps ranging from cone4 to cone10. He fires a double chambered gas
fired kiln that has a lot of temperature variation. I don't think he
uses the second chamber currently. He used to bisque in it. The front
chamber has a car in it. It is basically the same design as Leach's oil
fired 2 chambered kiln.

He is a really swell person and is generous with his time and his
pottery. He always welcomes the visits of other potters to his
pottery. I envy you doing a workshop with him in Maui! :^)

Lee


> Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 20:35:03 EST
> From: Sam
> Subject: Workshops: Ostrom/MacKenzie
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I am going to two workshops on Maui in a couple of weeks. One with
> Walter Ostrom and the other with Warren MacKenzie. I have no idea what
> the workshops are about(other than clay, which is good enough for me),
> and I am curious about these guys. I know Walter Ostrom was the
> director of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design from an article in
> this month's Ceramic Monthly. Also, there's a book on MacKenzie in the
> Potters' Shop book list. What kind of work do these guys do? What are
> they like? I'm off to search on the web, but any thoughts on this would
> help me in my curiosity.

====================================================
/(o\ Lee Love In "St. Paul", MN ' Come see some pixs of my AkitaPup:
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