The pieces pictured will be in the Art, Craft & Design exhibit/sale that is a part of the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair. It happens for nine days from August 1 – 9, 2026 10am to 5pm each day. I had a booth at the Fair for thirty-three years but for the last seven my only representation there is having some pieces in the A, C & D exhibit and sale. I am very glad to be a part of it in this way still as my focus has turned more to my teaching occasional workshops and pursuing new directions with my creative work.
I hope that you can make at least a day of going to see the whole Fair. It is an extra special one with the high quality of craft work, booths, demos, exhibits, hands-on workshop opportunities, live music and great food.
Explore hand building and slip techniques with clay
This workshop is designed for those new or experienced with clay-working.
We will use pinch and slab construction to make pieces that will then be decorated with a variety of slip techniques. Slip is liquid clay that can be stained with different pigments. Creating surfaces with layered, colored slips such as combing, texturing, stenciling, printing, painting and more will be explored, producing a sense of depth and intrigue.
We will make paper templates as a useful tool for envisioning how a flat slab of clay can be folded into a three-dimensional form. A clay slab is rolled out and cut into the shape of the template. Before or after the folding and construction takes place, the pigmented slips will be applied to the surface. Tips and tricks will be shown for folding, wrapping, attaching and treating seams, edges and corners.
Pieces made during the first few days will get bisque fired towards the end of the week. All pieces made will be fired after the workshop which is included in the workshop fee.
About the Instructor:
Since 1998 Naomi Lindenfeld has been the ceramics teacher at The Putney School, teaching a variety of hand-building and wheel-throwing methods. Naomi has also taught a number of colored clay, and more recently, colored slip workshops at craft centers around the northeast and beyond. She has enjoyed the opportunity to share her enthusiasm for these unusual and exciting techniques.
Learn how to create dynamic, layered surfaces with colored slips! (Naomi Lindenfeld returns to Portland Pottery for her second workshop! Some of you may remember her from her colored porcelain/nerikomi workshop last year!)
This is a full-process 2-day workshop, meaning that Naomi will demonstrate everything from building pieces with fresh clay to finishing them with slip decoration. She will show slab building techniques, such as using templates, folding, wrapping, and draping slabs – and folding, attaching, and treating seams, edges, and corners effectively. You will learn how to roll slabs to use as a canvas to practice your slip decoration technique before applying it to your own pieces. Finally, Naomi will guide you through sgraffito, stenciling, combing, printing, inlaying, and painting with 8 colored slips to create surfaces on your ceramics that have depth and intrigue. She will also explain how slips are made so that you can make your own if you’d like!
