5 Day Hands on Workshop with Forrest Lesch-Middelton
Where: Petaluma Pottery, Petaluma, CA
Dates: September 5-10th, 2021. Sunday intro and slides from 7:00-8:00. M-F from 9:30-4:30 each day
Ages: 17+up | All levels, some wheel throwing experience preferred but not required
Price: $750

COURSE DESCRIPTION Join me for an intensive five-day workshop in the comfort and convenience of my own studio in the heart of beautiful Sonoma County, California. Over the course of a week we will explore the entire process I use for making highly decorative pots and tiles using the volumetric image transfer technique that has become the cornerstone of my work. Beginning with an informative wheel-throwing and tile demonstration, we will quickly transition to creating a silkscreen with your own imagery to practice with and take home with you at the end of the session. I will cover silkscreen preparation, creating imagery for film, coating and developing a screen, and printing and using transfers. By the end of day one you will have developed your own silkscreen for use throughout the week, and an understanding of how to successfully set up your own inexpensive, low tech, and reliable darkroom in your own studio.
Beyond screen printing techniques, investigations into form and function, and a thorough understanding of wheel throwing and basic design principles are the foundation of this workshop. From there you will combine imagery, form, and surface using the techniques Forrest has developed that allow him to integrate wheel throwing and image transfer simultaneously to create uniquely decorative functional wares ripe with content. 
Like learning a new language, the volumetric image transfer process requires patience and can be tricky. You will have ample time to develop your work in class, and cultivate a deeper understanding of how to best incorporate the image transfer process into your own studio practice. Daily demonstrations will be followed by one-on-one instruction. Generous discussions and exercises regarding best studio and business practices will be covered and are designed to help provide new insights and assist you in breaking the barriers that may be holding you back. By the end of the week you will be amazed at how far you’ve come!
This will be the first ever five-day workshop to take place in my teaching studio, Petaluma Pottery. The benefits of teaching a workshop in my own studio are endless. As a teacher, there is a simple comfort in knowing right where everything is in the studio and a streamlined workshop means more time focused on helping you advance your work.
More details and to sign up HERE!

Where: Clay to Table
When: Labor day weekend

Join us Labor Day Weekend for an online show and sale of contemporary pottery!

Our online event includes a diverse group of potters from across the United States and Canada, each bringing their own unique talents to the table. Clay to Table will host lively interviews and engaging demonstrations on our social media platforms over Labor Day Weekend.

In conjunction with our event, we will be holding a raffle benefitting our partner, Crafting The Future.

5 Day Hands on Workshop with Forrest Lesch-Middelton
Where: Petaluma Pottery, Petaluma, CA
Dates: August 8-13th, 2021. Sunday intro and slides from 7:00-8:00. M-F from 9:30-4:30 each day
Ages: 17+up | All levels, some wheel throwing experience preferred but not required
Price: $750

COURSE DESCRIPTION Join me for an intensive five-day workshop in the comfort and convenience of my own studio in the heart of beautiful Sonoma County, California. Over the course of a week we will explore the entire process I use for making highly decorative pots and tiles using the volumetric image transfer technique that has become the cornerstone of my work. Beginning with an informative wheel-throwing and tile demonstration, we will quickly transition to creating a silkscreen with your own imagery to practice with and take home with you at the end of the session. I will cover silkscreen preparation, creating imagery for film, coating and developing a screen, and printing and using transfers. By the end of day one you will have developed your own silkscreen for use throughout the week, and an understanding of how to successfully set up your own inexpensive, low tech, and reliable darkroom in your own studio.
Beyond screen printing techniques, investigations into form and function, and a thorough understanding of wheel throwing and basic design principles are the foundation of this workshop. From there you will combine imagery, form, and surface using the techniques Forrest has developed that allow him to integrate wheel throwing and image transfer simultaneously to create uniquely decorative functional wares ripe with content. 
Like learning a new language, the volumetric image transfer process requires patience and can be tricky. You will have ample time to develop your work in class, and cultivate a deeper understanding of how to best incorporate the image transfer process into your own studio practice. Daily demonstrations will be followed by one-on-one instruction. Generous discussions and exercises regarding best studio and business practices will be covered and are designed to help provide new insights and assist you in breaking the barriers that may be holding you back. By the end of the week you will be amazed at how far you’ve come!
This will be the first ever five-day workshop to take place in my teaching studio, Petaluma Pottery. The benefits of teaching a workshop in my own studio are endless. As a teacher, there is a simple comfort in knowing right where everything is in the studio and a streamlined workshop means more time focused on helping you advance your work.
More details and to sign up HERE!

Handmade Tile: Design, Create, Install
2 Week Workshop
Where: Penland School of Craft : Penland, NC

This action-packed workshop will navigate tile making from beginning to end. Starting with a block of clay and ending with unique individual tiles and groupings installed as wall hangings, you are sure to leave with a new understanding of what it means to be a tile maker! We’ll cover tile history, traditional and contemporary methods of making and finishing different tile shapes and surfaces, making and using silkscreens for image transfer, firing tile, and how to confidently prepare and complete large-scale installations.

penland.org/workshops/clay

A 5-Day Online Ceramics Festival. May 27th-31st 2021. All Online!
ceramic.school/the-ceramics-congress

Where: Bali at the Gaya Ceramic Arts Center
A recognizable voice is what defines an artist and drives a successful body of work; it allows an artist to communicate ideas through objects, independent of themselves. In this workshop you will work through a series of exercises that drill deep and uncover ideas to a place where you can further develop your work. From there you will combine imagery, form, and surface using the techniques Forrest has developed that allow him to integrate wheel throwing and image transfer simultaneously to create uniquely decorative functional wares ripe with content. 

