Sat. April 25 & Sun April 26, 2026
10-4 PM
In this two-day workshop with Berkeley ceramic artist Josie Jurczenia, students will explore how a basic cylinder can be transformed into a sculptural vessel full of personality. Using approachable handbuilding techniques, Josie will demonstrate how to add flat slab elements, sculptural handles, and playful silhouettes that push traditional pottery forms into unexpected territory.
Josie describes her work as “a Greek urn meets a steamroller.” Classical shapes provide the starting point, but they’re stretched, flattened, and embellished into bold contemporary forms—vases, candleholders, and hybrid objects that feel both timeless and delightfully modern.
Students will also explore flattened floral forms—graphic, dimensional flowers that become part of the structure itself. These playful additions can frame a vessel, climb up its sides, or even serve as sculptural holders for real blooms.
Day 1 — Design & Build
Sketch ideas and develop templates
Learn Josie’s approach to transforming cylinders with slab additions
Build vessels such as sculptural vases, candleholders, or hybrid forms
Explore proportion, silhouette, and structural support
Day 2 — Surface & Illustration
Decorate using slips and underglazes
Learn expressive brushwork and graphic pattern techniques
Add illustrated details, floral motifs, stripes, or decorative borders
By the end of the workshop, students will have created a highly personal sculptural vessel—part functional object, part illustrated sculpture.
Skill Level
Some handbuilding experience is helpful, but curiosity and a willingness to experiment are the most important tools.
Please bring:
Stiff paper for making templates - at least Legal size (8.5”x14”) bristol board or cover stock work fine for this.
Pencil
Scissors
x-acto knife or pin tool
Stiff paint brush
Newspaper or brown paper
White underglaze or slip and a variety of underglaze colors and paint brushes
About the artist:
Josie Jurczenia graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts (Oakland) in 1978 with a degree in textiles. She founded a children's clothing company (Sweet Potatoes) and was president and design director there until 2004.
She began making her hand built, textile inspired pots upon her retirement. Her pieces are made of mid-fire clay slabs that are cut using paper patterns, assembled and darted for volume. They are decorated using a variety of processes: scratching, mishima, stenciling,silk screening.
Josie has served on the board of directors for the Assoc of Clay and Glass Artists, Richmond art Center and the ACCI Gallery. She was the founder of Fourth & Clay Gallery in Berkeley, CA (2007 - 2017). Her work has been shown in galleries across the US including Kohler Arts, Trax, Palo Alto Art Center, Gumps, Cooley Gallery, Abrams Claghorn Gallery, Roscoe Ceramics Gallery. Her pieces can be seen in the Lark publications: 500 Teapots and 500 Vases. You can read about her process in the March 2015 edition of Pottery Making Illustrated.
