TONY MARSH WORKSHOP REVIEW

Tony Marsh, while guest artist at Emily
Carr College of Art, gave a workshop for
the Potters’ Guild on Saturday, Novem-
ber 23rd. He discussed his work, pre-
sented slides , and demonstrated a sim-

ple mold technique.

Tony received his B.F.A. from California
State University Long Beach, in 1978. In
his final year there, an opportunity arose
to study under Mr. Shimaoka Tadsuzo
in Japan. Tomy spent the next three
years there, working as Mr. Shimaoka’s
assistant. Upon his return to the U.S.,
Tony was Director of the Ceramics Pro-
gram at the Mendocino Art Center from
1983 to 1986, and worked mainly in
porcelains, raku, with the use af molds.
He then went om to graduate school at
Alfred University. New York State, and
afler graduation in 1988, Tony took up
his current position as Asaistan: Profes-
sor of Ceramics at the California State
University Lang Beach

In the morning, Tory showed slides of
some porcelain and raku press-molded
pleces from his ‘Mendocino Days’. The
alides of his work al Alfred University
showed his ‘simple’ molds taken of mas-
sive boulders from a creek bed nearby
his studio, using them, as he put It for“a
vocabulary of found objects", Later, he
used these molds to make figurative life-
scale assemblages. The stone surfaces,
picked up by the molds, are transferred
to the works as an “eternal stone pres-
ence", as Tony pul it, and he used slips,
engobes, plaster, metal and acrylics to
enhance that effect.

Al the time Tony was working on his
boulder molds, he was aleo studying the
burial bowls of the Mimbres people of
the southwest. So little is known of
these people, that we can only admire
these dream-like bow! forma and sur-
mise the intent of the humanistic im-
agery they so unerringly applied. We
saw a number of them on slices and
Tony discussed how vessel forms such
as these ancient pots had deeply influ-
enced him. He contends that pettery is
one of the great arts, achieving more

genuine abstract qualities than most
abstract arts, as {tis not merely a distor-
tion or depiction of the figure, a land-
scape, or a still life, but springs to exist-
ence from nothing bot of itself or its
function.

From there, the slides were of Tony's
more recent work since lecving Alfred.
He had departed from the use of ‘found
object’ molda and returned to the mak-
ing of hia own forms for casting. These
press molded forms were often used as
platforms or containment vessels, for
unatlached reliquary objects that Tony
handmade or slipcast. These forme had
asoft geometry that appears simple and
spare. Tony felt the quiet and measured
pace of his work is a residue from his

years in Japan.

After lunch Tony started forming the
mold, using about 75 Ibs of clay that he
purnmelied and ribbed inte an inveried
oval bow! shape about 10" high and 20"
long. He spent a long time ribbing the
clay making a smooth seamless surface
for the mold to reflect. He mace a shal-
low collar, about 4" high, tocontain the
plaster. Piret he poured a thin ‘face coal"
ower the shape and after waking for {i to
sel up, scooped up handfuls of semi-
hardened plaster and rubbed it over the
first cont, thos making a much lighter
mold than simply pouring on vast quan-
Hties of wet plaster and using a much
higher, supported collar. The rounded
base is retained to enable the mold to be
Spun around for easy forming.

While waiting for the plaster to set up.
we Wewed another series of slides, this
time aboul Tony's first year in Japan
under Mr. Shimaoka. The slides and
dialogue gave a really interesting glimpee
of the phenomenon of the modern “tra-
ditional" Japanese pottery. Tony's slides
encompassed the layout of the butld-
ings, kilns, and workshops, and he talked
aboul the daily routine, the Mishima
style of potiery made there, and showed
further slides of the loading and firing of
the kilns, « Mr. Shimaoka‘’s
climbing kiln that he uses twice a year

Page 6

for his more innovative pleces. Ash glaze,
salt ware, copper reds and enamelled
pots were all specially made and fin-
ished for this kiln, separated into their
respective chambers and fired consecu-
tively. We saw how some Wares were
loaded, balanced on refractory-filled
shells, that would Jeave their imprint,
and others were sagpar-fred. Great care
and finesse was taken with each piece.
Further slides showed the pleces during
and after the firing. 2 was a wonderful
series of slides, accompanied by won-
derful stories.

After the Japanese alides, Tony returned
to the studio to unpack the mold, still
very damp and uncured, and forced out
the first prese mole,

For the participants, Tony Marsh pro-
vided a substantial workshop, rich in
source materials, and filled with his
thoughtful dialogue, no) towenUlon sev-

eral series of very Interesting slides.

Debra Sloan

Derember, 199)