Learn to develop silk screens, make embossments for molds and stamps, and explore the reduction cooling process Forrest uses to bring a sense of history to his work. Beginning on tiles and advancing to wheel thrown forms, Forrest will walk you through his process encouraging your own creative exploration. At the end of this densely packed workshop you are certain to leave with a new approach to surface, content, and decoration.

Open to all levels of experience.

www.gayaceramic.com/forrest-lesch-middleton-workshop

When: October 12 & 13 + 19 & 20
Time: 10-5 Each Day
Where: 1320 Commerce St, Suite J, Petaluma CA 94954
What: My pottery studio and showroom will be open to the public as part of Sonoma County Art Trails, the oldest juried open studio tour in the country.

Our 140+ juried professional artists invite you to EXPLORE Sonoma County, engage with artists in their own studios, and collect beautiful art.

Since 1985, the Art Trails self-guided tour gives visitors fabulous opportunities to learn first-hand from the artists what inspires their art, how it is made and where it is made. Art Trails is always the second and third weekend in October, the perfect time of year to enjoy Sonoma County, see fabulous art, find a terrific holiday gift, and treat oneself to a special piece of art that will enliven your home or office. So mark your calendars, bring your family and friends and bask in the enjoyment of Art Trails!

Join me for a two day workshop at the Mill Valley Pottery Studio

Volumetric Image Transfer on Clay with Forrest Lesch-Middelton
Date: Saturday & Sunday October 5th & 6th 9am-4pm

Fee: $275/person
Sign up and description here…
https://millvalleypottersstudio.com/workshops/

Join me and 150 juried artists for the 27th Annual ACGA Clay & Glass Festival in Palo Alto. A  free, fun-filled two-day celebration of Clay and Glass Art on July 13-14, 2019, at the Palo Alto Art Center. Featuring both fine and functional art, the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival is the largest show of its kind. Meet the artists and learn about their art. Enjoy a variety of engaging activities, including hands-on pottery-making and wheel-throwing demonstrations. Forrest will be giving a demo on Sunday at 11:00

Visit ACGA.net  for all of the details!

Selling pots and wares in Petaluma, CA with Quill and Arrow at the Bank Hub (The old petaluma seed bank building.)
Saturday, May 11: 11-6
Sunday, May 12: 11-5
https://www.napamakes.org/

Work for Sale with Northern Clay Center

Mar 7 to Mar 30
Mugs, Yunomis, Coasters, and more for sale both at NCC and in the NCC Booth at the Expo Hall at NCECA 2019.

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 28, 6-9 pm
Location: Hopkins Center for the Arts, Redepenning Gallery, 1111 Main Street, Hopkins, MN 55343

The Earth is Broken, the Earth is Whole is a dialogue between four artists: Forrest Lesch-Middelton, Arash Shirinbab, Pedram Baldari and Nooshin Hakim Javadi. This exhibition will feature ceramics, calligraphy, media, food, performance and installations that explore cultural and political exchanges between Middle Eastern and Western interpretations of our cultures. This exhibition asks challenging questions, like, do we accept or reject the concept of globalization and migration? How do we embrace what is happening and what is to come? Can it really be as simple as sitting down together? Can something as commonplace as clay, a mineral ubiquitous to all cultures, transcend borders and become a catalyst for addressing such complex issues?

POTTERY IMAGE TRANSFERS
Workshop Details
Experience combining form and surface as you explore the techniques Forrest has developed which allow him to integrate wheel throwing and image transfer techniques creating uniquely decorative functional wares. Use Silkscreens Forrest provides and start by making tiles and progressing to wheel thrown and hand built forms. Forrest will walk you through his process encouraging your own creative exploration through conversations that elicit a deeper development of your personal voice. Whew, that’s a lot! You are certain to leave with a new approach to surface and decoration.

Join me and 150 juried artists for the 26th Annual ACGA Clay & Glass Festival in Palo Alto. A  free, fun-filled two-day celebration of Clay and Glass Art on July14-15, 2018, at the Palo Alto Art Center. Featuring both fine and functional art, the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival is the largest show of its kind. Meet the artists and learn about their art. Enjoy a variety of engaging activities, including hands-on pottery-making and wheel-throwing demonstrations.

Visit ACGA.net  for all of the details!

DATES: April 28, 2018 - May 28, 2018
HOURS: Open Tuesday - Sunday
Visit decoratorshowcase.org for times and tickets.

I'm excited to be a part of this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase! The showcase is widely considered to be the West Coast’s premier design show house event, renowned for featuring the work of the region’s top interior and landscape designers. For the past 41 years, all the funds raised through the Decorator Showcase go directly to support the San Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program. 

Join me at the San Francisco Exploratorium for "After Dark: Cobalt" Part of the series, Everything Matters: Tales from the Periodic Table. 

"Known for its rich blue color, cobalt has been used to stylize ceramics in many cultures across the globe. Explore the Delftware process and see how cobalt leads to striking designs on ceramic tiles."

Tickets available here.

Quill and Arrow and I are teaming up for an open house & holiday sale in Petaluma!

Collectively we'll have letterpress prints, handmade journals, paper goods, stationery, mugs, plates, bowls, vases, pitchers, jars, tile seconds and more more more. Studio tours. Holiday snacks. All the goodness. 10-4 both days. 

1320 Commerce Street  |  Studio J  |  Petaluma, 94954

Can't make it? Want to see more? We both have work available online. 
quillandarrow.com
flmceramics.com